Sheer excitement and anticipation. There we were, four grown adults sitting in a 2017 SUV waiting to see the movie on the big outdoor screen. We had the dedicated radio station on, waiting for the background music to transition to the movie.

Even though we could watch that same movie in the comfort of our home while eating fresh popcorn from the microwave or at an indoor movie theater with latte stations, we were sitting wide-eyed in the car. We were like other individuals who were avidly watching a Saturday night movie at 329 other operational drive-ins in the United States.

Long past its peak of the 1950’s when drive-in movies were as common then as branch banks now, families and friends were still frequenting outdoor movie theaters. (Okay, maybe we exaggerate when you consider there were approximately 4,000 outdoor movie theaters in 1959.)

Why the interest? Is it pure passing nostalgia?

What is Donor Experience?

It’s about the experience.

It is similar to the comeback of vinyl records and record players, Pac-Man games, haunted house and ghost tours. It is also about the interest in being more engaged through simulations instead of viewing from a distance or being merely an observer. It can be both a throwback to a past experience and immersion into a new experience. One way to think about experience is it is a more immersive story form. Instead of reading or merely hearing a story, an experience is providing a more vivid, active experience where the participant is more involved than what has been the case in the past.

From a philanthropy standpoint, experience is an “emotional place where an individual feels and understands they can make a change in the world” and a perception of how the nonprofit engages or treats them. (1) Experience can be thought of as more transformational than transactional.

Okay, here is a simple way to state it: experience is the difference between being inside a waterpark on a 95 degree day and gazing at the waterpark from a distant highway. When inside, your senses are activated. When outside, you realize the waterpark is there but you’re not emotionally engaged.

For nonprofits, experience is a deeper, longer, and a planned chain of connections rather than what has been the case in the past.

The impact of the experience will vary by donor based on each person’s level of interest in a cause and comfort with the type of experience. In other words, younger donors will likely be more receptive to technology – virtual experiences – while more mature individuals may find handwritten personal note cards or letters from fundraisers/recipients of the generosity more appealing to them.

The donor experience can be actual or simulated in nature. One donor can be placed in a situation where he or she is more in the center of the actual nonprofit service. This simulation, on the other hand, recreates an environment and allows one to be placed into that environment. From the research noted by Chip and Dan Heath, they found that actual experience and story can both stimulate the same centers of the brain. Therefore, an individual can read or hear a story and resonate in the same brain centers. (2) This is also carried over into simulations and virtual reality, in particular, where the brain does not draw a difference between actual experience and virtual experience.

Actual Experiences

Nonprofits are only limited by imagination and innovation when it comes to donor and potential donor experiences. One launching point is to consider how a donor can be more personally connected. We have found that, on average, there is a greater likelihood of a stronger connection and commitment to a nonprofit where the donor is meaningfully engaged at least five to seven times during a year.

The key word in the previous sentence is “meaningfully.” An obvious mass produced appeal with little or no personal customization will not tend to be meaningful to a donor or potential donor. Donors will tend to see it for what it is . . . impersonal.

A fundraiser’s role is to help a donor move in their relationship toward their desire to make a difference. It is a step forward in the relationship. If you have several thousand donors or more, it is best to consider how to connect with a targeted group of donors who have the capacity and potential to give to your cause and can be served by a fundraiser. This requires a planned approach to set a pathway to be followed.

What kinds of experiences are possible? It may be less complex experiences that have the greatest impact upon a donor or potential donor. It is a fundraiser bringing a treat or pet toy to a personal visit of a donor who is an avid pet lover. Or, it is a continuous string of personal handwritten notes from a CEO to a major donor about the impacts the donor has had on the organization.

Over time, donors will become desirous of a more engaged relationship. What a fundraiser did so successfully in the past will no longer be enough to quench the thirst of a donor. Because of that reality, it is important for nonprofits to continue to invent different ways to engage donors over time.
In the future, this website will offer a number of different potential experiences to consider, but, for now, we have listed a few examples below with some ideas for use:

Handwritten note cards from the nonprofit CEO which is a thank you and impact has a major effect upon a donor. The note card may also include a story on a small separately printed piece of paper about a person who was helped through the donor’s past gift. As the New York Times stated in an article, the art of handwritten note cards and letters has been lost. But they offer a major opportunity for nonprofits to generate a more personal relationship. This point was underscored when we received a telephone from a major donor. The donor had received a personal note card from the CEO, thanking the donor and sharing what impact the donor’s gift had made upon doctors and patients. The veteran donor called to say that it was the personal signed note from the CEO that touched him, and to share he had never received such a communication from any nonprofit in the past ten years.

Consider several note cards that may be sent during part of the year to engage the donor. Don’t just settle for one note card. A relationships requires a number of steps.

A pen pal from a service provider in a nonprofit is an effective way to expand the relationship of the donor with a nonprofit. The pen pal notes or letters may include issues they face, challenges for those served, and the impact of donors upon the nonprofit’s needs. Donors say they love to hear from a nonprofit staff member or volunteer who is caring for someone in need.

Impact cards sent following a gift can close the generosity loop. Consider that the connection and cultivation of a potential donor is the start of a circle. When the gift is made the proverbial circle remains unclosed. A donor doesn’t know if his or her desire to have the gift create change has taken place. A personal impact card provided to a donor helps to “close the circle” by showing the gift has had an effect upon those in need. Beyond a thank you letter, too many nonprofits fail to share more information with major or mid-level donors in a more personal manner.

Like any type of relationship in a busy and seemingly chaotic world, it is important to remind a donor of the gift’s impact more than once. Like a wave in the ocean, a gift has a lasting impact. For that reason, a second or third or more impact card is important. It shows the continuing nature of the gift, impact and relationship.

Lunch and Learn opportunities with the CEO and service providers of a nonprofit provide a more direct relationship with the cause. The session provides an opportunity for a two-way conversation that is not available where note cards or impact cards are the medium used.

Thank you gifts are sometimes used with donors. Research indicates they should be used carefully and they must be cautiously selected. Donors may see a gift that is functional or practical as a use of funds that could otherwise support the cause. (3) On the other hand, gifts that build upon the emotional experience will likely add to the donor’s experience. One creative use of thank you gifts came from a state museum in Indiana. For their major donors, they shared a small bone fragment of an extinct animal from the dinosaur era. The gift was directly tied to the cause supported by these donors. Instead of a manufactured trinket, they had a piece of history which built upon the emotional connection.

Behind the Curtain opportunities have been shown to have substantial impact upon current donors and potential donors, however, they do require more extensive work and preparation. A Behind the Curtain experience is one where a person is invited to go behind the scenes within the nonprofit. For example, a number of hospitals have created these opportunities which are more than tours. The participants are invited to be a part of a small group of individuals. They may go to several sites during a half day to observe a surgery or procedure and to try use some of the technology (of course, not on live patients). It also provides an opportunity for an individual to become engaged in discussions with physicians and other care givers about their thoughts, feelings and reactions to medical care situations. These periodic “tours” have garnered additional gifts and led to four-figure and five-figure gifts from first time donors.

Simulated Experiences

Simulation is being used by a growing number of nonprofits and is expected to grow in popularity. One of the newer and more widely discussed simulation approaches is virtual reality (VR), the use of digital generated situations. According to Ryan Ginard, VR is the future of storytelling. (4) The reasons can be tied to the ease with which potential donors and donors can be more easily engaged in a cause.

One prime example is TOMS which created a Virtual Giving Trip, described by their founder and Chief Shoe Giver as an “empathy machine” for the cause. From his trips in developing countries, he saw how the lack of adequate footwear limited potential for families and increased the challenges of life’s most basic needs.

Therefore, TOMS was founded on the idea of selling one pair of shoes while giving another pair of shoes to a needy person in developing countries. The VR media is provided for customers to see their impact in a developing country. The VR used recently is about Peru where a nine-year-old boy, Julio, receives a pair of shoes which has a major impact on this life. (5) The TOMS customer is along on the ride to the dusty village in Peru where they meet the child, see his home and his school.

VR can be used to show the impact of a gift like TOMS. VR can also be used to show how a cause, such as dementia patients in need, affects individuals and why donations are needed to help dementia patients. The use of VR can be used to train service providers who may better appreciate what a client experiences.

In its infancy, the potential uses of simulation and VR, in particular, are endless for nonprofits. Even for small nonprofits, it is not too soon to consider how VR may be used to help share the story with potential donors and volunteers in the future. Predictions are that VR will become a more routine part of the philanthropy scene within three to five years. We will continue to provide monitor and provide more information about simulation and VR use and potential use by nonprofits on this website.

Toolkit Suggestions:
• Examine how relationships with donors are generated in your nonprofit and other nonprofits which you find are progressive.
• Consider how relationships are nurtured with your donors; compare with other nonprofits.
• What are the interests of your different groups of donors and how might they react to deeper relationships?
• Look at groups of donors that you may be able to more deeply connect through use of actual and simulated experiences.
• Create a plan of action which includes how, what is needed to implement, when it can be launched, and who will be targeted for this activity and responsible for the approach. Following the launch. It is important to include a review phase to monitor how the plan has been received and its effectiveness.

NOTES
(1) Larry Warkoczeski and Jim Lyons with T. Christian Rollins, Deep Philanthropy: A New Pathway for Nonprofits to Achieve Extraordinary Impact (Dexter, Michigan 2018), 123.
(2) Chip and Dan Heath, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (New York, Random House, 2007), 213.
(3) Daniel M. Oppenheimer and Christopher Y. Olivola, editors. The Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity (New York: Psychology Press, 2004), 7.
(4) Ryan Ginard, “Virtual Reality is the New Reality for Showcasing Nonprofit Impact,” November 1, 2015, accessed at www.thestorytellingfnonprofit.com/blog/birtual-reallity-is-the-new-reality-for-showcasing-nonprofit-impact/
(5) TOMS Virtual Giving Trip, accessed at http://www.with.in/watch/toms-virtual-giving-trip/.