How to Appeal to the Motivated Donor
Type Eight: Getting to Know the Motivated Donor
In previous articles, we showed you how we have based our Donor Personality Test on the popular Enneagram Model, a test used in the corporate world.
We adapted the test to help executive pastors of churches to be better leaders. Leaders must focus their time and attention on the needs of their people. And you can only get to know a person’s needs if you understand their situation or persona.
Let’s recap what makes Type Eight personalities unique and valuable to any church fellowship.
Defining a Motivated Donor
These types of people are self-confident and decisive. Although on the Enneagram model, they have a different name, we prefer to call them “Motivated.” The downside to their personality is that they can be willful or confrontational. Church pastors must keep this in mind when spiritually guiding them.
On the upside, we know Motivated Donors for facing challenges head-on. This makes them assets to your fundraising. Their deep moral duty can compel them to donate. But you must present your work wisely. Inspire and encourage their resourceful attitude.
With Motivated Donors, we commonly see the following traits:
- Assertive
- Good leaders
- Confrontational
- Self-confident
- Self-mastering
- Always improving their selves and others’ situations
- Heroic
- Inspiring
- Focused
- Determined
- Motivators
- Strong
- Willful
- Go-getters
- Reliable
- Independent
5 Ways to Motivate the Motivated Donor
Now, let’s go over some practical things you can do to grow your Motivated Donors and encourage them to give to the church.
1. Appeal to Their Passions.
Because they excel at meeting significant challenges, try to give them a chance to show their resourcefulness.
2. Make Donating Easy.
Feed their willingness to help by making it easy for them to take action. Your donation pages on your church website should be very user-friendly. For example, use text-to-give platforms for instant online donations.
3. Approach Them for Large-Scale Projects.
Instead of asking them for donations every time you have a small church outreach program, save the appeals for bigger fundraisers, less often. This will give them the opportunity to help where and when it counts the most.
4. Give Them Room to Influence for Good.
Guide their leadership capabilities and give them room to take charge. Their strong willpower and vitality is best used when put to a good cause. Give them a chance to make a positive difference in some big way, and they will feel valued.
5. Show Your Gratitude.
How can you thank the Motivated Donor in meaningful ways? Tell them how many people in their life care about them. Confirm the strength and support they give. Never alienate them or make them feel left out of church community events. You can also send them personalized thank you cards or personalized birthday greetings. A digital platform for your CRM (customer/donor relationship management) can help you with this.
Character Example of a Motivated Donor
An example of Type Eight is Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of America’s most hard-working presidents. One of his donations enabled the building of an iron lung so that polio patients could easily breathe. He said:
The following Scripture on giving reminds us how to train donors to give: not as a show of goodwill or charity, but as an offering to God and the church.
Matthew 6:1-4
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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How DonorWerx Can Help
Motivated Donors can be some of your biggest and best supporters. Always encourage them with small steps toward supporting the church. If they are new to the faith, they may not yet grasp such things as tithing. But they will still be willing to support your programs if they understand how they can help the world through them.
As you get to know the Type Eight personalities in your church, you will also come up with wise solutions for growing them, and methods that work specifically for your church. Our extensive digital library of church pastor resources is ideal for equipping your church management teams.
Schedule a Discovery Call with us at DonorWerx today and avail yourself of the best online giving solutions.
