How to Appeal to the Engaging Donor

These kinds of personalities are generous and demonstrative. They aim to please others and can be possessive.

This empathetic type is naturally helpful and giving. Born with a heart of gold, these donors can’t pass by someone in need without doing something significant.

They are not always born into wealth or security, but their heartfelt desire to serve and be a beacon of light to those in need makes them valuable to the church.

They are motivated by selflessness, and serving others is always their priority. Emotionally driven, this type of donor is known to put the work of the church even above their own work and family. Church pastors must help them find the balance between all the necessary elements for spiritual growth.

The Following Terms Describe an Engaging Donor Best

• “Heart of gold”
• Emotionally driven
• Caring
• Sentimental
• Empathetic 

How to Appeal to the Engaging Donor

Once you think you can identify the Engaging Donor’s behavior, it’s time to better tailor your giving strategy. Create opportunities for them to help through giving that go beyond even financial or monetary gifts.

What does this look like? Here are some ideas which have worked for other churches in the past. We hope you find them useful when approaching the Engaging Donor to give or support your nonprofit:

1. Ask them if they want to get involved with hands-on help

Practically, you could invite them to brainstorm upcoming church outreach activities. This encourages their emotionally driven personality to get in touch with others. 

They do particularly well in social events, as their caring, sentimental, and empathetic personality naturally draws others to them. However, if your donor does not have time to lead an outreach activity, no pressure. Simply invite them to take part in the activities that they might find enjoyable, where they can best serve.  

2. Keep them updated and feeling like part of the project

Send them your monthly and annual donor newsletters to ensure that they are updated on the needs and programs of the church. Because they may have already been quite active with your ministries, be sure to thank them in your bulletins and church announcements.  

3. Send personal greetings to show you care 

These types of donors are giving in every way. But they need to feel you giving back, too. How do you as a pastor do this? By treating them as a person—not just one of the dozens of donors to the church. They look for churches that serve and don’t just gather at services, and pastors who truly care about their members.

You can show you care by sending birthday greetings and/or a special note on their work anniversary, by congratulating them on the birth of a grandchild, etc. It depends on the donor themselves—do a little research and see how they would appreciate the personal communication.

4. Invite them to speaking engagements

Many of these Engaging Donor types are also extroverts. Hands-on missions are the best ways to engage them, as are speaking engagements where they can share their insights with other members of the church or community. It could be a nice idea to invite them for speaking engagements as well. They are usually good with people and may have even led services in the past.

5. Ask them to consider teaching a skill  

Serving others through hands-on projects is one way that these types of donors like to serve. This looks different to different missions. It could be their involvement with food distribution at a school or orphanage, or it could be a situation where you organize a workshop and they come to contribute by teaching a skill.

6. Value their time

As you can see, their selflessness shows in how they give their time to the church. So this is something to never take for granted. When communicating with the Engaging Donor, consider their busy schedules. Use SMS messaging instead of direct calling so you don’t interrupt them. Ask permission to subscribe to opt-in emails—never just send them materials without their consent. This shows true leadership and consideration of them as a person.

7. Engage with better storytelling

This is the type of person who loves a good story. If your regular newsletters are only statistics and numbers, they may not see the value in that. Try to get better at storytelling, so that you can bring this skill into the content you create for fundraising. Reconsider how you present your church outreach on your website. Does your social presence tell a good story?

8. Never take them for granted

It can be easy to take this type of giver for granted, so don’t let yourself fall into that trap just because giving is a part of their nature. Continue to help them grow spiritually, with personal guidance and curated content that speaks to their giving heart. Stay connected to them through visually appealing content, provide ways for them to get involved without sacrificing too much of their time, and always show your appreciation after a successful fundraiser.

9. Do a fundraising show

Engaging Donors can sometimes have a theatrical side. They appreciate the beauty and art in the world and even bring this into the way they like to serve and give. One type of fundraiser that could engage them is an end-of-the-year dinner gala or an art auction. They believe in merging their philanthropic side with their passion for life.

The Engaging Donor Character Example

When you think of an Engaging Donor personality, do any of your church members come to mind?

In the celebrity world, we see Lady Gaga, who uses her lyrics and performance art to make a change and raise funds for a good cause. Read here on how she helps to fight global issues like the coronavirus through her music concerts. She is not just a performer, but a philanthropist who lives to make the world better for those both in and out of her social circles.

Find Out More on DonorWerx

Would you like to know more about the other eight types of donor personalities? Don’t forget to read the in-depth articles on each of them on our blog.

Remember that if you as pastors don’t develop your donors wisely, your ministry will suffer. At DonorWerx, we create the online courses every church leader needs to build deeper relationships, plus digital tools and inspiring articles to guide you as you continue to thrive.