Inspiring Your Engaging Donors to Give

The Enneagram is a distinguished personality typing system that sorts people by their core mental, emotional, and behavioral patterns. By learning the drives, strengths, weaknesses, and desires of each type, we can learn to interact with each other more effectively. More specifically, church leaders can get the most out of their donors by providing exactly what they need to feel committed and connected.

Type 2: The Engaging Donor

The Enneagram features nine distinct personality types. Type 2 is often referred to as The Helper, as 2’s often demonstrate generosity, care, and service toward others. Mother Teresa is commonly considered the quintessential type 2, embodying these traits profoundly throughout her lifetime. When stressed, 2’s can easily slip into people-pleasing and excessive self-sacrifice that diminishes their true capabilities. In faith communities, 2’s are what we call “Engaging Donors.” (Learn more about each donor type.)

In many ways, Engaging Donor types are the backbone of every successful church. They are the most service-oriented donors and are committed to practical, grounded ways of truly making an impact. For this reason, they can bring some of the most impactful, mission-driven projects to fruition.

So how can you be sure your Engaging Donors are truly engaged (not nodding off to sleep in the back pew)? The answer lies in understanding what drives them to give.

Understanding Engaging Donors

Engaging Donors want to be seen as helpful, caring, and useful. Does this mean they want to be taken advantage of? No! Rather, they know they are doing their best work when they are serving others in a meaningful way. Being respected and recognized for this is fulfilling for Engaging Donors — It helps meet their need for appreciation.

This type can be found in abundance in faith-based communities because of their strong desire to contribute to a community and improve people’s lives. Whether it’s their own families, their church group, or larger demographics in the world that need support, Engaging Donors are honestly thrilled to step up and give, which makes them incredibly valuable members of a church community.

Need help to identify your donor types and create a communication strategy that raises your annual revenue? Learn more about DonorWerx online coaching.

Communicating with Engaging Donors

There is only one way to get donors to give more frequently, and that is more effective communication. When it comes to Engaging Donors, there are a few key ways to get them to understand the importance of donating:

1. Emphasize the what:As we said, these donors are truly happy to give. In fact, it fills them with joy. They don’t need to be pushed or tediously convinced of the importance of donating to a worthy cause — they already get it. What they need is simply a what. Engaging Donors are practical thinkers; thus, sharing exactly what they are giving to will help them see the concrete contribution they are making. This is one of the core reasons people donate to nonprofits, especially when they’re just warming up to you.
2. Share about groups in need: Engaging Donors are effortlessly empathetic, perhaps more than any other type. Thus, sharing details about the groups your church will serve and why those groups need help will catch the eye of an Engaging Donor looking to put their service orientation to good use. The next time you’re creating a donation campaign, consider how well you execute on this.
3. Foster closeness & connection: Every Engaging Donor is a “people person,” even if they are shy or introverted. Some are simply waiting for a direct invitation to play a meaningful role in their church community but don’t want to be the center of attention. Showing this type how their contributions make them a true part of a close-knit community will appeal to them.
4. Show your appreciation: Sometimes the best way to learn about a personality type is through what upsets them. For Engaging Donors, the worst affront is to be ungrateful or unnoticing of their service and generosity. Finding concrete ways to spotlight and thank Engaging Donors for their contributions will not only light up their day and boost their confidence, it will convince them that what they’re doing is worthwhile.

For more do’s and don’ts on how to connect with this type of donor at church on Sundays, check out this article.

How Donorwerx Can Help

Segmenting your donor base and reaching out to different groups in different ways can be a full-time job in itself. However, far too many churches rely on one-size-fits-all appeals for donations — often inconsistently. This can feel impersonal and uninspiring for your donors, who want to give when it counts. Donors want to feel recognized and significant in the journey of building up your organization, but what church leader has the time to manage such a complex process?

This is where DonorWerx swoops in to save the day. DonorWerx assists pastors and church leaders in developing their donors and generating increased, steady revenue. With intuitive software, online courses, and content creation strategies that reach into the hearts of your donors, you can grow your ministry beyond what you thought was possible. Learn more about DonorWerx online coaching.