Inspiring Your Wise 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 5: The Wise Donor

The Enneagram features nine distinct personality types. Type 5 is often referred to as The Thinker, as 5’s often demonstrate exceptional cerebral abilities and intelligence. Albert Einstein is commonly considered the quintessential type 5, using his brainpower to make vast scientific advancements during his lifetime. When stressed, 5’s can easily become too reclusive as they search for knowledge and solutions to problems. In faith communities, 5’s are what we call “Wise Donors.” (Learn more about each donor type.)

As champions of science and mathematics, Wise Donors can make similarly innovative contributions to their faith communities. They are often the most intelligent donors and are committed to understanding the world, being autonomous, and investigating. For this reason, they are often responsible for the most innovative advancements when they commit to a cause.

So how can you engage your Wise Donors so their active minds aren’t bored to tears? The answer lies in understanding what drives them to give.

Understanding Wise Donors

Wise Donors strive to be competent, intelligent, and in control. Does this mean they’re total control freaks? Not exactly. Rather, they want to study and use the resources they have to ensure they are never overwhelmed by their own or others’ unmet needs. They usually excel when they are independent, calm, and focused on a task that interests them.

Wise Donors are unlikely to be found in abundance in faith-based communities, partially because they avoid the spotlight at all cost, and partially because their preoccupation with intellectual pursuits can make them less focused on religion and spirituality.

With that said, Wise Donors can be highly dedicated church members in their own way. They may jump at the chance to put their expertise to good use, helping staff and volunteers with tasks that are over their heads.

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 Wise Donors

There is only one way to get donors to give more frequently, and that is more effective communication. In regards to Wise Donors, there are a few key ways to get them to realize the importance of donating:

• Emphasize the how: Type 5’s have inquisitive minds. They like to know how things work, so inviting them in to learn about the inner workings of your church is likely to get their gears turning. Wise Donors are impressed by logical approaches, so letting them in on how your church plans to accomplish a goal is a surefire way to get them involved.
• Get their attention: As we said, these donors tend to get lost in thought or distracted from mundane tasks. Finding ways to bring them back down to reality isn’t easy, but a compelling theory or inventive topic will surely do the trick.
• Give them a job: Wise Donors appreciate being included and crave ways to apply their knowledge in the practical world. One of their wounds may be that their insight is overlooked or misunderstood, so a simple invitation to contribute goes a long way.
• Be straightforward & rational: As intellectual types, 5’s don’t usually enjoy beating around the bush, and may even distrust those that rely on sentimental means of getting their support. The next time you’re creating a donation campaign, consider how emotional appeals may weaken the interest of your Wise Donors.
• Show your competence: Wise Donors love to engage with other progressive thinkers, so don’t hold back when explaining how your church is enacting powerful change in the world. This will ensure them they are giving to an organization that can achieve its objectives.
• Establish trust: Sometimes the best way to learn about a personality type is through what upsets them. For Wise Donors, the worst possibility is to be left without resources. When under stress, they can become stingy and detached from their community. Thus emphasizing that giving also leads to receiving helps them see that there is no risk involved. Remind them that there is no need to give beyond their means or over-commit.

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 daunting process?

This is where DonorWerx shines. 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.