The questions arising from the last post: Do we know why donors give? Do we know how they choose the recipients? Do we know how to motivate them? motivated me to search for answers. In-depth research/reports that focus on individual donors’ types, motivation, decision-making are rare, practically non-existent in our region. However, there is some interesting – and recent too – research done in USA (Money for Good I and II) on various aspects of donors behaviour that resulted in the reports that explored i.e. How can non-profits more effectively obtain donations from individuals (by Hope Consulting http://www.hopeconsulting.us/ and some of it in partnership with GuideStar). True, the research/reports were made in and for US market, but it seems to me that they nevertheless offers some insights into donors behavior – because people are people everywhere, aren’t they?
Here are some of the insights for individual donors (some of which surprised me a bit):