https://bloomerang.co/webinars-events/ In 2019, $449.64 billion was donated to charities in the US. Last year, giving increased more than 10% -- IN A PANDEMIC! AND - 80% of these contributions are made by people. Yet many nonprofits lose 1/3 of their donors each year. Are you ready to get off the treadmill (donors on... donors off... donors on... donors off...)? One of the keys to building a successful individual giving program is by building and deepening rapport with your donors. This goes well beyond sending timely thank you notes and a quarterly newsletter. In this webinar, you'll learn the techniques you can use to solicit larger gifts from your donors, while deepening their loyalty to your organization.

1. BUILDING Donor
RAPPORT
For Bloomerang
Feb 17, 2022

2. 1. The current status of individual giving in the US
2. Five ways to build rapport with your donors:
• Understanding Donor decision-making
• Leveraging Mental Shortcuts
• Addressing the Different Types of Decision-
makers
• Mirror, Match, Cross-match
• Use Predicates
3. Q&A
Today, we’ll discuss:
sarah@sarahblange.com

3. THE CURRENT STATE OF
INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

4. There is a TON of Money Out There!
In 2020, $471.44 BILLION was donated to US charities. Of this, $324.10 BILLION came
from individuals, representing a 2.2% increase. This is the highest dollar amount to
date! 18% of donors were NEW (now that they’re donors, the question is, can we hang
on to them?). Giving by foundations increased by 17%, for an estimated $88.55B – also
the highest dollar amount – representing 19% of total giving. Bequests accounted for
$41.19 B, which represents a 10.3% increase over 2019.
In 2019, people contributed $449.64 BILLION to US nonprofits. Nearly 80% of this came
from people: 69% was given by individuals; an additional 10% was donated
via bequests!

5. More Good News!
• This money isn’t coming from the millionaires and billionaires -
- 85% of people who give to charity make less than $60,000
per year! People generally give to 5-10 nonprofits per year.
• This is good news for us – it means generous donors are
down the street, around the corner, and across town. It
means that the majority of people we meet are already
contributing to organizations like yours. You don’t have to
train or convince them to donate – you simply have to invite
them to join your cause.

6. The Time is NOW
Never has our work been more important or more urgent:
1. People are hurting.
2. People are yearning. Yearning to connect. Yearning to help.
NOW is the time to build and deepen rapport with our donors,
who are carrying – and will carry -- philanthropy.
sarah@sarahblange.com

7. 5 Ways to Build Rapport
with Donors

8. What is Rapport?
• Rapport is a close and harmonious relationship in which the people
or groups concerned are "in sync" with each other, understand
each other's feelings or ideas, and communicate smoothly.
• Rapport is the process of responsiveness. The goal is to create a
connection or bond; to build trust; to help the other person feel
safe.
• What are you doing currently to build rapport? Please type it in the
chat!

9. Building Rapport
Before we can build rapport, we need to understand how
communication works. Communication is comprised of:
• Words – 7%
• Tone – 38%
• Body language – 55%
This means that 93% of communication is out of our immediate
awareness. If we really want to know what our donors are
thinking and feeling, we need to pay attention to the “music.”

10. 1. Understand Donor
Decision-Making
Making a donation is not the same as buying a t-shirt! There’s an
emotional component that we can’t afford to ignore. Donors
need to information to feel confident about their “purchase.”
We need to help them understand what their money is “buying” –
in other words, connect the dots between the donation
they’re making and the impact it will create.

11. 1. Understand Donor
Decision-Making (part 2)
This helps our donors feel like they are making a more
informed decision, which helps boost their giving confidence.
They feel more confident providing 10 meals for a family than
they would giving you $50 to “fight hunger.” Providing a single
Mom and her kids with a week of shelter feels better than
“preventing homelessness.” As counterintuitive as it might
sound, we need to create a “purchasing” situation, because
that’s something most of us do every day.

12. 2. Two Key Mental Shortcuts
• Gathering social information: When we’re not sure what to
do, we look to others for cues. Donors are usually
interested in who else is giving to your organization, which is
why those pesky donor lists are so important! Beyond that,
SIXTY-THREE percent of people donate to organizations their
family and friends recommend. Are you encouraging your
existing donors to like and share your social media posts with
their families and friends? If not… start now! Use that
tendency to seek out social proof to your advantage!
sarah@sarahblange.com

13. 2. Two Key Mental Shortcuts
(part 2)
• Gathering evidence: before we make a purchase, we usually want
some sort of evidence to validate our buying decision. More times
than not, this “evidence” is rooted in recent experience. That means
if a local nonprofit’s been called out for questionable behavior in
recent months, it could influence their decision to give to you! If
this is the situation, get out ahead of it by reaffirming your values
and adopting (re-adopting) the AFP’s Donor Bill of Rights. Also, it’s
helpful to invite people to ask questions if they have them. This will
help demonstrate your commitment to ethics and transparency.
sarah@sarahblange.com

14. 3. Types of Decision-Makers
We all need differing amounts of time to make decisions. Knowing
which type your donor is will help you convince and reassure them
once you’ve made the ask.
(Wondering how to identify them? Ask them to pick a speed on a Likert
Scale in your next donor survey, then save that information to your
donor database!)
• Some people make decisions quickly. These Automatic Decision
Makers base their decisions largely on first impressions and
respond to a powerful and well-articulated argument as to why
they should support a cause. They tend to be quick to respond to
requests.

15. 3. Types of Decision-Makers
(Part 2)
• Other people need to experiment with different kinds of
decisions. They may already feel like they know what the right
decision is, but will keep looking for information to confirm
it. These Experimental Decision Makers need to hear the same
idea in multiple ways, and may need to be reassured – this
usually happens through the process of asking questions,
and evaluating the answers you give them.

16. 3. Types of Decision-Makers
(Part 3)
• Other people need time to mull over their options before making a
decision. These Patient Decision Makers do not make purchasing decisions
on the spot – rather, they are more likely to say they need time. If you run
into this type of donor, ask them how much time they need, and what
additional information you can provide to help them make an informed
decision. Don’t push – that will break rapport!
• Finally, there is that person who will forever question their decision, and
whether it was the right one. The Indecisive Decision Maker need a
considerable amount of attention and reassurance and may or may not be
worth the investment. At the same time, if you can meet their needs, then
you can meet the needs of any donors!

17. 4. Mirror, Match, X-Match
To build instant rapport, you can echo your donor’s physiology
(remember, 55% of communication is body language!):
• Mirror – match the opposite body part with yours. For ex, if a
donor raises their right hand, you raise your left.
• Match – match the same body part with yours. If a donor
raises their right hand, you raise your right hand.
• Cross-matching – you echo their body language, but less
exactly. For ex, if your donor is sitting with arms crossed,
you can cross your legs.

18. 4. Mirror, Match, X-Match
(Part 2)
Other things you can match and mirror:
• Posture and gestures
• Facial expressions
• Blinking
• Breathing
• Tone (pitch), tempo (speed), timbre (quality), volume
(loudness)

19. 5. Predicates
• We all have ways that we take in information. It’s important to know
which ways your donors absorb it so you can tailor your approach:
1. Visual: these people use words like look, see, viewpoint, imagine,
picture, show. They need visual cues (photos, graphs, video, etc.)
2. Kinaesthetic: these people use words like feel, grasp, get a hold
of, tap into, catch on. They need more of a hands-on experience
(tour of your organization, face-to-face meetings, etc.)
sarah@sarahblange.com

20. 5. Predicates (Part 2)
3. Auditory: these people use words like listen, sounds, resonates,
question, tune in. These people LOVE podcasts, audio books, etc.
4. Auditory-digital: these people use words like makes sense,
understand, process, think, decide, know, mean… and have a HIGH
need for closure!
Once you figure out which style(s) a person prefers, then use their
words to communicate with them.
sarah@sarahblange.com

21. Breaking Rapport
• What are some ways you might break rapport with someone?
• Why might you choose to break rapport with someone?

22. How Do You Know?
• ASK!
• When you’re having conversations with your donors, watch their body
language. Listen to the words they’re using. Ask them how they like
make decisions.
• Include questions in your annual donor survey (you do one, right? ;)
• Ask them to list 5 words they’d use to describe themselves as a
donor. Ask them 5 words they’d use to describe themselves as a
person. Use a Likert Scale to capture the pace at which they make
decisions. Ask them what their learning style is. Etc.

23. 1. The current status of individual giving in the US
2. Five ways to build rapport with your donors:
• Donor decision-making
• Mental Shortcuts
• Different Types of Decision-makers
• Mirror, Match, Cross-match
• Predicates
What we discussed:

24. Q&A

25. Remember that growth is uneven.
Take one step at a time – test one strategy, see
how it works, then try another.
If you want a copy of the Predicates I discussed
or have any questions, get in touch!

26. Contact Information
Email: sarah@sarahblange.com
Website: www.sarahblange.com
Sign up for Free,15-minute Strategy Session:
https://calendly.com/sbl-fundraising/free-strategy-
session
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