Resilience rose to become a top-of-mind issue for non-profits during the past 24 months and will likely remain there in 2022. The reason? Resilient organizations fare far better than their counterparts in the face of uncertainty and disruption. For non-profits, staying agile rests in their ability to continue to reach new donor prospects and encourage continued commitment from current donors. Having the right tools and processes in place for effective donor research is key to those endeavors.
Better donor research helps sustain non-profits in turbulent times
As the post-pandemic recovery slowly moves ahead, past research only emphasizes the value of resilience. More than a decade ago, a Harvard Business Review study of 4,700 companies’ performance during economic crises in 1980, 1990, and 2000 found that 9%—the most resilient organizations—actually thrived. The rest struggled to get back to pre-crisis levels, even three years later, and 17% never bounced back.
So, how does donor research enable resilience? During challenging times, having the information you need to take decisive action is crucial. Uncovering actionable insights from research empowers organizations to:
- Make timely decisions with confidence
- Balance short-term needs with long-term demands
- Deliver on commitments to staff, volunteers, donors, and constituents
- Inspire loyalty that fuels growth
But resilience isn’t just about executing amid disruption. It’s about being agile enough to make the most of emerging trends as well.
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Gain ground with new sources of funding with donor research
In our recently released trend report for development professionals, we dug into four trends that signal opportunities for non-profits, foundations, and universities. Here’s how Nexis for Development Professionals can help with just one of them: Keeping donations up, even as donor sources change.
Expand your prospect pool to reach Millennial and Gen-Z generations. The first wave of Millennials—the largest generation since Baby Boomers—turned 40 in 2020. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the age bracket of 35 – 54 is when people usually reach their greatest earning potential. While Baby Boomers may still do more giving, that generation’s numbers are declining and stock market dynamics have whittled away at Boomers’ financial reserves.
Nexis for Development Professionals offers a variety of sources that can help you find and connect with younger prospects.
- Dig into news and social commentary related to different generations to understand what types of appeals will have the greatest impact and where you should make those appeals to have the widest reach. Gaming for good, also covered by our trend report, is one example.
- Explore company and executive information to identify younger professionals to join your mission. As ESG becomes more mainstream, understanding corporate ESG commitments can also help non-profits connect with companies (and possibly their employees) that have a shared sense of purpose. Since younger generations tend to prioritize a company’s environmental and social commitments—both as consumers and as employees—you can find prospects whose interests may align with your mission based on where they choose to work.
- Take advantage of LexisNexis® Public Records* to verify contact information, including hard to find cell phone number. You can also find important wealth indicators and interests, including property ownership in affluent areas or boat and aircraft licenses. LexisNexis SmartLinx comprehensive person or company reports do the heavy lifting, scanning billions of records in a single search to identify hard-to-spot connections between people, businesses, and properties.
Download our trend report to learn more about what’s in store for 2022 and how Nexis for Development Professionals can help.
* Access to U.S. Public Records content is subject to credentialing. Due to the nature of the origin of public record information, the public records and commercially available data sources used in reports may contain errors.
Due to the nature and origin of public record information, the public records and commercially available data sources used in reports may contain errors. The LexisNexis Public Records services are not provided by “consumer reporting agencies,” as that term is defined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. §, et seq.) (“FCRA”) and do not constitute “consumer reports,” as that term is defined in the FCRA. Accordingly, these LexisNexis services may not be used in whole or in part as a factor in determining eligibility for credit, insurance, employment, or another eligibility purpose in connection with which a consumer report may be used under the FCRA.