How many times do we ask (or get asked) for the numbers for the upcoming mailing or fundraising e-Newsletter? ...and then after our solicitation piece is sent, how often do we check open rates, click-throughs, responses, and revenue reports? And consequently, how many hours do we spend updating old addresses, tracking down new contact info, and getting our donations report to reconcile with our financial report and/or bank statement?

We all know that revenue-tracking and donor communications are vital components of non-profit operations. Proper data management allows us to reassure our boards, our donors and the public that revenue targets are being met, impact is being measured, and our marketing base is expanding. It is no wonder then, that we tend to get bogged down with numbers and reports. We spend countless hours checking the integrity of our databases, making sure lists are up to date, and adjusting donation records so they fall into the right category.

But how often do we stop to think about what those gifts really mean and how they relate to our organization's mission? If all we do is focus on getting the message out to as many people as possible, and simply hope for the best, we are probably missing an opportunity for meaningful engagement with our donors. We are not really understanding the true motivation behind giving to our organization, because all gifts are based in emotion at some level.

We don't have to look far to find the emotional link with a donor. Here's an example, which might sound familiar:

When my uncle passed away last year, his family encouraged donations to a global aid organization that he supported throughout his life. Sharing the suffering of his family at his untimely departure, and reflecting on his generous spirit and kind-hearted nature, I was moved to provide a medium-sized gift to said organization. As any interested donor would, I clicked on the box providing consent to receive updates and news over email. You can probably guess what happened next. Yes, I did immediately receive an email acknowledgement and tax receipt for my gift, but I also began receiving weekly emails with desperate titles, such as "A Child Needs Your Help" and "Take Action Now." Of course, these were solicitation emails asking for more money, when all I really wanted was news about the program I supported. Unsurprisingly, I have lost interest in this organization, and it is highly unlikely I would donate to their programs again. The emotional link was there, but not well appreciated.

So how do we search for emotion in our database?

One of the first steps is to answer the question "Why?" by spending adequate time analyzing giving patterns and digesting actual interactions with the donor. This gets back to one of the ground rules of data collection: We can only get out of our database what we put into it. So, maintaining robust giving history and recording conversation notes are of primary necessity. In some cases, a donor will actually tell us why they have given to our organization, especially when the donation arrives as a cheque in the mail with a small note attached. We also have a comments field built into our online donation forms -right? This is crucial information to collect and should always be taken into account when responding to a gift. In other instances, the emotional connection is known because it is a tribute or memorial gift -like in the example above, or the gift is given in response to a specific event.

If the emotional connection with a donor is not readily understood or apparent from the current data, then it is in our best interest to reach out to the donor, without asking them for more money, to better understand the 'Why' and the emotional connection. This knowledge can then be coded into our database and utilized for future communications.

Whether you spend a lot of time obsessing over numbers or not, appreciating donors for their emotional attachment, and not just their dollars, empowers a more meaningful dialogue with them and with others. By taking a moment to reach out to and empathize with our donors, we can appreciate the human bond that connects their gifts with our organization. We can also cultivate their continued support by validating their emotional commitment. Building a cultivation strategy based in this emotional awareness can enable improved donor retention and helps us understand how our impact is perceived.

This emotional record might be right at our fingertips, but it is only accessible by searching with our hearts and our minds.

Michael Scheidt is an annual fundraiser who enjoys sharing stories of social impact enabled through charitable giving.