205 | Will fundraisers mail Christmas appeals to a more diverse and inclusive audience this year?

At this time of year, small shops like Lorraine’s have to make decisions about to whom she mails her Giving Tuesday, Christmas, and year-end appeals. For example, fundraising professionals have long relied on zip codes to inform their thinking. Our conversation this week raises the questions of whether fundraisers will begin to mail their appeals to a more diverse and inclusive audience and what that audience says about our fundraising efforts. It would seem this ethical dilemma will take on new meaning after having navigated our way through 2020.

The first time Lorraine and I spoke we talked about segmentation and how such strategies can improve fundraising outcomes. Since that conversation, the world has changed quite a bit; several of our recent guests have raised questions that might challenge our thinking about segmentation strategies that overlook particular categories of donors. Each of these conversations raises questions about the implications of whom our donors happen to be and whether we might find implicit bias in our segmentation efforts. 

As always, we are grateful to our friends at CueBack for sponsoring The Fundraising Taleng Podcast. 

 #unpredictable  #responsivefundraising