When you buy a gift for a loved one, you’re buying something for yourself as well.

A meaningful experience.

Maybe you’re buying the renewed closeness your gift will bring. Or the security of knowing you’ve made your loved one happy. Or the ability to fulfill their expectations.

Whatever it is, you’re getting something out of the deal. And that something is what’s ultimately driving you to swipe your card.

Donors work the same way. When they give, they know they won’t be putting anything else in their pockets.

But they’re still driven by the desire to get something – some kind of meaningful experience, some kind of fulfillment.

Maybe they’re after…

  • The pleasure of giving
  • That feeling of generosity
  • The ability to pay a debt of gratitude
  • The sense that they’ve made a difference
  • The joy of lifting up someone else
  • The knowledge of having fulfilled a spiritual or social obligation
  • A deeper bond with you, the solicitor
  • Confirmation of their social/financial status
  • Something else (what are your biggest donors after?)

In the business world, they talk about “customer fulfillment.” Which basically means making sure not just to deliver your product, but to give customers the intangible experience they’re after when they buy from you.

Ever bought an Apple product? You’ll know all about the experience that comes in the package with your phone or laptop.

We in the mosdos Torah world need to keep “donor fulfillment” in mind. We need to make sure that when our donors give to us, they get back an experience that’s only positive, pleasurable, and meaningful.

So. What’s the one thing you’ll do this week, to sweeten your donor experience?

Avraham Lewis guides leaders of mosdos Torah to exceed their fundraising expectations and magnify their impact on Klal Yisrael.

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