Make your donors feel like stars!

Tom Iselin
Jun 4, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Dec 12, 2025

We often get so focused on our programming that our attention for our donors slips. Here are 3 simple tips to keep in mind to keep your donors feeling like stars!

Make your donors feel like stars!

Sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves. We take our donors for granted.

Most nonprofits pour enormous time, energy, and passion into programming—and that makes sense. That’s why we exist. We want to change lives and make a difference in the world. But in the process, it’s easy to unintentionally neglect the very people who make the work possible.

If you want to strengthen donor relationships and increase giving, it’s time to shift your mindset and make your donors feel like the stars of the show.

Over the next month or so—whether you’re on the phone, meeting donors in person, hosting a gala or special event, or writing a letter—keep these three principles front and center.

Make Donors Feel Like They Matter

People want to feel valued and appreciated—not just for what they give, but for who they are.

Take time to get to know your donors as people. Learn about their personal interests, hobbies, backgrounds, families, and where they went to school. These details matter because they matter to them—and they should matter to you.

Just as important, understand their philanthropic interests. Why do they give? What about your organization excites them? What has been their best giving experience? Their worst? These conversations help you build meaningful relationships rooted in respect and understanding, not transactions.

Show Them Their Gift Made a Difference

Donors want to see the impact of their giving.

They want stories. They want results. They want to know that their investment is making a real difference in the world.

Invite donors to visit a program. Give them a tour of your facility. Introduce them to staff, beneficiaries, and even other donors. Let them experience the work firsthand. Emotional connection is powerful—and it’s built through proximity, storytelling, and transparency.

When donors can see, hear, and feel the impact of their gift, their commitment deepens.

Make Donors Feel Needed

This one is critical.

Donors need to know that the work cannot happen without them. Fundraising is not about your organization—it’s about connecting donors to meaningful work they care about.

You are the conduit.

When donors feel needed—when they understand that their generosity is essential, not optional—they become partners in the mission, not just contributors. That sense of purpose and belonging is what keeps donors engaged and giving year after year.

Key Takeaways

Donors want to feel valued as people, not just wallets. They want clear evidence that their giving is making a difference. And they want to know they are genuinely needed to fulfill the mission.

When you intentionally center your donor relationships around appreciation, impact, and purpose, you create deeper emotional connections—and stronger, more loyal donor support.

Summary

If you want to elevate your fundraising, start by changing how you treat your donors.

Show them that they matter. Show them that their gifts are making a difference. And show them—clearly and consistently—that the mission depends on them.

When donors feel appreciated, connected, and needed, generosity follows naturally.

Tom Iselin

Rated One of America’s Best Board Retreat

and Strategic Planning Facilitators

About the Author

Tom Iselin is recognized as one of America’s leading authorities on high-performance nonprofits. He has built nine sector-leading nonprofits and two software companies, written six books, sits on multiple boards, and has been rated one of America’s Best Board Retreat and Strategic Planning Facilitators. His work on nonprofit strategy, board leadership, and culture has been featured on CNN, Nightline, and in Newsweek.

Tom is the president of First Things First, a firm specializing in board retreats, strategic planning services, fundraising strategy, and executive coaching for nonprofit CEOs.

Board Retreats & Strategic Planning

If you’re looking for a board retreat facilitator or strategic planning facilitator who has been in the trenches and understands real-world nonprofit challenges, Tom can help your board gain clarity, build alignment, and create an actionable plan that improves performance and impact. His sessions propel organizations to the next level of performance and impact . . . and they're fun!

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