Humanizing Donor Data: How to Stop Treating Donors Like Transactions

What if your donors aren’t just generous—but are craving more ways to give?In this episode of the Sustainable Giving podcast, host Dave Raley sits down with Abby Jarvis, Head of Research and Editorial at Neon One. Abby brings over 12 years of nonprofit technology and communications experience, offering a rich perspective on how data can humanize the giving experience—and how nonprofits can harness donor behavior to cultivate long-term sustainability.Together, they explore why recurring giving is on the rise, what motivates modern donors, and how nonprofits can build deeper, more human-centered relationships with their supporters.Key Topics They Cover:- Humanizing Donor Data: How data can tell powerful stories, and why every data point is a person, not just a number.- The Power of Recurring Giving: Why recurring donors are often your most committed supporters and how to build lasting programs around them.- Insights from the Generosity Report: What Neon One’s latest research reveals about everyday donor behavior, and what nonprofits may be missing.- Generosity Beyond the Gift: Why donations aren’t the only metric that matters, and how advocacy, volunteering, and engagement show up in big ways.- Narrative, Myth, and Motivation: How fairy tales, storytelling, and meta-narratives shape the way we understand generosity and connect with causes.Also in this episode, they talk about:- How Abby’s background in literature and poetry influences her data work- Misconceptions about recurring donors and why you should ask them to do more- The emotional impact behind donor notes and the use of sentiment analysis- Lessons from the recurring giving surge in 2020, and what it reveals about donor behavior- The correlation between non-monetary involvement (volunteering, memberships) and increased giving- Generational shifts in giving and the influence of the subscription economy- Why fundraisers must reframe giving as an empowering invitation, not a burdenAdditional Resources:- Discover more and pick up a copy of Dave's book: sustainablegiving.org- Register for the Sustainable Giving Workshop: imago.consulting/workshopSpecial thanks to our team at Sustainable Giving: Abigail, Tom, Kirsten, Grace, and Christeen.