Would You Donate to You?

Let’s flip the script. This week, you’re not the fundraiser—you’re the donor.

For five easy, eye-opening days, you’ll experience your organization the way your supporters do: what they see, how they feel, and what might be turning them off (or winning them over). It’s a chance to spark fresh insights, fine-tune your approach, and build a more donor-centered experience—without adding anything major to your to-do list. Let’s go!

Start Here: Map the Donor Experience

Before you can see your organization through a donor’s eyes, you need to know where they’re looking. Begin by making a list of all the ways a potential donor might interact with your organization. First impressions matter—and so do second, third, and tenth ones. Every touchpoint is a chance to build trust (or lose it).

To get you started, here are some common places your donor might encounter you:

• Your website (especially the homepage and “Donate” page)
• Email newsletters and appeals
• Social media posts, comments, and replies
• Event invitations, attendance or follow-ups
• Thank-you messages (or the lack of them)
• Confirmation emails and donation receipts
• Voicemail greetings or phone interactions
• Encounters a street fundraiser working on your behalf
• Calls your front desk for information
• Staff bios or leadership pages
• Direct mail pieces (including brochures, catalogues, fliers from a program)
• Internet search results (especially on Charity Navigator or Candid/Guidestar)
• Online reviews or media coverage
• Participation as a volunteer (direct service, committee or board)
• Participates in a fee-for-service program
• Has friends or family involved as participants

Jot down every possible entry point—even the ones that seem small.

These are the windows into your world, and this week, we’re going to peek through them all.

The 5-Day Donor Challenge

Day 1: The First Impression Test

Today, you’re a stranger—someone who just heard about your organization and decided to check it out. Open your website as if you’re visiting it for the very first time. What do you see? What do you feel?

Here’s your checklist:

• Is it immediately clear what your organization does?
• Can you tell who you serve, how you help, and why it matters?
• Is there a clear and simple way to take action (like donating or signing up)?
• Is the design clean (easy to read), mobile-friendly (look yourself up on a desktop, laptop, iPhone and Android), and easy to navigate?
• Does the tone make you feel welcome and inspired? Curious to learn more? Annoyed and mistrusting?

Bonus challenge: Try accessing the site on your phone and a friend’s laptop. What changes?

🟡 Pro Tip: Ask a friend who’s unfamiliar with your work to visit your site and narrate what they notice. You might be shocked at what stands out—or doesn’t.

Day 2: The Email Audit

Today, you’re in your inbox—the place where relationships are built (or buried). It’s time to review how your organization shows up in your donor’s daily digital life. Start by subscribing to your own email list, or look at the last few messages your organization has sent to supporters. Now, imagine you’re the donor: Are these emails welcome guests, or annoying intrusions?

Here’s your checklist:

• Are your subject lines clear, compelling, and donor-focused?
• Do your emails open with a warm, human tone—or do they sound robotic or generic?
• Is it clear what you want the reader to do (read more, donate, register, reply)?
• Do your messages make the donor feel like a valued family member – even a hero — or just a wallet?
• Are your emails mobile-friendly and easy to skim?

Bonus challenge: Count how many times your write “I,” “we,” “our,” or your organization’s name versus you the donor. If it’s a “we/we/we” fest, it might be time for a rewrite.

🟢 Pro Tip: Try reading one of your emails out loud. If it sounds awkward or impersonal, it probably feels that way to your donor too. Write like you talk!

Day 3: The Social Media Scroll

Time to head to the wild world of social media—where first impressions are fast, attention spans are short, and every post is a window into your brand. Today, pretend you’re a curious donor scrolling through your feeds for the first time. What do you learn about the organization? What do you feel?

Here’s your checklist:

• Is it clear what your organization does from just a few posts?
• Do your posts tell stories, show impact, or just ask for things?
• Are you using visuals (photos, videos, graphics) that feel authentic and compelling?
• Is the tone warm, human, and aligned with your mission?
• Are comments acknowledged or ignored? Do you respond to engagement?

Bonus challenge: Check out a few recent posts from a donor’s perspective. Would you be inspired to like, share, or donate? If not—why not?

🔵 Pro Tip: Don’t just look at your latest content—scroll back a few weeks. What patterns do you notice? Are you consistently connecting with donors, or just posting to check a box? Or is the last time you posted five months ago?!

Day 4: The Giving Experience

Today, you’re going to do something bold: make a small donation to your own organization. Not as a staff member. Not as a fundraiser. But as a first-time donor who’s deciding whether or not to trust you with their money. This is your chance to experience exactly what your supporters go through—and notice what’s working (and what’s not).

Here’s your checklist:

• Is the donation process easy, fast, and mobile-friendly?
• Is the form clutter-free, or does it ask for too much?
• Is the donation amount pre-filled in a helpful way, or does it feel pushy?
• If you wanted to give other than via credit card or check, are thes options clear and easy to follow through on?
• What happens after you click “donate”? Do you get a clear confirmation?
• Do you receive a prompt thank-you email? Is it personalized, warm, and specific (i.e., referencing the purpose of the gift and the campaign to which you responded)?

Bonus challenge: Make a donation on your phone and on a desktop. Compare the experience. Then try it as a monthly donor—what’s different?

🟣 Pro Tip: Pay attention to how the process made you feel. Did you feel valued? Inspired? Forgotten? The emotional part of giving is just as important as the technical side.

Day 5: The ‘Silent Observer’ Test

For your final challenge, pretend you’re a donor doing a little due diligence before giving. You’re not on your website or in your emails—you’re quietly searching, lurking, and forming opinions based on what the internet serves up. Today, you’ll Google yourself.

Here’s your checklist:

• Google your organization’s name—what comes up first?
• Are your Google business listings up to date (address, hours, links)?
• Are online reviews or ratings positive, current, and responded to?
• Can you find third-party coverage or mentions (e.g., local news, Candid/Guidestar, social media)?
• Is your social proof strong—like testimonials, ratings, visible donor support or influencers?

Bonus challenge: Google your nonprofit along with keywords like “donate,” “reviews,” or “scam” to see what donors might encounter when they check you out.

🔍 Pro Tip: Use an incognito browser window so your search isn’t influenced by past activity. What you see might surprise you.

Reflect & Learn: What Did You Discover?

Congratulations—you just completed five full days of walking in your donor’s shoes. Now it’s time to pause, reflect, and get honest with yourself. What did you learn? What felt off? What felt surprisingly great?

Here are a few prompts to guide your reflection:

• What surprised you the most during this experience?
• Which experience or touchpoint felt the least donor-friendly—and why?
• What made you feel appreciated or excited to give?
• Did anything feel outdated, awkward, or unclear?
• Are there any “invisible walls” making it harder than optimal for someone to engage or donate?
• What did you feel proud of?

💡 Tip: Don’t go into fix-it mode just yet. Let yourself process first. This isn’t about shame—it’s about clarity and growth.

Make It Better: Your Donor-Friendliness Action Plan

Now that you’ve seen your organization from the outside in, it’s time to make a few intentional changes. Don’t try to overhaul everything. Just pick 2–3 improvements you can realistically tackle over the next month.

Step 1: Choose Your Quick Wins

What small changes would make a big impact? Look for things like:

• Making your homepage call-to-action more visible
• Making sure your donation page has no distractions—clear, single call to action
• Simplifying your donation form
• Updating your donation confirmation page with a heartfelt message and next steps
• Adding a donor testimonial or impact quote to your homepage or email footer
• Making your recurring gift option more visible on the donation page
• Reviewing your autoresponder emails—do they sound robotic or warm?
• Writing a warmer, more specific thank-you message
• Delivering your thank you more promptly
• Pinning your most impactful social post to the top of your profile
• Improving your mobile donation experience from click to confirmation
• Updating your nonprofit’s profile on Candid/Guidestar or Charity Navigator with recent info

Step 2: Set a Timeline

Assign a target date for each item you plan to improve. Keep it doable. Aim for progress, not perfection.

Step 3: Share with Your Team

Bring your insights back to your colleagues. This is a great opportunity to create a culture of philanthropy across your whole organization—not just among development staff.

✅ Optional Bonus: Use This Framework Again Next Quarter
Revisit “Be Your Donor Week” every few months—or invite new team members to try it. The more often you walk through the donor journey, the better your fundraising will be. And next quarter you can tackle a few of the items you didn’t have bandwidth for this quarter!

Wrapping Up: It’s Not Just a Challenge—It’s a Culture Shift

You did it. Five days, countless insights, and one big step toward building a more donor-centered organization.

But here’s the thing: “Be Your Donor” isn’t just a clever exercise—it’s a mindset. It’s about remembering that every email, every landing page, every social post, and every thank-you is a chance to make someone feel seen, valued, and inspired.

Keep the Momentum Going

The changes you make now—no matter how small—can lead to stronger relationships, deeper trust, and more meaningful giving. And when you embed this kind of empathy into your day-to-day work, it doesn’t just improve the donor experience—it transforms your organization from the inside out.

So: keep asking the question: Would you donate to you?

And then keep building the kind of experience that makes the answer a joyful, resounding “Yes.”

You can download a FREE BONUS checklist here.  From time to time, I provide these types of bonuses to those who’ve enrolled as Clairification students. If you’d like to receive more tips like these, and are not yet enrolled, there’s no better time than now!

Please share your results with me and others in the comments or on social media.  Let us know what you learned, what challenges you discovered, and what changes you decided to put in place. 

Want to Take Your Self-Audit to the Next Level?

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1. Values.
2. Stories.
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6. Engagement Objectives.
7. Resources and Systems.

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