Connection as Strategy: What Leading Nonprofits Are Learning About Donor Loyalty
Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to attend The Giving Institute's Summer Symposium, where industry leaders from across the philanthropy sector gathered to discuss the trends shaping the future of fundraising.
What struck me wasn't how different these organizations were from public media. It was how often the conversation came back to the same fundamental question:
How do we build stronger relationships with donors in an increasingly noisy and fragmented world?
The leaders in the room represented organizations of varying missions, audiences and sizes. Yet many were reaching similar conclusions. Sustained fundraising success isn't just about acquiring donors. It's about creating deeper connections, building trust and helping supporters feel part of something larger than themselves.
That experience reinforced something I've been seeing through conversations with public media organizations and through CDP's work with Epiphany Benchmarking. Launched by CDP and ROI Solutions in late 2025, Epiphany was created to take benchmarking to the next level by combining timely fundraising insights with structured peer learning and discussion. While benchmarking helps organizations understand emerging trends and how they compare to peers, some of the most valuable insights emerge when leaders come together to share how they're responding, what they're testing and what they're learning in real time.
Retention Starts with Belonging
One of the strongest themes I heard throughout the symposium was that retention is increasingly tied to a donor's sense of connection and belonging.
For many nonprofits, that means shifting from a transactional view of philanthropy toward a relational one. The question is no longer simply how to secure the next gift, but how to create meaningful connections that encourage supporters to stay engaged over time.
Public media organizations have always been more than content providers. They are trusted community institutions that bring people together around local stories, lifelong learning and civic engagement. That foundation creates an extraordinary opportunity to think about donor relationships not as transactions, but as participation in a community.
As fundraising leaders look to strengthen retention, the question may be less "How do we ask for another gift?" and more "How do we help supporters feel like they belong?"
Personalization Is Really About Intimacy at Scale
Another theme that surfaced repeatedly was personalization, not as a marketing tactic, but as a way to create what could be described as intimacy at scale. Organizations are exploring how data, technology and audience insights can help supporters feel understood and valued.
Supporters increasingly expect communications that reflect their interests, history and relationship with an organization. They want to feel understood. The challenge for fundraisers is delivering that sense of relevance across thousands, or even millions, of donor interactions.
The goal isn't just segmenting donors more precisely. The goal is understanding supporters well enough to create experiences that feel more personal, meaningful and responsive.
For public media organizations, that could mean better understanding how engagement patterns connect to giving behavior, identifying what motivates different donor segments or creating communication strategies that reflect the diverse ways audiences connect with the mission.
The Shift from Reporting to Learning
These conversations also highlighted a broader shift taking place across fundraising.
Historically, organizations have used data to measure performance. Increasingly, they're using it to learn. The questions are shifting from "How did we perform?" to "What are we learning about our donors, and how should that shape our next strategic decisions?"
That's one of the reasons benchmarking conversations have become so valuable. The greatest benefit often isn't seeing where you rank relative to peers. It's the opportunity to discuss what others are seeing, test assumptions and learn together. In that context, data becomes more than a measurement tool. It becomes a catalyst for better decisions.
The conversations at the Summer Symposium reinforced another important lesson: Connection matters at every level. Just as organizations are working to create a greater sense of belonging among donors, fundraising leaders are increasingly seeking opportunities to learn alongside peers facing similar challenges. In many ways, the same principle applies. Community helps donors stay connected to a mission, and becomes a force that encourages organizations to adapt, innovate and navigate change together.
Looking Beyond Our Own Sector
Public media has long benefited from collaboration and knowledge sharing among stations. But there is also value in broadening the conversation. Organizations outside public media are navigating many of the same questions about retention, personalization and long-term donor value. Their experiences won't always translate directly, but they can provide fresh perspective, challenge assumptions and spark new ideas.
In a rapidly evolving fundraising landscape, some of the most valuable insights may come from unexpected places. The future of fundraising won't be defined solely by better technology or more sophisticated analytics. It will be shaped by our ability to understand supporters more deeply, create stronger connections and learn from one another along the way.
Because at the end of the day, whether we're serving public media audiences, healthcare advocates, environmental supporters or educational institutions, the goal is the same: Build meaningful relationships that inspire people to stay engaged and invest in the missions they care about.
The conversations happening through Epiphany Benchmarking are rooted in the same belief explored throughout this article: Better decisions can emerge when organizations combine data, perspective and peer learning. Learn more about Epiphany and how public media organizations are participating.