This summer, CharityWise hosted an in-person workshop for local charities, focusing on a vital yet often overlooked part of nonprofit success: audience personas.
Our session gathered passionate representatives from smaller, community-based charities—organisations that are the backbone of our communities and rely on donor support to sustain their impact.
One message emerged from our workshop as absolutely essential—if charities want to strengthen their fundraising, they must first truly understand who their supporters are.
Why personas matter for charities
Creating audience personas involves building a profile of your typical supporters, helping you see who is behind each donation and why they’re motivated to give. At first glance, some might think, “Isn’t this a tool for businesses?” But understanding your audience is just as crucial for charities. After all, a charity’s connection to its supporters often runs deeper than a business relationship. When charities take the time to understand their donors’ motivations, behaviours, and values, they’re better equipped to develop fundraising campaigns that genuinely resonate.
By recognising what donors look like—beyond age and location, but including their values, interests, and habits—charities can tailor their messaging, choose the best channels, and create initiatives that directly appeal to their supporters’ reasons for giving.
Jake Lambert, Conversion Services Director at Fresh Egg
Personas and fundraising: A powerful connection
So how can building personas improve fundraising efforts? Here are a few ways:
- Targeted messaging
When you know what motivates your donors, you can tailor your message to speak directly to them. For example, if your typical supporter is passionate about local animal welfare, you can use specific language, imagery, and stories that highlight the impact of their support on animals in the community. This relevance makes your outreach more engaging and memorable. - Choosing the right channels
A clear persona helps identify where to find your supporters. Are they more likely to respond to an email, a social media post, or even a handwritten letter? Small charities often have limited resources for marketing, so it’s essential to focus on the channels that are most effective for reaching their specific audience. - Efficient resource allocation
Personas help charities allocate their limited resources effectively. Instead of spreading efforts thin with a one-size-fits-all approach, charities can focus on the most impactful activities for their core supporters. For example, if your persona suggests a younger donor base, prioritising digital outreach over traditional mail could be a better fit. - Building long-term relationships
Understanding your donors on a deeper level can help you build lasting connections. When supporters feel that a charity “gets” them, they’re more likely to continue their support over time. A persona-driven approach helps charities communicate in a way that builds trust and long-term loyalty.
Start building your charity’s personas
Creating personas might sound complex, but it’s a simple, strategic step that any charity can take. CharityWise offers a range of learning resources on how to build personas, along with a downloadable template that can guide you through the process.
If this is completely new to you, then I suggest you start here:
- Read this guide on What personas are and why you need them
- You can then use this template to create your own personas
These tools will help you to ask the right questions about your donors, from basic demographics to deeper motivations.
We saw firsthand in our workshop how building personas made a difference in helping charities visualise who they’re speaking to. This lead to more strategic way of thinking when it came to their fundraising efforts. As donations become more essential than ever, understanding your donors may be the key to not just sustaining but growing your impact in the community.
