Three Trends for Small Shops in 2023 With Tim Sarrantonio of Neon One, Ep #62

Episode 62

With Benjamin Johnson and Tim Sarrantonio

The first Frontier FM of 2023 is here and you don’t want to miss it! On this episode, Ben sits down with Neon One’s Director of Corporate Brand Tim Sarrantonio for a jam-packed discussion about the future of generosity from a technology standpoint. The two explore human-centered fundraising, the three-percent problem in the charitable sector, three trends for small shops in 2023, and making it easy for donors to grow in generosity.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

  • Getting to know Tim Sarrantonio [0:09]

  • The gold standard in human-centered fundraising [6:19]

  • Tackling the three-percent problem and why tech bros won’t save the charitable sector [11:57]

  • Three trends for small shops in 2023 [24:33]

  • Understanding the peak-end rule [33:37]

  • Making it easy to join the generosity journey and Tim’s advice for overwhelmed fundraisers [36:41]

Best practices for individual donor engagement

In the United States, three percent of all nonprofits make over 5 million dollars annually. The problem is that the other 97% of charities create best practices and strategic visioning entirely around 3% content. This stems from the false belief that everyone treats charities the same, from the local food bank to international organizations. Based on studying the data from billions of dollars worth of charitable transactions, Tim has developed three best practices for individual donor engagement. The first is to focus on people, not money. The second is to focus on the experience of connection with those people. And the third is that technology can be an accelerant. However, that is where many charities are getting tripped up. Listen to this episode for a deeper dive into using technology effectively for better donor engagement!

Three small shop trends for a successful 2023

With 2023 officially underway, Tim has three trends that small charities need to keep on their radar. The first is that you are not fundraisers or marketers, but rather, generosity experience designers. You need to know marketing, fundraising, and finance in order to be multidisciplinary in your approach. The second is streamlining the experience of connection. If potential donors stumble around your website to the point of frustration, there are immediate steps you need to take to make giving a clear and impactful experience. Finally, Tim urges that charities close the loop. This means not only stewarding your donors well after they give through engagement but also keeping your finance team in the loop in case any issues occur.

Taking donors from couch to 5K

Giving and almost giving is a nearly identical experience for donors, with widely different outcomes for charities. If an organization makes it difficult to give, potential donors can give up and still receive the dopamine hit for trying to do something good. Charities on the other hand, get nothing from attempted generosity. Even though you can view the donor journey as a marathon, Tim reminds listeners that not every donor wants to be there for the long haul initially. Approaching every donor relationship as an attempt to lock them in is a quick way to scare them off. Charities should look to gradually transition donors from the couch to running a 5K through engagement and awareness. It’s not about a single decision to give but a journey with multiple access points where donors become more generous everyday.

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Tim Sarrantonio

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Ben Johnson