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.
They Also 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 burden
Watch or Listen:
Watch this episode now by clicking the video above, or by visiting Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Additional Resources:
Register for the Sustainable Giving Workshop.
Grab your copy of Dave’s book, The Rise of Sustainable Giving, to learn how the subscription economy is transforming recurring giving—and what nonprofits can do to benefit.
Special thanks to our team at Sustainable Giving: Abigail, Tom, Kirsten, Grace, and Christeen.