Fundraisers – your caring stewardship might ease a donor’s loneliness

I was shocked to learn that at any given time 1 in 5, or 60 million Americans, suffer from loneliness. This figure comes from the research of University of Chicago psychology professor John T. Cacioppo, PhD, coauthor of Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection.

In an article for O Magazine, Sanjay Gupta, MD describes loneliness as “acute bouts of melancholy we all feel from time to time, as well as a chronic lack of intimacy—a yearning for someone to truly know you, get you, see you—that can leave people feeling seriously unmoored.” 

Could it also be 1 in 5 of our donors are experiencing this same loneliness as well?

If that is true, then it adds an importance to caring for our donors beyond the potential return in gifts to our organizations. It should make you pause and think again about dashing off that aseptic thank you letter – bereft of emotion or personal connection. Or give you another reason to get out the door to regularly visit your donors and genuinely care about how they are doing

“Reaching out, even in the smallest ways, can inch us closer to more meaningful relationships, which research shows can prevent much of the damage social isolation causes.” Dr. Gupta.