Whose journey is it?

Whose journey is it?

We hear a lot about “donor journey mapping” lately. I remain a tad skeptical.

I suppose the donor journey is supposed to be parallel to the hero’s journey, the iconic myth structure popularized by Joseph Campbell. The hero’s journey outlines the path by which a protagonist goes on a great adventure and encounters countless obstacles as they search for an object of burning need or desire.

But the parallel breaks down at the start. The hero’s story belongs to the hero. They make choices and meet challenges to reach their chosen destination. The donor journey belongs not to the donor but to the fundraiser. It outlines the path the fundraiser wishes the donor to take from first gift to principal gift and/or bequest.

In that way, the donor journey reminds me a little more of a cattle chute, a narrow corridor that guides cattle to a destination chosen by the rancher. That destination might be a truck or holding pen or an abattoir.

Our recent Missing Middle 4 study found that a plurality of middle donors are ‘all business.’ They will support you, but they do not want a relationship with you and they are not interested in receiving regular communications. Their chosen journey in other words is no journey at all.

If you’re going to map your donor journey, at least start with asking the donors what they want.