> Skip to content
FEATURED:
Sign In
  • Latest
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
Sign In
  • Latest
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • Latest
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

How to Ask Donors to Share Demographic Details

By  Michael Theis
January 3, 2022
Customer information security risk concept as a person walking on a finger print shaped as a high wire line as an online  symbol and metaphor for personal account data or database breach danger.
Getty Images

Page with link to download the data guide:
https://www.aprahome.org/page/dei-data-guide

Q&A on the DEI data Data Guide: https://connections.aprahome.org/blog/q&a-a-closer-look-at-the-dei-data-guide

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from v144.philanthropy.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

More and more nonprofits want to personalize their communications to donors and diversify their pool of supporters. However, many groups have never asked supporters to identify their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Without this kind information, it is difficult to tailor messages or know how much improvement is needed to become an inclusive organization.

A main reason few groups sought this data in the past: Asking people to share personal information can feel awkward, and it must be handled with care, including making it clear that it will be used to advance diversity and inclusion at your organization.

Apra’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Data Guide explains how to seek, store, and use this information. Apra is an organization of professional fundraisers who conduct research into potential donors and analyze and manage donor data, among other roles.

After the murder of George Floyd in spring 2020, as many nonprofits sought to address racial inequities, Apra’s leaders wanted to help its members obtain demographic information about donors “from an ethical space, a space that is drawing up the actual identity of our constituents and not our perception of their identity,” said Milagro Lobato, director of prospect management and analytics at the Rhode Island School of Design and Apra’s former president.

The guide can help you avoid potentially embarrassing missteps. For example, it instructs readers to avoid making assumptions about supporters based on their names or membership in identity-based organizations, such as an LGBT-affinity group, and advises against using data that wasn’t collected explicitly for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, such as college admissions data.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Using data collected through admissions would be a misalignment because it wasn’t provided with the mindset that this is how we’re going to interact with this person for the rest of their lives,” said Lobato.

Before embarking on a data-collection effort, define the business purpose for the data. As you ask donors for their information, share that goal with them and make sure everyone who seeks data can answer donor questions about its intended use. “You should identify exactly what you are trying to accomplish, and you should communicate that to people when you are asking for information about their identity,” Lobato said.

For more guidance, consult Apra‘s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Data Guide.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Prospect ResearchDiversity, Equity, and InclusionFundraising LeadershipFundraising from Individuals
Michael Theis
Michael Theis writes about data and accountability for the Chronicle, conducting surveys and reporting on fundraising, giving, salaries, taxes, and more.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Latest Articles
    • Get Newsletters
    • Advice
    • Webinars
    • Data & Research
    • Magazine
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Latest Articles
    • Get Newsletters
    • Advice
    • Webinars
    • Data & Research
    • Magazine
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Work at the Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Gift-Acceptance Policy
    • Site Map
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Work at the Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Gift-Acceptance Policy
    • Site Map
    • DEI Commitment Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Organizational Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Organizational Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Philanthropy
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • pinterest
  • facebook
  • linkedin