Plot twist: Alex is not real. But getting to know Alex could prove crucial for your organization.
What is a marketing persona?
Alex is a marketing persona—a fictitious character you create to represent one of your audience segments (donors, volunteers, advocates, etc.). Personas are a behind-the-scenes tool used to better understand your audience, how to motivate them to support your organization and how to thank them for their loyalty.
The better you define your personas, the easier it becomes to create communications that resonate. You’re putting a face and personality to your audience so your messaging feels more human and more effective.
Example persona detail:
Alex is engaged, rooted in his community and motivated to make a difference. He supports causes aligned with his values and is likely to volunteer when he feels connected to an organization’s mission.
How to create marketing personas for your nonprofit in 4 steps
Step 1: Get to know the people in your database
This is where personas begin—with your existing audience. Understanding the psychographics of your donors helps you both communicate more effectively and identify new donors with similar traits.
Psychographics go beyond demographics and focus on attitudes, aspirations and interests. Personas help turn abstract segments into real, relatable individuals.
Start by gathering data such as:
- Location (city, ZIP code, neighborhood)
- Gender trends
- Income range
- Age range
- Frequent vs. occasional donors
- Corporate donors
- Professional backgrounds
- Program-specific audiences
- Event attendees
- Donor/volunteer overlap
From there, interview a cross-section of donors to better understand behavior and motivations.
Step 2: Start talking
Plan informal but intentional conversations with donors. Focus on understanding how your organization fits into their lives.
Key insights to gather:
- How your nonprofit intersects with their life
- How they decide to give
- Preferred communication channels
- Preferred donation methods
- Timing of giving
- Information sources
- Barriers to giving
- Expectations from your organization
- Other organizations they support
- Triggers for action
What drives Alex to give:
- Commitment to his community
- Alignment with mission and values
- Feeling that his donation makes a difference
- Opportunities to get involved
- Influence from friends
Step 3: Group donors into categories
Start segmenting donors into groups based on shared characteristics. These categories may begin as assumptions, but will become more refined as patterns emerge.
Look for traits such as:
- Motivations to give
- Values
- Decision-making behavior
- Preferred communication style
- Personal goals
- Profession
- Giving frequency
Example insight:
Alex prefers simple, low-effort giving (recurring donations or text). He values updates on impact and responds well to social sharing opportunities.
Continue refining until you have 3–7 well-defined personas that represent your audience.
Step 4: Introduce your personas to your team
Share your personas internally to build alignment and improve how your team communicates with supporters.
Personas help staff understand who they’re speaking to, making communication more personal and effective across the organization.
Use your marketing personas to connect with your audience
If you’ve already developed personas, you have a strong foundation for communication and growth.
If not, it may feel like a lot of work—but it’s one of the most valuable investments you can make for both donor retention and acquisition.
If you’re ready to better understand your donors and turn one-time engagement into lasting relationships, we’d love to help.
Plan your next creative marketing initiative
Let’s help you meet your own Alex—and the donors who stick around.
