Episode 20: Redefining Fundraising with Purposeful Technology with Soraya Alexander
Overview
This conversation delves into the relationship between technology, community engagement, and philanthropy, illuminating pathways to enhance connectivity, empowerment, and efficacy within the nonprofit sector. Our guest today is Soraya Alexander, an esteemed figure renowned for her innovative approaches to fundraising and digital outreach within the nonprofit landscape.
Soraya serves as the COO of GoFundMe and President of its subsidiary, Classy. Under her leadership, GoFundMe empowers people to help each other through innovative technology, while Classy assists nonprofits in maximizing their fundraising efforts for more significant social and environmental impact. Together, these platforms facilitate the annual raising of billions of dollars. She is also a board member of Urban Surf 4 Kids, supporting foster and adoptive youth through surf therapy and mentorship.
Soraya shares her journey from aspiring to be Secretary of State to driving innovation at Classy, where she focuses on empowering nonprofits through cutting-edge technology and community-building strategies. She delves into the transformative power of community in the nonprofit sector, challenging the traditional notion of “community of supporters” and advocating for a more dynamic, interactive approach.
Moreover, we explore the generational shifts in giving, highlighting how younger donors seek to be active participants rather than passive supporters. Soraya discusses the need for nonprofits to adapt their campaign strategies and technological tools to meet the evolving expectations of these new cohorts of givers.
In a candid discussion about technology and AI, Soraya reveals Classy’s thoughtful, principled approach to developing AI tools. She underscores the importance of transparency, security, and control, ensuring that innovation never comes at the expense of trust.
Episode highlights
- 03:26 Soraya's Journey
- 07:04 Balancing Innovation and Impact with Caution and Purpose
- 09:26 How Classy and GoFundMe are Revolutionizing Fundraising
- 13:48 Transforming Community: From Isolated Supporters to Connected Changemakers
- 19:35 Prioritizing Trust: Principles and Patience in Launching AI Tools for Fundraising
Tips and tools to implement today
- Encourage fundamental interactions among supporters to build a vibrant community.
- Design campaigns that invite active participation and involvement.
- Ensure transparency, security, and control in AI tool development.
- Leverage donor data to improve engagement strategies.
- Develop fundraising initiatives that resonate with different generations.
- Provide platforms for donors to connect with each other.
- Move thoughtfully to adopt new technologies to build trust.
- Make the impact of donations visible to supporters.
- Use tools that bring together different segments of the philanthropic ecosystem.
- Offer technological tools that help nonprofits connect with their constituents.
Favorite quotes
- "I think about my role all the time as advancement, then change actually is the job. So it becomes less scary." - Soraya Alexander
- "What becomes a higher bar is what are you changing for change's sake and what are you changing because of what you're trying to accomplish? " - Soraya Alexander
- "We spend a lot of time asking questions, getting to first principles. We ask what exactly great looks measurably and how we know we're on the right track. And then we think a lot about the unintended consequences." - Soraya Alexander
- "We've been around for about 12 years and raised well over $30 billion on behalf of nonprofits and individuals. About 115 million people are in our database who have given across cause categories, types of giving, and all of these things. There are incredible insights that we are now excited to share with the nonprofit." - Soraya Alexander
- "We did a consumer survey before the year ended last year; one of the most interesting pieces of feedback we got is that older generations are giving to support a nonprofit doing particular work; they are giving so you can do the work. Younger generations give as a hand raised that they want to be participants; it's a very different way of giving." - Soraya Alexander
- "As we continue to engage in new kinds of eras, generations, and cohorts of givers, their intentions are different, so the campaign mechanisms have to be different." - Soraya Alexander
- "Getting insights at the expense of people's trust... everything's gone." - Soraya Alexander
- "We need to get more tools so people can better connect with their constituents." - Soraya Alexander
- "Before we built any product or ran any models, we had a council internally that discussed the principles on which we were going to build, and we talked a lot about transparency, security, and control. And anything we build is going to be against those principles." - Soraya Alexander
