Analog Growth in a Digital World: Why your nonprofit needs to become an airfyer
- Tyler Jacobson
- Feb 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 26
The key to growth is no longer about digital visibility. It’s about creating an experience that people want to share face-to-face. Just like when you discover a great product, you don’t always post about it online—you talk about it with friends. The real growth happens when donors are so excited about your mission that they want to show it to others in person.
Why? Because people trust people. In-person conversations are more powerful than digital posts. When someone raves about something they’ve experienced firsthand, it’s compelling, and it inspires others to act. That’s the kind of donor engagement nonprofits need to focus on—creating an experience so compelling that donors can’t help but share it in real life.
The Air Fryer Effect: Why Donors Talk About Exceptional Experiences
The key to growth isn’t forcing donors to become fundraisers—it’s delivering an experience that naturally compels them to talk about your organization.
Think about the last time you raved about a product. For me, it was when I got my first air fryer. I had no personal connection to air fryers, but the experience was so exceptional that I couldn’t help but tell everyone about it.
Analog Growth: The sharing that actually happens
I brought it to parties, showed it off to friends, and convinced at least eight other couples to buy one. Not because I posted about it online, but because I physically showed it to people. That’s organic growth.
And here’s the kicker—I know for a fact that a few of those couples went on to do the exact same thing. Once they got their air fryer, they showed it off too, convincing more people to buy one. That’s the ripple effect in action.
Nonprofits often hope that donors will post about their giving experience, but that’s not how people actually share. The real moment of influence happens when someone passes their phone across the table at happy hour and says, “Check this out.”
If nonprofits treated donor engagement like consumer experience—offering clear, ongoing impact updates in a way that’s easy to show—they could transform everyday donors into Super Users who voluntarily spread the word. And just like the air fryer effect, those new donors wouldn’t just give—they’d share too, creating a ripple effect that keeps growing.
Village was built to help your organization deliver an experience worth talking about
Village isn’t just another fundraising platform—it’s designed to help you create an experience that your donors will want to talk about. By putting conversation starters directly in the palm of their hands, Village makes it easy for your supporters to stay engaged and share their impact. Here's how it works:
More Updates, More Engagement: Regular video updates and impact metrics keep your donors connected and excited about how their contributions are making a difference.
Helping Donors Understand Their Impact: When donors can see the real impact of their giving—like how many meals they’ve provided or how many people they’ve helped—they feel more connected to the cause and more likely to share it.
Made for in-person sharing: The next time a donor is at a coffee shop, they can easily pass their phone across the table and show their friend how much impact they’ve made. If their friend is intrigued, getting them on board is as simple as scanning a QR code or sending them a personalized sharing link.
By making impact visible and shareable, Village transforms the donor experience into something people naturally want to talk about—just like that air fryer. Instead of relying on external fundraising gimmicks, nonprofits can use Village to build momentum from within.
The Future of Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies & Growth
Analog growth in a digital world may seem counterintuitive, but it’s exactly what nonprofits need. The future of nonprofit fundraising strategies isn’t about better marketing gimmicks or social pressure—it’s about delivering an experience that naturally inspires people to share.
Instead of relying on fleeting digital strategies, nonprofits need to build experiences that are primed for organic growth. Growth that happens when donors, moved by the connection they've experienced, bring others into the fold, creating a ripple effect of engagement.
The question for nonprofit leaders isn’t whether donor expectations have changed. The question is: Are you providing an experience worth talking about?
