Designing Supporter Journeys that Last: Leigh Sandison on Moving Beyond Assumptions

Leigh is smiling at the camera, wearing a blue denim shirt. She has curly brown hair and is standing against a textured concrete wall.

Leigh Sandison and I met at a networking event in May 2025. We instantly connected over what good nonprofit supporter stewardship looks like. 

We reconnected over drinks later that summer, discussing family, Toronto traffic, and consulting life. Near the end of our chat, I exclaimed, “You’re a REAL ONE.” She responded, “That’s why my business is called Real Path.” 

If you’ve read my article for Community Centric Fundraising, you’ll know that I’ve been sorely disappointed by how some fundraising professionals view and value volunteer engagement. Leigh’s journey mapping approach is refreshing and I wanted to share some of the things I learned from her with you… So, you are invited to listen in to our most recent conversation.

JPP: It’s always lovely to chat with you! Now tell me honestly- how did you go from doing market research with Microsoft and Walmart to building a business that serves nonprofits?

LS: I actually started my career at Macmillan Cancer Support! I feel lucky because I was there at a time when they were tearing down the walls to build the foundation of fundraising again: redefining teams and roles and ultimately how supporters were seen and treated. 

We went from treating a donor as a “buyer” of a specific fundraising event, to really understanding supporters holistically: their ability to transition between products, channels, and even from being a donor to a volunteer to a beneficiary. 

After that I started working with big companies doing customer research and experience design.

JPP: What does experience design mean?

LS: It’s about making people's lives better by making things easier and more cohesive for them. For companies it's about making it easier, faster, more fun, to buy products. 

For non-profits it's about making it easier, more thoughtful, and more fulfilling to engage with an organization. We do that by first understanding what motivates people, why they care, and what will encourage them to take action.

JPP: Ah, so experience design is more than UX design?

LS: Yes! UX design focuses on a specific digital interface or product, whereas experience design is broader. It’s also very closely related to design thinking, which problem-solves in a human-centric way. 

JPP: It’s sad to say, but I often see big corporates doing a lot better at centering humans than nonprofits. It could be related to capacity, but I think it’s also nonprofit professional culture that holds us back.

LS: I agree. And that’s why when I was on my first maternity leave, I started thinking about how I should get back to my non-profit roots. I wanted to take my years of experience in understanding people to help non-profits understand their people better. One of my approaches is journey mapping, which has made a difference for many clients! 

JPP: What does nonprofit journey mapping look like? 

LS: We always start with “what do we already know?”

We work with the organization to download everything they know or think they know about their supporters. It’s important to get those assumptions. But, we believe without talking to the people you’re building for, you’ll be stuck in assumptive mode forever. 

After we map out the assumptive journey, we look for gaps, define questions we want to know the answer to, and figure out who it is we want to get the answers from. We also build out a matrix to figure out which types of supporters to have one-on-one conversations with (typically we’re trying to get a mix of demographics, engagement types, donation values, etc.)

Then, we start interviewing people. From there we see what insights start to bubble up: which points are said by many people, which are outliers, which are poignant but not fully formed that we need to delve deeper into. 

Then we delve deeper. After that, we start to map:

• The key moments

• The key touchpoints 

• The motivation starts 

• And, what underlines the entire journey

JPP: If each step of the journey is a data point, how do you define success with the data you have? Especially if you’re looking beyond financial giving?

LS: It’s actually really, really simple. Does the donor continue on their journey? That is success. 

It might not be a straight line exactly to the next step, one after each other, but if they are still with you, if you allow them to choose how they want to continue their journey, you’re doing well.

JPP: Now of course, I’m interested in how volunteering and donating intersect. Where have you noticed those opportunities along a journey map?

LS: I think there are lots of opportunities! Journeys should be set up in ways that supporters can move as they choose. Really, it’s about figuring out early moments to understand if individuals have time, or money, or both, that they are willing to share with you. 

Natural opportunities that come to mind are:

1. When supporters first want to learn more about you. For example: after signing up for a newsletter.

2. After a thank you. For example: after a donation or volunteering moment

3. When there are key times that your organization needs more volunteers or has a fundraising campaign in need of donations.  

That being said, the full journey and these core moments will be dependent on your organization’s exact needs and how your supporters are currently engaged and want to engage. 

JPP: Are organizations you work with usually intentional about integrating donor and volunteer journeys? 

LS: Like so many things, it depends. In general, all people can be, and often are, both volunteers and donors. And, volunteers are much more likely to become donors than a non-volunteering supporter. 

Often successful integration depends on what the volunteering opportunities are, how successfully integrated volunteers are into the real outcomes of the organization, and the type of supporters the organization attracts.  

People volunteer and donate for the same reason, to see outcomes improve, and people should be respected for both the money and time they are willing to share. 

JPP: What happens when that respect just isn’t there?

LS: Tensions arise when organizational KPIs and supporter stewardship is siloed. Nonprofits are rightly conscious about over-communicating, over-asking and burning people out. 

But, when you think about supporter journeys (including journeys of donors, volunteers, advocates and supporters who have not yet taken any of those actions) you should be really thoughtful about how, when and what to communicate. Having completely separate journeys for donors and volunteers doesn’t always work. 

JPP: With the Community Centric Fundraising movement gaining traction, donor engagement has become more values-based and relational. How do you see donor journey mapping practice evolving?  

LS: I think donor journey mapping as it is needs to evolve rapidly. It needs to push towards supporter journey mapping and away from donor journey mapping. 

It needs to start before a supporter is even aware of your cause. It needs to not be a map of your existing touchpoints and how you want a supporter to experience your organization, but it needs to include real insights from real supporters to build out all the moments between your touchpoints. That’s when supporters are making decisions to continue on with your organization or not. 

It needs to include supporter affect throughout the journey, meaning a deep understanding of how they are feeling at key moments. 

Finally, but crucially, it needs to include opportunities related to how to improve. We can’t stop at understanding a supporter journey in this current moment in time only. We must focus on making the journey better, and designing supporter experiences that excite, delight, and keep people engaged for years to come.

JPP: It reminds me of when I was asked a question after my very first conference presentation. An audience member wanted to know, “How long should we plan to engage volunteers?” And I said, “A lifetime! But in the ways they want to be engaged- whether that’s volunteering or something else.”

Before we close off, do you have any advice for organizations who want to create more cohesive and mission-centered engagement across supporter groups?

LS: Yes! Start by understanding what your assumptions are about all of your supporters, and think about the strategies and tactics you are creating based on these assumptions.

Look for gaps in your understanding. And then seek to understand from the supporter’s point of view. 

Without them, you’re living in assumptions, and you won’t be able to move the needle on engagement until you step into reality (no matter how scary that might be). 

JPP: Thanks so much Leigh for the chat. I always learn so much from you! 

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