My friend, coach,  and blogging mentor Laurie Foley‘s blog post today about Daniel Pink’s new book Drive got me thinking about motivation and audience.

In my role as a nonprofit consultant, I recently did a survey to find what motivated folks on a specific board in which they were serving. They had choices like giving back to the community, creating a personal connection with the organization, a passion for the mission, etc. Eighty nine percent responded “the opportunity to give back to the community.” When asked why they enjoyed participating, the biggest response was that it gave them a feeling of accomplishment.

Those are altruistic motivations–the personal contributions you make to creating a better community. All nonprofits need to think about what motivates their board members…whether it be having their name on the stationary, networking with other board members, or having the opportunity to leave a legacy.

For that matter, it is important for all of us to remember what motivates us!  And equally  important, what motivates our target audiences. Take a few minutes to hypothesize on what motivates your audiences–and work to include that motivation in your outreach to them.