Can We Measure Belonging?
Nonprofits run on trust and belonging.
Revenue lags; trust leads.
The signals that build them are fading.
We’re building the Belonging Index for Nonprofits.
7 minutes. Anonymous.
We’ll send you the summary findings.
A Crisis of Connection
Every year, fewer people give, volunteer, or stay engaged.
Nonprofits track dollars and clicks—but not connection.
The signals that matter most—belonging and trust—stay invisible.
When people stop feeling seen, they stop showing up.
Participation is shrinking.
Only 42% of donors give again the next year, and the share of households giving has dropped below half.
(Fundraising Effectiveness Project, 2024 Q1 Report)
Trust is fragile.
57% of Americans report high trust in nonprofits, the highest among sectors measured and unchanged from 2024.
(Independent Sector, Trust in Civil Society Report 2025)
Data isn’t helping, yet.
Fewer than 1 in 10 nonprofits use their data strategically—most still measure clicks, not connection.
(NTEN, 2023 Nonprofit Technology Report)
Together, these signals reveal a deeper truth. We can’t rebuild participation without rebuilding belonging—and belonging is the social capital that holds every community together.
The numbers tell a story—one of trust at risk, connection unmeasured, and opportunity waiting to be reclaimed.
Built from the inside out.
"I’ve spent years working inside the tension between what nonprofits measure and what actually matters—the quiet indicators of loyalty, meaning, and connection that never make it onto a dashboard.
The hypothesis is simple: If we can see what drives belonging and trust, we can strengthen it."
—Pamela Geller, passionate about turning data into connection.
Imagining a New Field of Connection
Semora Commons is building a new discipline for the social sector—combining the insight of communications (“words shape worlds”) with behavioral science, social research, and the latest in data, modeling, and ethical AI to tackle one of today’s most urgent problems: the loss of trust and belonging.
Just as behavioral economics reshaped finance and public policy—and Moneyball revolutionized baseball by changing what teams measure—Nonprofit Communications Intelligence could redefine how we understand civic trust and belonging, turning connection itself into something visible, measurable, and actionable.
What would it take for cause-based organizations to understand their communities as deeply as big brands understand their markets...
...but to use that insight to build belonging, not profit?
People haven’t stopped caring.
They’ve stopped feeling seen.
Over the past decade, cause-based organizations learned to speak louder, faster, farther. We built systems to reach people—just not to understand them. Fundraising perfected the art of cultivating a few; communications learned to broadcast to the many. Between those two poles—between intimacy and reach—the heartbeat got lost.
We can measure almost everything: who gave, who clicked, who showed up.
But not what holds them here—what makes someone feel part of the story instead of an audience to it. Our digital infrastructure scaled. Our emotional infrastructure didn’t.
That’s where Semora begins.
We exist to make the invisible visible—to help organizations listen differently so they can connect differently.
Semora Commons is built on a simple idea:
if belonging and trust can be measured as clearly as revenue, they can be strengthened with the same intention.
So we created two signals: the Belonging & Trust Score (BTS) and the Communications Effectiveness Score (CES). Together, they reveal not just what people do, but why they stay.
When nonprofits understand those signals, they adapt in real time. Messages resonate. Communities feel seen. Participation rises. Retention follows. And over time, the whole system steadies—rooted in belonging, not noise.
This is what we mean by communications intelligence. Not more data—more understanding. A way for the social sector to see itself clearly again and rebuild the trust that holds communities together.
The Vision
A shared framework for measuring social capital—the invisible threads that hold communities together. It explores how data and humanity might meet to help nonprofits see what connects people, where that connection frays, and how it can be repaired.
The Core Index
Two scores that show where connection grows—and where it breaks.
Belonging & Trust Score (BTS): shows how people feel seen, safe, and part of the story.
Communications Effectiveness Score (CES): shows which messages build—or erode—trust.
Built on the Science of Belonging
Grounded in research from Gallup, Edelman, Springtide, and the Fundraising Effectiveness Project—and informed by values and identity studies from Schwartz, Haidt, More in Common, and Harmony Labs.
Together, these sources define the emerging science of belonging—and the infrastructure Semora translates into action.
By applying this research, Semora helps organizations see what people value most—and how those values shape belonging, trust, and participation.
The Impact
When people feel they belong, they stay.
And when they stay, value compounds.
Even modest gains in belonging and trust can reshape outcomes.
A 10-point rise in connection can lift retention by up to 50%—often worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in recurring revenue for a mid-size nonprofit.
Semora Commons is testing how that same dynamic could strengthen the broader nonprofit field—how belonging might drive both financial stability and community trust.
Grow Participation
Rebuild pipelines across generations and bring new voices into the story.
Prove What Matters
Show ROI on belonging—not just campaigns.
Balance the Base
Reduce reliance on a few major donors by widening engagement at every level.
Build Shared Benchmarks
Track and compare belonging across cause-based organizations, coalitions, and civic networks.