... the dire, apocalyptic visions painted by many in the environmental field are undermining belief in global warming and discouraging action.
Environmental fundraising isn't alone in making this fundamental error that drives away donors.
Disease charities that major in how huge their disease is, like the like number of diagnoses per day, are telling donors we simply can't make any headway.
World poverty and hunger charities using the astounding numbers of hunger-related deaths that happen every day, or similar facts, are telling donors their gift is too small to make a difference.
Domestic poverty charities focus on the discouragingly high incidence of hunger and homelessness here at home are also minimizing their donors' part.
People don't give to help solve problems because the problems are huge. They give because the problems are solvable.
I've since heard from Indra Sinha a UK writer who years ago did a series of powerful and effective print ads for Amnesty International UK. These great ads are showcased at SOFII and well worth a look. Go to SOFII, so you can read the copy.
This is good stuff. Solid, focused writing. And it says enough to give would-be donors enough reason to break the inertia and make a gift. None of that vague abstraction that stupid nonprofit ads use symbolize issues by making the obscure, clever, and unemotional.
I can imagine the outcry most nonprofits these days would make if you proposed running copy-heavy ads like these.
Nobody is going to read all that copy!
It looks so old-fashioned!
It violates our graphic standards!
I'm guessing these ads wouldn't work as well now as they did then. But that's not because of their style; its because print ads of any kind don't work like they used to for fundraising. There are a number of notable exceptions to that, especially print ads just after disasters. But generally, print ads have lost a lot of their mojo.
The lesson here is this: Lots of copy is nearly always a good fundraising tactic. It's so much better than clever visual puns or objects floating in vast seas of tasteful white space.
If your first reaction to something is that it looks old fashioned and/or copy-heavy, that's usually a sign that it's good. Really. Thanks to Mr. Sinha for reminding us.
Used to be you had a list of donors. Some had given more or less, some had given recently, some hadn't. But fundraising was largely about managing these lists of donors.
With the web, it's different. We can easily get names of people who aren't donors, but have raised their hands as being interested in the cause. And we can communicate with these people inexpensively, so some of them will become more involved, and we hope eventually become donors. It's a brave new world that requires thinking not only about donors, but about people who may be on their way to being donors.
Here's are Mal's categories of people on an online list:
The Tourist. Someone who's just stopped by, but given no gift and done little else than give us their email.
The Visitor. This person also hasn't given, but has shown a higher level of involvement by doing something or other, maybe signing a petition
The Resident. A regular old donor of the type we're used to.
The Lifer. Someone who cares more deeply than most donors, and shown that by taking even more action -- such as volunteering, advocating, or other kinds of involvement.
These categories can help us think clearly about the people we're talking to. For some we want increased involvement that we hope will lead to giving. For others we want continued giving, and for the Lifers, we just want to give them the tools they need to keep up the great work.
These audiences are all different. Always sending the same stuff to all of them is a wasteful strategy.
Say a car dealer calls you up and offers you a really cool car, really cheap. Maybe even free.
Does it fit my needs? you ask.
Dunno, the dealer says. Probably not.
Is it a high-performance car?
Not exactly. To tell you the truth, it barely works.
How's the mileage? you ask.
Terrible.
Now you're getting annoyed. You want me to take this crummy car that's not useful to me in any way. Why?
It's beautiful. Completely beautiful. I can guarantee it's better-looking than your current car.
You look out the window at your faithful but dowdy old minivan. He's right about that. My current car isn't going to win any beauty prizes, but it does everything I need.
Did you say "prizes"? the dealer says hungrily. That's why we're talking. See, if you take this car, we might win prizes
Prizes?
Glory! Fame! Improved portfolio! Trips to New York or even France!
If you are a nonprofit organization, you might have had conversations like this. Not with car dealers offering stupid cars, but with ad agency people peddling stupid ads.
They are fishing for awards. And they want you to pay for it. Frequently, they'll disguise the fact that you're paying by doing the work "pro bono." Which doesn't cover the opportunity cost and potential damage to your other marketing or even your reputation.
Here's an obvious example of award-fishing, done on the back of WWF México:
This ad doesn't have the brutal stupidity that a lot of similar agency creations have. In fact, it's rather pretty. But pretty doesn't get the job done. Especially when there's no call to action. Not even a hint of one.
All this ad does is say we are all connected. It doesn't prove we're connected, it merely asserts it. And it does that only through abstraction, making string the symbol for actual connection. Pardon me, but I think my real-life connection with butterflies, whales, or elephants is more interesting, emotionally deep, and visually beautiful than a fake connection where we're all made out of twine.
But none of that matters. Because this isn't an honest attempt at marketing or fundraising. Three things tell me that:
The agency and the production house get prominent billing in all the online postings. A clear sign who's really meant to benefit from the work.
The version that's being bandied about is in English, even though the client and its audience are Spanish-speaking. (See the Mexican version.)
It has that wow-how-did-they-do-that quality.
It's time for nonprofits to stop playing along with this damaging stupidity. If ad agencies want to win awards, that's fine. Just let them do it on their own dime. Don't be fooled by their false, pointless glamour. We should not be involved in filling world with dumb messages that accomplish nothing. This crap is crowding out real messages that might actually accomplish some good. It's crowding it out in our audience's own minds or in our own organizational bandwidth. It's not free, and it's not even cheap.
Worse yet, it can strike a devastating blow against your reputation, like this award-bait masterpiece done a couple years ago for WWF Brasil. This piece actually won an award before people started to notice how vile and dunderheaded it was.
The story: Commonwealth Bank, a large multinational bank, recently made news with a wacko, paranoid social media policy for its employees. It threatens "serious disciplinary action which may include termination" for all kinds of online activities that the company might deem as hurting the company. They are also required to spy on and persecute the online activities of their friends.
Guess what: there's been a backlash. Everyone who pays attention to such things hates Commonwealth and doesn't hesitate to talk about it on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, or anyplace else.
This is an extreme case, but a lot of companies and nonprofits have weird, restrictive, unrealistic policies for social media.
They can no more stop these things than the current domino-row of Middle Eastern dictators can. And trying only makes it worse.
So if you're using HR policy, lawyers, and restrictions to protect yourself online, it's not going to work. And you stand a good chance of really hurting yourself and your reputation. You have so much more to gain by letting the flowers bloom that are going to bloom anyway.
I've just gone through the direct-mail swipe file, looking for really superb donor-centered copy.
Bad news: I didn't find any. I found a lot of self-centered, look-at-me copy. I found a few examples that were not quite so bad. I even found a couple that were decent, if not great. I'll show you a few:
Bad
It is amazing to realize that the most significant advancements in the treatment of [disease] have been made in my lifetime. Even more astonishing is the fact that so many of these advancements have originated right here in [City].
This guy must walk around with his eyes closed. Couldn't even say "in your lifetime." It's an unpromising start to a letter that's resolutely self-centered, never making even the slightest move toward being about donors.
A little better
In remote places you'll never visit, I conditions you could never imagine, and in the eyes of children you'll never see, there is unthinkable suffering.
I'll tell you about it.
And once you hear of these horrific stories, I believe -- and hope -- that you'll help.
Give them credit for frequent use of you. The copy isn't at all about the donor, but it's at least involving the reader in the story they're telling.
Better yet
You are invited to join a special group of community-minded people whose generosity helps support one of [area's] most treasured and beloved institutions -- [name of organization]. When you accept this invitation to become a [member], you are supporting a century-old tradition of reading an learning at one of the largest and most widely respected [Type of organization] in the world.
Again, here's an organization talking about itself. But they're talking about how the donor connects to the organization, so it's somewhat more effective and likely to get donors' attention.
Even better
Let us introduce you to one of your neighbors, a 27-year-old woman named Veronica.
You may not know Veronica, but you have a lot in common. Like you, Veronica knows the value of a dollar. Like you, Veronica takes pride in her ability to take care of herself and her family without relying on others. Like you, Veronica is concerned about how a sudden catastrophic illness could turn her life upside-down.
Not exactly about the reader, but it really does draw the reader into the story with its clear call to the reader to get into the story.
Unfortunately in this batch of letters, I couldn't find any truly donor-centered copy. That's how it goes. Not that many fundraisers are focusing tightly on donors. So I had to write some myself:
You are my hero.
Yes, you.
You're one of those unusual people who doesn't just feel sorry for hungry people -- you do something about it. Your record of compassionate giving make [Area] a better place every day.
That's why you're a hero.
Never forget: Good fundraising is about the donor. It's not about you.
Don't ask donors to support your cause. Show them how your organization can help them support their cause.
Sometimes working at your desk just doesn't work. So heck, just stop working there. Work someplace else. That's the idea from The 99% blog, at Are You An Armchair Creative?
That's right, just sit in a comfy chair. No laptop, no phone, just a notebook and a pen. Or nothing at all:
The armchair takes me into a different space, where my mind can drift and I can see the big picture of the projects I'm working on, notice the patterns that emerge and my gut feeling about the best way forward. When I get up from the armchair, everything is clearer and sharper. My body feels lighter, and more energized. And I get a hell of a lot done when I return to the other chair.
A change of posture, a change of scenery -- can change your outlook and restart stalled or stale thinking.
It really works wonders. Don't worry about what your coworkers say. You'll do better work if you have the courage to break away from your desk.
Commercial marketers are constantly reminded to keep WIIFM top-of-mind, because they're tempted to sell their wares on how great those wares are. Not what's in it for the customer.
We have the same issue in fundraising. Too often, we think the reason people give to us is because we are so excellent.
Nope.
They give because there's something in it for them. (We still have to be excellent; that's the price of admission for them to even consider giving to us.)
Here are some things donors might get from giving to you, the real reasons for giving:
They're seeking personal significance by helping change the world.
They're finding spiritual strength by following the calls of their spiritual tradition.
They're assuaging guilt.
They're comforting fear.
They're proving to themselves or others that they're good people.
They know it feels good to give.
They might even be seeking a tax deduction.
There's always something in it for them.
If you remember that and work with it, you'll go far in the fundraising biz!
A majority of first-time donors to nonprofits never give a subsequent gift. There are a lot of reasons for this unfortunate and expensive fact, but one of the big reasons is we simply don't give them enough of a reason to repeat the good deed.
So treat donors -- especially new donors -- like their gift mattered. And a great way to do that is to send a special welcome pack.
Done right, a welcome mailing can help turn a one-time donor into an ongoing friend who sticks with you for years. It can cement the fact that their gift made a difference and that's she's known and appreciated.
The most important piece of advice I can give about a welcome pack is this: Don't create it to "educate the donor"! Create it to thrill the donor.
If you try to made your donor into a better kind of person, your meddling and condescending attitude will show. Instead, make the whole thing a paean to the donor. That's how you win hearts and minds.
I want you to print this out and post it where you'll see it every day. It's A fundraiser's daily affirmation from Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog:
I'm in the business of happiness, because when people give, they are happier.
I'm here to focus on what I give more than what I receive, because generosity inspires generosity.
I have a great job, because I make everyone's life better: the people my organization helps, the people who support it, and the friends and family members whom I inspire with my work, every day.
If you don't like and believe in what you do, I can guarantee your work sucks.
If you're walking around with the burden that asking people for money is somehow rude or unkind, then it surely is just that.
Get yourself into a positive, grateful, enthusiastic frame of mind about power and beauty of fundraising, and your stuff will sing!
What this blog is about
The future of fundraising is not about social media, online video, or SEM. It's not about any technology, medium, or technique. It's about donors. If you need to raise funds from donors, you need to study them, respect them, and build everything you do around them. And the future? It's already here. More.
About the blogger
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 30 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you'll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com. More.
I'm a Fundraisingologist at Moceanic, the company that can help you transform the way you do fundraising through one-on-one coaching or membership in The Fundraisingology Lab. Find out what we can do for you and with you!
A proud member of The Case Writers, a collective of the smartest, most donor-loving creative professionals in the business.
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So many people get thrown into the work of writing fundraising without ever being told about the weird they need to live with -- and master -- if they're going to succeed.
How to use rhyme to make your message more memorable and persuasive.
How to tell stories that motivate donors to give.
How to meet donors' emotional needs.
Whether you should use guilt as a motivator.
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