This post on 101fundraising makes me happy: I Am The Comms Devil.
Here's why: The writer, Margaux Smith, attended a workshop led by Australian fundraising hero Sean Triner at the recent International Fundraising Congress (IFC), where she made an important discovery about the difference between messages that win awards and please professionals -- and messages that actually work:
I love award-winning drivel. I guess you can hear something a million times but you need to be shown in order for it to really sink in. This was my ah-ha! moment.
Congratulations, Margaux. You've learned something that many in our profession never quite figure out: We fundraisers are not our own target audience.
You see, probably the most common cause of bad fundraising is fundraisers mistaking ourselves for our donors -- and creating messages that make us feel good. Once you've made that leap of the imagination so you can step outside the closed loop of your own taste and preferences, you are free to do things right.
There's nothing wrong with liking what you like. There's nothing wrong with your taste, but that's all it is -- your taste. It tells you nothing about what donors will respond to. In fact, anyone who's been around the block a few times will tell you: The more we like it, the worse it will do in the marketplace. In other words, your personal preference works best as a counter-indicator of quality.
It took me several years and many painful experiences to figure this out. The young fundraiser who establishes this knowledge early is going to do very well in our profession.
Check out Stupid Nonprofit Ads for more "award-winning drivel."
