Future Fundraising Now

I hate and admire this scammy direct mail envelope

Not fundraising, but classic direct response mail.

There’s a lot going on here, most of it meaning little or nothing.

It looks “important,” and it stands out with all its empty bluster.

I bet it does well, despite the ridiculous, scammy thing it’s selling: an employment regulations poster, the kind required to be posted at workplaces, for $120. The poster that’s available for free from the government.

Every direct mail envelope has just one job: to get opened.

Not to be clever.

Not to be beautiful.

Not to make it completely clear what’s inside.

Just to get opened.

And weirdness like this often works.

I once created an envelope that had nothing on it but a big messy-looking rubber-stamp style teaser: LETTER ENCLOSED. We had to fight to keep it against the logicians who said it made no sense. They were right.

But it was a top performer.

Find your own weirdness when you create direct mail envelopes.

Every fundraiser needs a flair for drama

Serena had cancer, but now she’s well.

That’s a story, or at least the outline of a story.

But is it a story you’d eagerly drop whatever you’re doing to read?

Not really, right?

Unless you know Serena personally, it doesn’t promise much.

That headline/outline reveals a happy ending, so there’s no tension. No “what happens next?” The dark early part of the story is only hinted at. The happy resolution brings no real sense of relief or victory, because there’s no pain or danger to overcome.

Could this story grab your attention?

I can almost guarantee it could.

If the storyteller had a flair for drama. That means the storyteller would hunt for the drama in the story, and then emphasize it in the writing.

Drama is built from these story ingredients:

1. Conflict. In this case, conflict between Serena and cancer. It’s a struggle.
   
2. Tension. During the conflict, the outcome is not certain. It could go either way.
   
3. Humanity. Details about Serena -- her life, her expectations, what she has to say -- help reader connect with her and care more.
   
4. Change. All stories start someplace and end someplace else. Our story may start with Serena getting a cancer diagnosis. Then she goes through a battle. Then the good news finally comes.
   

A writer with a flair for drama will look for these things. They’ll probe by asking questions.

A lesser writer who just wants to get the situation down in writing will just outline the main facts and call it a day.

Which one is more interesting?

Which one will motivate more donors to give?

I think you know the answers!

One big secret that unleashes relevant fundraising

Why do donors give?

It's not because your organization is superb (though that helps).

They give because they have a calling. And your organization is a tool for them to pursue that calling.

So says a great article in Nonprofit Pro: Every Human Being Has a Calling. Check it out:

... every human being on the face of the earth has a calling. Call it a voice or an inner drive or motivation; or call it a special purpose.... There is something that draws every human being to do something for others.

Recognizing this fact is really the foundation of successful fundraising.

It can lift you, the fundraiser, above the frustrating noise of tactical fundraising. It makes you a partner with your donors, not a huckster.

Remembering that your cause is a tool for your donor's calling makes you more respectful and more bold in your fundraising. It helps you to use the word you more often and to tell relevant stories about how the donor can make the world a better place. It helps you refrain from bragging and organizational-centered brand gunk that's aimed at insiders but has little meaning for donors.

(This post first appeared on April 4, 2018.)

Pinky-out fundraising: When "rules" confuse you

You see it frequently: someone drinking daintily from a teacup, their little finger pointing straight out.

Why would anyone do that? Not because it's comfortable or easy. And it certainly looks odd.

But it's common, because many people believe it's the "polite" way to hold your teacup.

According to those care about such things, pinky-out is an impolite way to hold your teacup.

Why is an awkward, odd-looking, and against-the-rules way of holding teacups so common?

I have a theory: People have heard there's some kind of rule governing what you do with your little finger; they expect etiquette to be arbitrary and strange -- so they do the weirdest possible thing. They think they're being super correct.

In grammar, this is called hypercorrection. Misapplying some kind of perceived rule. Like the way many people say between you and I.

The same thing sometimes happens in fundraising: Someone has heard there's a rule, but they don't really know what the rule is, or why, or whether it's really something they need to follow. So they go with something they think might be right ... something that's often the worst choice.

Example: Everyone knows that photos are powerful forms of storytelling. Using a photo can really increase engagement with your message. This is true. But many fundraisers take it as an ironclad rule and slap photos all over their messages. No matter how irrelevant or self-contradictory the photos are.

Pinky way out. It's ineffective fundraising.

It's what fundraisers do to themselves when they want to be effective, but they aren't in touch with what really works.

It's easy to avoid. Read a few books. Follow a blog or two. Ask around. Get an experienced mentor. You'll zero in on a usable level of trustworthy knowledge that can improve your fundraising results.

You'll be drinking tea with your pinky comfortably curved inward.

What happened to Stupid Nonprofit Ads?

Whatever happened to Stupid Nonprofit Ads?

It’s a long-running series on this blog with 49 posts, going all the way back to the beginning, in October 2009

But it’s been awhile since the last time. December 2019 to be exact. That’s pre-pandemic!

So is Stupid Nonprofit Ads over?

Maybe.

I don’t see Stupid Nonprofit Ads as often as I used to. I focus on a very specific form of stupid: High-concept, high production-value creative that is born from arrogance, nurtured by ignorance, and made possible by the insecure egos of nonprofit executives. (Also, it nearly always uses ineffective media, mainly magazine print ads and 30-second TV spots.)

I don’t know if I’m not seeing them because there really are fewer of them than there used to be. That would be good, but it seems unlikely.

It also might be that I’m just not finding them much any more. There used to be a couple of ad-industry blogs that showcased award-winning and other highly “creative” advertising -- exactly what Stupid Nonprofit Ads often are. Those blogs are gone.

But it might be I don’t see them because I’m less interested in them.

Get right down to it, weird ads by out-of-touch ad agencies aren’t really a big problem in the fundraising world. While they deserve to be pointed out and laughed at, they aren’t a threat for very many of us.

If you see a Stupid Nonprofit Ad, let me know. (To understand more what I mean, read What makes a Stupid Nonprofit Ad stupid?)

Or enjoy a visit to the Stupid Nonprofit Ads archives.

How old are your donors? [PODCAST]

For most fundraisers, your donors are a lot older than you think. We’ll look at why this is so and what it means for you: How do you communicate with these people? About what? And in which channels?

Knowing hold old your donors are — and responding appropriately — is the key to success in fundraising. Knowledge is power!

From the archives of the now-defunct podcast Fundraising Is Beautiful. This episode first aired on April 20, 2016. Listen here:

(If you don't see the audio player below, click here to listen.)

Are you ready for another election year?

Sigh. Next year is another presidential election year in the US.

All that noise, bluster, and distraction.

It’s tiring.

But is it bad for fundraising?

Analytical Ones isn’t worried. See the post Election Year Giving.

Let’s just go straight to the chart:

This shows September through December giving for a large and varied group of organizations for ten years, starting in 2013. There are two presidential election years in there (2016 and 2020 -- both contentious and noisy). Can you see those election years among the cluster of lines?

If those elections had lowered response, the yellow CY16 and the brown CY20 lines would be lower, right.

But they aren’t. We also can’t pick out midterm elections.

With one notable exception, every year raises more than the previous year. Election year or not.

The exception is that CY22 is lower than CT 20 and CY 21. You know what was going on in those years. There was an election year -- but more important, the pandemic. Note also that while CY 22 is lower than the previous two years, it's higher than all the years previous.

As the post points out:

... all this noise on LinkedIn about fundraising being broken or bad is simply untrue. If you take out the abnormal pandemic years, fundraising is working rather well, thank you very much.

So then, my recommendation for fall 2024 is: full speed ahead. Fundraising is working now. It will work during the next election year.

The thing most likely to hurt your results in 2024 is you freaking out about the election year, and cutting back on your year-end fundraising.

Don’t do that, and you’ll be fine.

Great content for your donor newsletter [Newsletter Tuesday]

Newsletter Tuesdays: A series about doing more with your donor newsletter.

What should be in your donor newsletter? Here are some common things that work well:

1. Stories of transformation, victory, and change, with the donor’s part in making it happen emphasized. This is the main ingredient of any donor newsletter. Everything else is optional, but this kind of story is not!
   
2. Photo essays. If you have great photos that tell those stories of transformation, do it with photos too!
   
3. Message from the president. You may want to give your organization leader the visibility of having a “column” in the newsletter. Just make sure the column is truly donor-focused material, not just a grab bag of what the boss wants to say. Ideally, this message should tell yet another story and thank the donor for making it happen.
   
4. Donor profiles. Introduce donors to other donors, talking about their connection with the organization and why they give. It’s social proof that cool people are donors! But don’t use this to showcase your mega-donors. That just tells all you other donors they are less important, maybe not even needed.
   
5. Other calls to action. What else would you like donors to do? Contact you about putting your org in their will. Becoming monthly givers. Giving through a donor advised fund. Contacting City Hall about an important issue. These are all valuable but secondary things to include.
   

More Newsletter Tuesday posts

Do you dislike your fundraising?

It’s okay if you do. Maybe even good.

From Seth Godin’s blog, the secret to success in fundraising (and many other endeavors: “I don’t like it.”

Knowing this secret and using it can instantly rocket you from an okay fundraiser to as highly successful one.

The secret is to not care whether you like the fundraising or not.

Your like or dislike tells you nothing useful. As Seth put it:

“It doesn’t resonate with me” is not the same as “No one will like this.”

Once you internalize this truth, you are free to pursue success without chains around your ankles. You will raise lot more money.

Which I think you’ll like a lot!

5 magic words that will boost fundraising results

You’re a good writer. Want to be even better?

Use magic words. Like those from this excellent post at the Bloomerang Blog, at What Are Some Foolproof Phrases And Words For Successful Fundraising Appeals?

1. You. This is how you make the story you tell about the donor and her opportunity to do something great. Fundraising that skimps this word often is about how amazing the organization is. Nice, but it’s not why donors donate!
   
2. Because. An amazing “trigger word” that helps move people toward action. Find ways to use it.
   
3. Thanks. People love to be recognized. Thank them when you ask them. And not just for what they’ve done, but for who they are.
   
4. Small. Don’t ask donors to shoulder the entire burden of solving a big problem like world hunger. Give them something small they can do.
   
5. Immediately. Make it clear that a donation won’t sit around in the bank. It will start making a difference right away. Donors are used to instant gratification in shopping. Get as close to that as you can when you ask for donations.