But oh... so often we've fallen out of love, and we go about begrudging the existence of the other, believing they just don't "get it."
Here's the thing. Marketing and fundraising are intricately entwined. One simply can't be at it's best without the other. Here's why.
The first question your prospective donor will ask is - "Does it matter?"
"Yes" gets your envelope or email opened. It gets your phone call answered. "Yes" happens because your marketing team effectively built awareness of the value of what your organization does.
The next question is - "Does it matter enough for me to give?"
Here "Yes" is found inside the fundraising strategy, the message, and the offer - it's inside your ability to persuade and convince a multitude of individuals to act now in support of your cause.
At the most effective organizations, fundraising and marketing teams work together. They respect the difference in their strategies, techniques and goals. They openly share ideas. And they focus on collaboration rather than control.
Not inside your organization? It only takes one bold person to to ask for that first date.
Maybe it's you.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
The baby and the bathwater...
There are two ways to change things... little by little... or all at once.
Most successful direct mail programs are built on the "little by little" approach. Find a package that works, then tweak it, one element at a time. Keep the elements that improve the package. Remove the ones that don't.
Yet, sometimes it's easy to get frustrated with a slow decline in results... or bored with a package you've sent out "forever"... or tempted by the elusive silver bullet.
This is a fact. Most new packages don't work. Here's the reason. They completely ignore all the years of "little by little" intelligence gathered from actual responses. In order to make a bold move, everything gets thrown out.
So, if you're going to make a go of it, do it for the right reasons. Aim for the ideal, but know the difference between the baby and the bathwater. Approach your creative and strategic efforts with an analytical mind, solid reasoning, and strong evidence in front of you to ensure the best chance of success. Who knows, you just might find the treasure we all seek.
Most successful direct mail programs are built on the "little by little" approach. Find a package that works, then tweak it, one element at a time. Keep the elements that improve the package. Remove the ones that don't.
Yet, sometimes it's easy to get frustrated with a slow decline in results... or bored with a package you've sent out "forever"... or tempted by the elusive silver bullet.
This is a fact. Most new packages don't work. Here's the reason. They completely ignore all the years of "little by little" intelligence gathered from actual responses. In order to make a bold move, everything gets thrown out.
So, if you're going to make a go of it, do it for the right reasons. Aim for the ideal, but know the difference between the baby and the bathwater. Approach your creative and strategic efforts with an analytical mind, solid reasoning, and strong evidence in front of you to ensure the best chance of success. Who knows, you just might find the treasure we all seek.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
We, you, and us
When it comes to copy that persuades, small words can have a big impact.
Version 1:
"Contribute now because we give children access to learning and opportunity."
Version 2:
"Contribute now because you want children to have access to learning and opportunity."
The first version is organization-centric. The second version fully acknowledges and connects with the values of your reader. And it gives you a better segue to "us" -- to how "we" make things happen together.
Here's how it might end up:
"Give now because you want children to have access to learning and opportunity. Together, we can keep this vision alive. Your donation is the first step."
Version 1:
"Contribute now because we give children access to learning and opportunity."
Version 2:
"Contribute now because you want children to have access to learning and opportunity."
The first version is organization-centric. The second version fully acknowledges and connects with the values of your reader. And it gives you a better segue to "us" -- to how "we" make things happen together.
Here's how it might end up:
"Give now because you want children to have access to learning and opportunity. Together, we can keep this vision alive. Your donation is the first step."
Monday, January 21, 2013
A good day for dreaming
"They didn't come for Martin Luther King. They came for themselves."
True. Martin Luther King had the courage to give his brilliant vision away. He shared it with people so they could turn it into their own dreams, their own values, and their own actions.
Today, we work to save the earth... help people learn... create art... build healthy lives... seek justice... all manner of good things meant to make our world a better place.
Yet, in our daily efforts to protect our organizations and our expertise, is it possible that we hold it all too close, and keep our determination, struggles, successes and pride to ourselves?
What would happen if we decided it was our job to inspire people not just to contribute or participate, but to believe? What if we knew we could only do that by openly inviting everyone to share in our satisfaction, joy, concerns, and even setbacks?
How would that change the way we think and the way we work?
Friday, January 18, 2013
10 minutes a day -- YOU
What do you want to learn?
How will you approach it?
Who can help you make it happen?
Use your time to think... or read an article... or call a colleague to chat about an idea.
No matter what you do -- whether you choose to learn something, seek ideas, plan for the future, or just sit and let your mind go where it will --10 minutes is a simple, easy way to start down the path of giving yourself more knowledge and tools with which to approach your work even more successfully.
Enjoy your time!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
10 minutes a day -- ideas!
Where do you get them? Anywhere and everywhere. Books... magazines... movies... commercials... video... billboards... conversations.... restaurant menus... things overheard... websites... blogs....
Jot down the stuff you like. Then use it to jump start your creativity when you need it.
This cute Reading Rainbow remix is a great example of something you might stumble across. It's chock full of ideas that can be turned into a story about your organization or an inspiration to connect or give.
Here's what we saw:
Your gift is your passport to...
You bring it all to life...
Big or small... it doesn't matter because it comes from your heart...
Your gift helps create our road map to the future...
Imagine how you can turn dreams into reality...
You never know when you can turn a small idea into something with big impact.
Happy hunting!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
10 minutes a day -- prepare
What about using your special ten minutes to identify potential challenges and "what if's."
What could happen inside your organization that might impact your program?
What could happen outside your organization that might impact your program?
What can you do to prepare?
Put it on your radar. It's grounded. It's rational. It's practical. All good things.
What could happen inside your organization that might impact your program?
What could happen outside your organization that might impact your program?
What can you do to prepare?
Put it on your radar. It's grounded. It's rational. It's practical. All good things.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
10 minutes a day -- get inspired
Our job is to inspire people to participate -- to donate -- to care.
To inspire effectively, you must be inspired yourself.
Here's one quick way.
Make a list of ten awesome things your organization does and keep it where you can see it.
Better yet, ask some other people to create lists too, then share with each other.
To inspire effectively, you must be inspired yourself.
Here's one quick way.
Make a list of ten awesome things your organization does and keep it where you can see it.
Better yet, ask some other people to create lists too, then share with each other.
Monday, January 14, 2013
10 minutes a day -- the idea
No doubt 2013 has arrived with a whirlwind of activity, demands and deadlines.
So what would happen if you invested just ten minutes of each busy day into exploring a question or idea that could refine your goals... create fresh thinking... and make the future stronger for yourself and your organization?
Here's a few starters --
What do you want your donors to know?
How do you want your donors to feel?
What do you want your donors to do?
How can you engage even more people with your work?
What's working?
What's not working?
What needs to be refreshed?
Of course, none of these questions can be adequately answered in ten minutes. So pick one and noodle on it. After just one week, you'll have spent an hour giving some deep thought to an important issue.
Ten minutes will hardly impact you today, but chances are, it can make a big difference in the weeks and months ahead.
So what would happen if you invested just ten minutes of each busy day into exploring a question or idea that could refine your goals... create fresh thinking... and make the future stronger for yourself and your organization?
Here's a few starters --
What do you want your donors to know?
How do you want your donors to feel?
What do you want your donors to do?
How can you engage even more people with your work?
What's working?
What's not working?
What needs to be refreshed?
Of course, none of these questions can be adequately answered in ten minutes. So pick one and noodle on it. After just one week, you'll have spent an hour giving some deep thought to an important issue.
Ten minutes will hardly impact you today, but chances are, it can make a big difference in the weeks and months ahead.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Plan for growth
Chances are, your goals for the coming year are even steeper than before.
In a well-run program, there are really only two ways to increase revenue.
1) Get more donors. 2) Get larger gifts.
It's the rare campaign that's successful on both fronts. That's why organizations that achieve steady and predictable growth, take the time to decide which outcome they most want from a campaign before they create and launch it.
And often they alternate their overarching focus from one strategy to the other from year to year, to allow everything to build on what came before. For example, they bring in a lot of donors one year, then work diligently to retain and upgrade gifts in the next year.
Know what you want. Then build your strategy to go get it.
You'll be far more likely to achieve the growth you need.
In a well-run program, there are really only two ways to increase revenue.
1) Get more donors. 2) Get larger gifts.
It's the rare campaign that's successful on both fronts. That's why organizations that achieve steady and predictable growth, take the time to decide which outcome they most want from a campaign before they create and launch it.
And often they alternate their overarching focus from one strategy to the other from year to year, to allow everything to build on what came before. For example, they bring in a lot of donors one year, then work diligently to retain and upgrade gifts in the next year.
Know what you want. Then build your strategy to go get it.
You'll be far more likely to achieve the growth you need.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Solo or team?
The New Year offers an opportunity to think not just about what we do... but how we do it.
Because we're all in the business of mass communication, one way to ensure we'll hit the mark is to show our work to other people -- a team inside or outside your organization who can provide useful feedback and add new ideas to the mix.
It's not easy. It takes trust. It takes an investment in relationships. And it takes a leap of faith to overcome any fear we may have of being open and willing to share an idea or campaign that's not completely formed yet.
In the end, it allows you to truly focus on the success of your organization. And the potential rewards far exceed the risks.
Because we're all in the business of mass communication, one way to ensure we'll hit the mark is to show our work to other people -- a team inside or outside your organization who can provide useful feedback and add new ideas to the mix.
It's not easy. It takes trust. It takes an investment in relationships. And it takes a leap of faith to overcome any fear we may have of being open and willing to share an idea or campaign that's not completely formed yet.
In the end, it allows you to truly focus on the success of your organization. And the potential rewards far exceed the risks.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Online acknowledgements
One would think that acknowledgements would be the simplest place to further a connection to your organization and the good work you do. Alas, that is perhaps not always the case. Consider these actual donation confirmation emails received last week.
Organization 1 arrived from tickets@spotlightmobile.com. The subject line was "Your purchase of annual membership." The copy was mostly about receipts, process, and tax deductions. I was assigned a "sale ID number" and a temporary member ID.
Organization 2 arrived from payments@acceptiva.com. The subject was "Order Received." The body of this email was set up like an invoice. There was no contribution copy. I was informed about the quantity and price of my "order" and my contact information was listed under "customer details."
Organization 3 arrived from donorservices@mercycorps.org. The subject was "Thank you for your gift!" The body was a personalized letter that began with "Dear Becky." I was thanked again, then invited to see what was accomplished in 2012... to check out their blog... to become a fan on facebook... and to call or email with any questions. It was signed (electronically) by an actual person.
Donor-centric thinking in every aspect of your program matters. In this case, when you equate a contribution to a retail purchase, you diminish the importance of the donor's action, and you don't set that person up to be receptive of future contribution requests.
Particularly when there are ample low-cost solutions that lead with the donor experience, retail software simply won't provide heartfelt, personalized reinforcement of the value of a gift.
Organization 1 arrived from tickets@spotlightmobile.com. The subject line was "Your purchase of annual membership." The copy was mostly about receipts, process, and tax deductions. I was assigned a "sale ID number" and a temporary member ID.
Organization 2 arrived from payments@acceptiva.com. The subject was "Order Received." The body of this email was set up like an invoice. There was no contribution copy. I was informed about the quantity and price of my "order" and my contact information was listed under "customer details."
Organization 3 arrived from donorservices@mercycorps.org. The subject was "Thank you for your gift!" The body was a personalized letter that began with "Dear Becky." I was thanked again, then invited to see what was accomplished in 2012... to check out their blog... to become a fan on facebook... and to call or email with any questions. It was signed (electronically) by an actual person.
Donor-centric thinking in every aspect of your program matters. In this case, when you equate a contribution to a retail purchase, you diminish the importance of the donor's action, and you don't set that person up to be receptive of future contribution requests.
Particularly when there are ample low-cost solutions that lead with the donor experience, retail software simply won't provide heartfelt, personalized reinforcement of the value of a gift.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Back to work!
As we begin anew, it's a great time to remember that the foundation of the year-end fundraising you just completed, lies in the work you do every day... in how you communicate... how you ask... how you appreciate... and how you impact the lives of those you serve.
Here are two ways to keep your foundation strong in the coming year.
Streamline your giving experience. This is about every little detail that brings someone closer to a gift, or turns them away. It's about cutting the clutter, being clear in your messaging and terminology, and creating simple and usable online and direct mail giving forms.
Delight your donors. This is about attitude and service. It's the way you answer your phone, how you reach out, how you connect, and how you ensure your donors know they're important.
This year, make care and attention your priority and look for ways to deepen relationships.
It will pay off.
Here are two ways to keep your foundation strong in the coming year.
Streamline your giving experience. This is about every little detail that brings someone closer to a gift, or turns them away. It's about cutting the clutter, being clear in your messaging and terminology, and creating simple and usable online and direct mail giving forms.
Delight your donors. This is about attitude and service. It's the way you answer your phone, how you reach out, how you connect, and how you ensure your donors know they're important.
This year, make care and attention your priority and look for ways to deepen relationships.
It will pay off.
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