Traditional marketing aims to drill down to the essence of the brand, the campaign, the product. When it's done well, the disciplined repetition of look, feel, idea and offer, repeated over and over across time, generates results.
Fundraising is the opposite. It begins with the essence, but its messaging evolves more rapidly across time. When its done well, it finds as many different ways as possible to build that core essence into a multitude of compelling reasons to give.
These approaches are decidedly not the same. Yet, great marketing gives fundraising a much better chance of success. And great fundraising makes the brand even stronger.
Three elements every effective fundraising initiative includes:
- Why support is important.
- How to make your gift. (This includes how much to give.)
Take a look at your fundraising materials.
- Is your case for "why" compelling?
- Is your description of "how" clear and concise?
- Is your sense of "now" strong? Does it say "don't put that letter down?" Or "don't delete this email?" Or "keep watching this video?"
WHY. HOW. NOW. Check it out before you send your appeal into the world.
With an all-consuming office move just completed, we've been away from writing for a while, which got us thinking about that age-old adage, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Sadly, in the world of nonprofit organizations, absence simply makes you absent -- from minds, from conversations, from that sense of importance that's critical to drive engagement and support.
How connected are you to your supporters and prospects?
How often are you in front of them? What's your message? How does it look? How does it feel? What emotional benefits are you giving back to those who engage with you?
Are you truly dedicated to connecting, or do you ask... receive... then fall back until it's time to ask again?
Presence is far more powerful than absence.
