Write your own music!
One of my favorite marketing authors and guru is Seth Godin. On his blog recently, he sticks his big fat marketing nose right into our business! Essentially, he questions why so many organizations (maybe yours, too) don’t think to push their products past the limit? You can read it here.
I believe this especially applies to non-profits.
One area of non-profits that really, really needs to change is the way they approach fundraising. Here’s proof from Seth’s perspective; “If all you've got is another variation of the same fundraising tool that's worked so well for you, it's hard to get a meeting with me (again).”
When it comes to raising money, it seems to me that most charities do the same thing, the same way, at the same time, using the same methods… they just plain don’t think like a donor, and don’t think like a marketer or sales professional… or better yet, a composer.
A composer takes a blank sheet of paper and writes down the music he hears in his head. No preconceptions, just an honest presentation of what makes his heart sing.
In your job as fundraiser, what makes your heart sing? What do you think will make your donors heart sing?
Why is it that I constantly receive “ask” letters that look like they all came from the same fundraising factory? They have some kind of “hook” (at least they think it’s a hook) on the outside; an emotional plea on the inside; and often a photo or drawing on the much-too-long letter telling me why I need to send money.
Now, I’m sure the experts in direct mail will tell me that I keep getting those mailings because they work… and I’m sure they have numbers to prove it. I can’t argue with measured success, I suppose; but I’m a donor of many organizations, and I can tell you that those mailings do not work on me.
However, it’s not just mailings that I think needs help. It’s almost every marketing effort that almost every charity makes that needs to change.
What if?
That’s how we all need to start every day of every week… asking ourselves, “What if?”
What if, instead of mailing your usual spring appeal, back-to-school appeal, and Christmas appeal, you mailed twenty-five laser targeted appeals, based on what the donors want instead of what you want?
What if you did a co-branding effort with three of the best restaurants in town? What if your new partnership with these restaurants were based on give-and-take instead of just taking? And what if, instead of mailing your typical appeal letter asking for money, you mailed hand-written “Thank You” notes, and included free dessert coupons from those restaurants? What if the coupon said that the restaurants will donate $10.00 to your charity for every dessert that’s ordered?
What if you intentionally tried to break the rules of fundraising?
What if you offered a money-back guarantee? If the donor wasn’t happy in how you used her money, she can ask for a refund. Of course, that would require (1) that you actually reported to the donor just how her money was being used; and (2) that you are delivering 100% on your promise to carry out your cause every day of every week.
I wonder how many of your donors would ask for a refund today?
What if?
What if you took the risk of breaking the rules? What if your fundraising efforts lived on the edge instead of the safe, warm, womb of mediocrity?
Seth Godin encourages us to do just that, but he also warns us about the edges, “An edge needs to be sharp and abrupt and distinct in order to generate the light it needs to thrive.”
Will your fundraising efforts thrive… or simply survive?
I believe this especially applies to non-profits.
One area of non-profits that really, really needs to change is the way they approach fundraising. Here’s proof from Seth’s perspective; “If all you've got is another variation of the same fundraising tool that's worked so well for you, it's hard to get a meeting with me (again).”
When it comes to raising money, it seems to me that most charities do the same thing, the same way, at the same time, using the same methods… they just plain don’t think like a donor, and don’t think like a marketer or sales professional… or better yet, a composer.
A composer takes a blank sheet of paper and writes down the music he hears in his head. No preconceptions, just an honest presentation of what makes his heart sing.In your job as fundraiser, what makes your heart sing? What do you think will make your donors heart sing?
Why is it that I constantly receive “ask” letters that look like they all came from the same fundraising factory? They have some kind of “hook” (at least they think it’s a hook) on the outside; an emotional plea on the inside; and often a photo or drawing on the much-too-long letter telling me why I need to send money.
Now, I’m sure the experts in direct mail will tell me that I keep getting those mailings because they work… and I’m sure they have numbers to prove it. I can’t argue with measured success, I suppose; but I’m a donor of many organizations, and I can tell you that those mailings do not work on me.
However, it’s not just mailings that I think needs help. It’s almost every marketing effort that almost every charity makes that needs to change.
What if?
That’s how we all need to start every day of every week… asking ourselves, “What if?”
What if, instead of mailing your usual spring appeal, back-to-school appeal, and Christmas appeal, you mailed twenty-five laser targeted appeals, based on what the donors want instead of what you want?
What if you did a co-branding effort with three of the best restaurants in town? What if your new partnership with these restaurants were based on give-and-take instead of just taking? And what if, instead of mailing your typical appeal letter asking for money, you mailed hand-written “Thank You” notes, and included free dessert coupons from those restaurants? What if the coupon said that the restaurants will donate $10.00 to your charity for every dessert that’s ordered?
What if you intentionally tried to break the rules of fundraising?
What if you offered a money-back guarantee? If the donor wasn’t happy in how you used her money, she can ask for a refund. Of course, that would require (1) that you actually reported to the donor just how her money was being used; and (2) that you are delivering 100% on your promise to carry out your cause every day of every week.
I wonder how many of your donors would ask for a refund today?
What if?
What if you took the risk of breaking the rules? What if your fundraising efforts lived on the edge instead of the safe, warm, womb of mediocrity?
Seth Godin encourages us to do just that, but he also warns us about the edges, “An edge needs to be sharp and abrupt and distinct in order to generate the light it needs to thrive.”
Will your fundraising efforts thrive… or simply survive?
posted by todd garrison at 11:44 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home