Posted on Tue, May 25, 2010
By Jim Hussey, President
Today, our nation and our world face a lot of "big picture" problems. The Gulf of Mexico is flooding with oil. Haiti is in ruins from a shattering earthquake. Global warming is melting our polar ice caps. Major wars rage in Iraq, Afghanistan and numerous other spots around the world. The fear of terrorism is higher yet. AIDS and other epidemics threaten to kill millions. And thousands of people across the world die every day from starvation.
Nonprofit organizations are rising to the challenge by educating the public, organizing support and raising revenue to address these major problems. And while these organizations need to focus on the “big picture” in most of their public-education efforts, often they should do the opposite in their fundraising campaigns. In other words, and in a reversal of an often used phrase they need to “see the trees, rather than the forest!”
Huh?
“What is he blabbering about?” you might be asking right about now. Here’s what I'm trying to say:
Often, nonprofit organizations focus their fundraising communications on such massively big problems that the potential donor believes that no amount of his support could possibly help. This is what I refer to as a “drop in a bucket” scenario.
Here’s a fictional example of how an environmental group addressing global warming might, in fact, create this kind of situation:
Dear Friend,
Global warming is rapidly heating our planet. A huge hole has opened in our ozone layer. Polar ice caps are melting away. Chunks of ice the size of Texas have split away from Antarctica. Current coastlines will begin to disappear as water from the melting ice drowns our coastal cities. Millions of people will be displaced or die from the resulting change in weather patterns.
Please send us $15 to stop this catastrophe.
See what I mean? A recipient who reads this literally could envision a drop of water plopping into a huge bucket… because that's how he’ll view his relatively small contribution in comparison to the problem it’s supposed to address. It will discourage many potential supporters from even addressing the subject.
OK, that example may be somewhat of an exaggeration, but it's not so far off of the mark.
Some fundraisers attempt to fix this problem by changing the ask to something like, “Please send us $15 to stop this catastrophe, and we'll send you this really cute teddy bear.”
In other words, they overcome the donor’s hesitance by offering a bribe for a contribution. I’m not condemning those who use premiums to overcome the reluctance of potential donors. A few of my clients will testify that, in some cases, I’ve urged them to do just that.
Bring it home
But before succumbing to the easy solution of premiums, you should try another method when addressing “big picture” issues such as global warming, war, world hunger or deadly diseases. First, you should attempt to bring the issue down to a level that the potential donor can more easily understand, and can more easily visualize how his $15 contribution will make a difference.
Child-sponsorship organizations understand this strategy better than anyone. Can one person stop world hunger? No way. But can one person, feed one child in a Third World country? Yes... that is a manageable goal. And can a single person stop global warming? No- But one person can support lobbying efforts in Congress to pass higher automobile mileage standards or other regulations that stem emissions that cause global warming.
The next time you attempt to communicate with potential donors about the “forest” of challenges that your organization wants to address, remember to take the time to point out a few of the trees.
How are you successfully showing the "trees" in your appeals?
Posted on Tue, May 18, 2010
By Chris Quillian, VP Graphic Design
We do a lot of fundraising direct mail packages for nonprofit organizations. The marketing style that tends to be effective for them is one with a personal touch. This means rubber stamps, handwritten notes and highlighting things of interest. It also means telling people how their donation can help. The complete opposite of this style is advertising, which tends to be more sales-y and flashy. It gives more attention to the product or service and tells people how it can help them.
So, you may ask, what if fundraising mail looked like advertising mail? Would shiny envelopes with elaborate Photoshopped graphics get people to open them? Maybe ... but most likely not. Would language like “Special Offer” or “New and Improved” give people a warm, fuzzy, feeling? Definitely not. The reason fundraising mail looks the way it does is because people tend to want to open things that look important or personal. They want to hear what THEY can do to help. They do not want to feel like their donation is being wasted on, well ... advertising.
When it comes to the two types of mail, it’s fairly easy to tell them apart. Advertising mail tends to be image and graphic heavy, while the fundraising mail keeps things simple and, well, direct. Both styles are equally effective, when done correctly. Here are some of the basic differences between the two styles:
- Advertising mail spends money to make money.
- Fundraising mail is done on a limited budget to keep the money for the cause.
- Advertising mail uses four-color photos and coated (glossy) paper stocks to promote their products.
- Fundraising mail occasionally use photos (often black and white) to help set a mood.
- Advertising mail uses words and phrases like “Special” or “Guaranteed Now” to add sales punch.
- Fundraising mail uses words and phrases like “Your Response is Required” or “Please Help Today” to give power to the donors.
- Advertising mail sometimes uses special techniques, like pop-ups or die cuts to add a “wow” factor to the product.
- Fundraising mail uses standard formats, like a plain white #10 envelope, to keep the focus on the issue.
- Advertising mail talks to you by promoting deals and features of the product or service.
- Nonprofit fundraising mail wants to hear from you ... Usually in the form of a donation and/or a petition.
These are just a few differences between advertising and nonprofit mail styles. Have you noticed others? Please feel free to add your own.
Posted on Tue, May 11, 2010
By Annie Hughes, Vice President of Client Services
Mother’s Day was this past Sunday, and this holiday is always a great reminder for all of us that we need to recognize some of the most important people in our lives: our mothers.
Whether you send flowers, give a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant or simply a card from the heart, the motivation is the same—you want to show Mom how much she means to you.
There is a connection between the love we want to show mom and the appreciation organizations should be showing their donors all year long. And, the best way to show your donors how much their support means is to thank them – with an appropriate, timely message.
The amount your organization is investing in those thank you notes is worth it! It’s widely accepted that the health of an acknowledgement program and the quality of an organization’s cultivation tools are directly related to strong renewal rates, multiple gifts from donors and improved lifetime donor value.
Acknowledgements and other cultivation efforts should be seen as opportunities to expand on a donor’s relationship with the organization and further bond a donor to your cause, but there are some tricks of the trade that can help you get the most bang for your buck.
- Welcome Kits: Welcome kits do more than say thanks, these important packages showcase opportunities for additional engagement with donors who are just getting to know your organization and reminds them that they made a smart investment by joining your cause.
- Ask for A Second Gift: Don’t shy away from asking for a follow-up gift. Acknowledgements provide a golden opportunity to convert new donors to multi-giving donors with a special second gift ask.
- Cultivation Campaigns: It doesn’t hurt to send donors a no-ask cultivation letter and/or email to inform them of recent happenings at your organization. This will ensure that your donors feel a part of your efforts and that they are kept in the loop on the critical work your organization is doing. (You can even include a BRE to help offset the costs of a cultivation mailing.)
- Showcase Leadership Giving or Sustainer Programs: Within your welcome kit or acknowledgement program you can showcase special giving programs by inviting new donors to join the monthly giving sustainer program or major donor program depending on level of their first gift.
Just like you showed your mom how much you care last Sunday, a smart organization will make the most of every opportunity to cultivate the relationship they have with their donor base by showing their members how their involvement is critical to the success of the organization’s mission.
Is your nonprofit thanking and cultivating your donors? What other ways can an organization show their donors how much they care?
Posted on Thu, May 06, 2010
The Abigail Van Buren of fundraising gives it away for free.
By Jim Hussey
I’ve decided to offer my advice to all of you out there with questions about your fundraising troubles - a sort of “Dear Abby” column for the fundraising forlorn. I'm even willing to dole out this advice free of charge. Those with questions need not fear a monthly retainer bill or any other type of charge. Just please don’t tell any of my clients I'm giving it away for nothing! :-D
Since this is a new idea, I have no letters to answer — yet (though I expect my inbox to swell soon!) — so to start the ball rolling, I’ve simply forged some on my own, based on questions I frequently hear. I'm hoping it’ll inspire you to comment with your own queries.
Dear Jim,
I come to you with an urgent problem. My boss has told me that I need to conduct “regression analysis” concerning previous fundraising campaigns for my organization. I hate to admit it, but I don’t even know what regression analysis is. I don’t want to appear stupid to my boss … can you please help me by explaining this term?
Sincerely, Unanalyzed
Dear Unanalyzed,
This term is a catch-all phrase for any type of analysis that utilizes previously gathered information. For example, if you want to figure out if men or women are more likely to respond to one of your fundraising solicitations, you can take the response data of previous campaigns and compare these results to the initial audience. Let’s say the results show that 50 percent of the original audience was male, yet 75 percent of your respondents are female … then you've figured out that women are your best prospects. Regression analysis also can be used to determine a multitude of other factors, such as seasonality, and retention and attrition rates.
Dear Jim,
My nonprofit organization is about to celebrate an important anniversary, and my boss wants me to develop a fundraising campaign around this date. Is this a smart thing to do?
Sincerely, Perplexed
Dear Perplexed,
Anniversaries can serve as an indicator to potential donors that your organization has stamina and isn't a fly-by-night operation. However, it’s always critical to remember that donors never provide you with a reward for past service. Donors always contribute toward a current or pending situation. A sense of urgency almost always is a requirement to any successful fundraising campaign. So proceed with your anniversary campaign … but put most of your focus on the present and future.
Comment with your Dear Jim questions and I'll answer a few each month!
Posted on Tue, May 04, 2010
By Nicki Dahlquist, Account Representative
So I was asked to come up with a list of the “Top 10 Things I Learned during My First Year in Direct Mail” … Since this is my very first blog post and there was so much I learned, I decided to ask a few of my peers what they’ve learned too. Here is what we came up with:
- Recency. Frequency. Monetary. Donors that just gave are most likely to give again.
- I had NO idea there was really a way to check a barcode!!! 74210!
- Review all client copy edits before making them. Be cautious of anything that could dilute the copy or make a package less successful. Remember, even though they’re the boss, they pay you for your expertise.
- Proofreading is crucial. Do it out loud.
- Checklists will save you from making mistakes. They’re also a great way to keep track of what you’ve already done.
- The 80/20 Rule. 80% of an organization’s donations comes from 20% of its donors.
- The word “renewal” needs to be ALL over your renewal communications (i.e. OSE teasers, letter, reply headline, RAE, subject line, banner, callout box, P.S. etc.).
- Direct Marketing WORKS!
- Maintain a production schedule for all of your clients’ campaigns. This is essential to staying on track and creating a steady cash flow. It also helps your team know what needs to be done each day.
- Tracking your clients’ costs and staying under budget is very important. This is not only because of how important it is to make sure that you’re fundraising successfully, but also because it makes you and your organization give a much more professional impression.
Whew, that’s quite a bit. Did I leave anything important out? What did YOU learn in your first year?