A Year-End Campaign I Like
Because I like stories.
Because I like online video as a fundraising ‘closer’.
Because I like hearing results, especially recounted by the people helped.
For these reasons, I really like the current campaign of the American Red Cross.
Actually, this is more than simply a year-end campaign (forgive my misleading title), although it has certainly been rolled out at year’s end.
The email appeal I received is the result of a major effort on the part of the American Red Cross to get folks they have helped record their personal stories. The full project is described here.
ARC reviewed more than 1,200 stories that were submitted online, then approached 300 of these storytellers — people helped by the organization — gave them cameras, and asked them to record their stories.
To be sure, not every nonprofit can afford to give away 300 cameras and manage all the logistics of something this massive. But, at its core, a straightforward concept that can be scaled to any organization. Nothing more powerful than introducing a donor ‘firsthand’ to a person who has benefited.
The stories will be rendered as TV PSAs, print ads, online videos … and in my case, an email appeal with embedded video.
Great concept, well-executed, excellent for both defining the brand and fundraising.
ARC gets our final Agitator raise of the year.
Tom
Behavioral Science Q & A
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