How Does It Make You Feel?

January 25, 2011      Admin

Have you ever asked this rather crucial question of your nonprofit’s donors:

“How does supporting [your organization] make you feel?”

ActionAid in the UK is doing just that … in this creative way. Check out their ‘Happy Bubble’ campaign.

Do your donors feel something about your organization? Or do you just take that for granted?

Maybe the reality is that they feel something about your cause or area of focus … and your organization is merely (and momentarily) a vehicle of convenience to act on that feeling. If that’s the case, as a fundraiser you’re not getting the job done.

Sure, the cause itself will be (and deserves to be) the focus of donors’ feelings. However, as a fundraiser, you should aim to win some part of that emotional connection for your organization. That’s the crux of donor loyalty, isn’t it?

‘Occasional’ fundraiser (and former chair of ActionAid) Ken Burnett pointed me to this campaign. Here’s what he says about the approach to donors the Happy Bubble campaign reflects … and, he argues, all fundraisers should embrace:

“Simply put, we have to stand alongside our donors and help them celebrate the joy of giving. I fear that if we don’t, if we can’t persuade our donors and would-be donors that supporting our causes is actually a pleasurable, worthwhile, fulfilling, meaningful but above all an enjoyable thing to do, then I fear that sooner or later – and I think sooner – we are all doomed.”

And:

“We need to think of donors in terms of their lifetime value, not just their latest gift, we should learn to measure not just money now but a host of other important if intangible progresses, such as building trust, commitment, future intentions and giving pleasure, and we need to stop always asking for money. What kind of a friend always asks me for money? We need to appreciate, sometimes, that less is more.”

Great book title: The Joy of Giving!

Tom

One response to “How Does It Make You Feel?”

  1. John Lepp says:
    January 25, 2011 at 9:13 am

    Hey Tom, I also talked to ActionAid UK about their donor wall… this is a great org putting the attention and focus on where it matters most, their donors. http://blog.agentsofgood.org/2011/01/21/what-do-you-have-on-your-wall/

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