If You’ve Had A Great Year, Be Thankful. If Not … Try To Hit The High Notes In 2017!
After ten years of Agitator Christmases, we’ve never been able to improve upon this holiday message.
With all your online solicitation programs firing away like an AK-47 on auto-pilot until January 1, fundraisers probably aren’t doing much heavy lifting today … unless it’s carrying in the booze for the office party.
But maybe — over some spiked punch — you might contemplate and chat about your year’s performance — yours personally and your organization’s.
We hope there’s plenty of good cheer … lots of success to celebrate. And if you’re being honest, maybe some post-mortems on what went wrong.
So this post keeps it simple … relying solely of the profound wisdom of Dilbert.
Were your ‘sales’ (donors, especially retained ones) up?
Was your strategy sound?
Did you learn from any mistakes you might have made?
Now, back to the party!
And before the party’s over … fall on your knees and sing along to The Agitator’s favorite hymn.
Once again, for our tenth Christmas, and into our eleventh year, we invite you to share our most enduring Agitator tradition … enjoy this unforgettable rendition of O Holy Night.
As we’ve noted before, this performance makes Tom weep, as it takes him back to Midnight Mass and his Catholic grammar school choir days. And Roger gets chills down his spine thinking you might be singing along.
This experience will make you fall on your knees too. But you must listen to the entire performance to feel its full power. No irreverence intended.
Happy Holidays … we hope this magnificent effort inspires you to hit the high notes in 2017.
Roger and Tom
6 responses to “If You’ve Had A Great Year, Be Thankful. If Not … Try To Hit The High Notes In 2017!”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
Read Full Answer
Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
Read Full Answer
Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
Read Full Answer
There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
Read Full Answer
Congratulations on 10 years! That’s quite an accomplishment and a milestone to be celebrated.
Happy holidays.
Amy
yikes, definitely not the Catholic masses I know or Josh Groban or Andrea Bocelli for that matter… thanks for making us cringe, cry, always think and always learn… cheers, Erica
Enjoy celebrating your ten years of making a difference over this Holiday time of reflection and celebration.
The rendition of O Holy Night, now that’s special !!
Gary
Happy holidays to you two Roger and Tom.
Blessings to you for continuing to rabble rouse, rant, and prod us to all do better. We are all stronger because of your voice.
Gail
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you both!
Happy Holidays Roger and Tom! What would our sector do without you two? Thank you for keeping us on our toes.