Is It Out Of The Question?
Over the weekend I noticed a small report that last week — April 23rd — to be exact, marked the 10th anniversary to the day of the first YouTube video appearing on the internet.
As the article commented: “… it was only 10 years ago that we came stumbling out of the Dark Ages and into the light of web videos for all, where we promptly posted whatever the heck we wanted to YouTube for strangers to watch.”
That original video, Me at the zoo, all of 18 seconds long, was uploaded by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim and shot at the San Diego Zoo by fellow co-founder Yakov Lapitsky. Here’s the video …
One year after that Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion. And as Jawed would say: “And that’s cool.”
Let me say that again: One year after that Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion! And it wasn’t for their insight into elephants!
By comparison, how did you and I spend the year between April 2005 and April 2006?!
What breakthrough innovation in nonprofit fundraising were we responsible for?
Is a billion dollar breakthrough in fundraising conceivable? Is it out of the question? What might it be? Are you working on it?
How about this? By advance setting, every time your brain merely registers a compassionate thought or a sympathetic plea for justice, a small contribution to a pre-selected charity is debited from your bank account. Automatically.
I have the patent on it.
Your turn. What’s your billion dollar fundraising innovation?
Tom
2 responses to “Is It Out Of The Question?”
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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As I state in my book, How to Save the World on $5 a Day, a potentially huge innovation will come about when as fundraisers we re-structure our offers. The donor does not necessarily give to help others, she gives to feel better about herself, via the self-actualization glow that comes from mindful charitable giving.
Tom,
Thanks for the reminder on the YouTube anniversary.
Twitter just purchased Portolio for $120 million before it was released as an app!
My son and daughter-in-law facilitated a marriage conference from their sofa this past Saturday night w/+500 global viewers!
A nonprofit can have a private broadcast channel to talk w/their “tribe”! at a moment’s notice!