Nonprofit Narcissism
The other day, in a post titled The Fundraisers Lemniscate, Roger included this comment by accomplished fundraiser Tony Elischer:
“Fundraising is not about asking for gifts, it is about giving gifts, the gifts of enabling people to express themselves, their values and their beliefs; we help people make sense of this crazy world we live in and restore the belief that every action can make a difference and that there is good in everyone.”
So true.
Fundraisers who see themselves as burdening their donors have a totally dysfunctional mindset, and they probably have poorly performing fundraising programs as a result.
They are probably thinking and talking about their needs — i.e. the needs of their organizations — instead of the needs (and aspirations) of their donors.
As Tony says, your donor wants to make a difference, they want to make change, they want to improve the lot of others, they believe they can, they’d like to join others in making a difference, and they’d like to be recognized for making a difference. Fundamentally, the donor is looking to meet their need, not yours.
The properly framed fundraising appeal is all about enabling your donor to make the difference he or she wants to make.
So I was gratified when I read this article by Caryn Stein on NonProfit Marketing blog, called Top 6 donor communications mistakes to avoid.
Mistake #2 on Caryn’s list is as follows …
The “Me Me Me”
Some causes suffer from nonprofit narcissism. They mean well, but their messages are devoid of one key ingredient: the donor. People who support your work also want to feel like part of your team.
How to avoid: Instead of talking only about the work you’re doing, reframe your communications to underscore how the donor is making your work possible. Use the word “you” more than “we”, and highlight the work of individual donors and volunteers to bring these stories to life.
I love her term ‘nonprofit narcissism’ … it’s an affliction to avoid in your fundraising approach.
Hey, but all six mistakes she notes are to be avoided. Take a look.
Tom
2 responses to “Nonprofit Narcissism”
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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Yesssss! I totally agree with this post!
I was just sitting in Tom Ahern’s “Loverizing Your Donors” session at AFP ICON yesterday where he illustrated via example after example the “you” versus “we” reasoning and more importantly the results.
Yes, it does work!