Sounds So Simple
Seth Godin recently wrote, Three questions to ask your marketing team. He makes it sound so easy! Of course, you do need to ask the right questions in the first place, if your marketing/fundraising strategy is to have any validity at all.
That said, coming up with the answers that will arm you for success is no easy matter.
Godin’s questions:
- Who are you trying to reach?
- Why do they decide to support us?
- What do you need in order to make this happen more often?
Godin helpfully elaborates a bit on each question. Can you answer these questions for your nonprofit? Are your answers just hunches, or can you provide some empirical grounding?
Talking about his ‘Why’ question, Godin says: “In order to earn the donation … we need to change people somehow.” Personally, I don’t see fundraising as seeking to change the prospective donor, I see it more as tapping into and empowering some concern or feeling that’s already there.
Fundraising is not about making converts; it’s about enabling the predisposed.
Agree?
Tom
3 responses to “Sounds So Simple”
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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I actually kind of like Godin’s statement about how we need to “change people somehow” because I love the idea that change is happening in people’s hearts and minds because of our communications.
But I agree that we’re not as much “changing” their core views as we are helping them to tap into those views. To remember–amidst their busy day to day lives–that there are things they care deeply about. And that this charity helps them to live those values.
Nonprofits can help donors tape into the universal truths we all know and we all share.
Maybe we change them in the way that they become more engaged… by “tapping into and empowering some concern or feeling that’s already there.”
That is, change them from someone who feels badly about something to someone who will take steps to help improve or mitigate it.
All those feeling do exist in us, and nonprofits can help move someone from sitting on the sidelines to become a part of the team through donations or volunteer work.
I have to say–you can’t change people (they can only change themselves). Even if you can effect a change, that change is unlikely to be sustainable unless you continue your change-making efforts. Someone not predisposed might be changed into a donor with the incentive of address labels or a calendar but reverts to someone who just likes office supplies once the incentive to give is removed. “Changing” people into donors tends to be transactional, tapping into people with a desire to give tends to be relationship building.