Folks love stickers. And buttons. And decals.  And bumper stickers.

Seems like every movement moment has a symbol.  From voting to vaccination, seals to save the manatee, the badges of civic pride and involvement are worn proudly, as are the more ideological varieties proclaiming their owner’s commitment to this cause or that movement.

With “I’ve been vaccinated” badges now popping up like spring narcissi in my yard I thought an Agitator post on the topic would be timely and remind us all of this inexpensive yet powerful tool in the donor care toolbox.

Some years ago the use of car window decals and bumper stickers was so ubiquitous that I gave serious consideration to writing Volvo and suggesting that they simply stamp the most popular decals into the bumpers of their latest models.  I guess the same suggestion could now be sent to various makers of fridges and clothing lines because the use of these symbols seems as prevalent as ever.

The thought led me to recall a post by Bloomerang’s Steve Shattuck titled Stickers: Your Nonprofit’s Secret Weapon.

Steve admits “[stickers] are not important in the same way that board governance, diversity, equity and inclusion, acknowledgements and segmentation are –but they’re important in a way that fun, impactful, affordable and achievable.”

He goes on to explain that he thrilled to receive a sticker from a nonprofit he supports because “it allows me to publicly display my pride for supporting the organization and my passion for the cause.”

If you’re into stickers or thinking about jumping in Steve’s post, is a valuable and fun read and contains some fun facts. (For example, Human Rights Campaign goes through 2 million logo stickers a year: placing them in acknowledgements, appeals, cultivation mailings and distributing them at events. Over at the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia they create special stickers for special events.)

A few takeaways and pointers on when to use stickers and how best to promote them according to Steve

You basically have two options when it comes to “when”:

• “Surprise and delight” – don’t tell donors they will get a sticker, and instead surprise them with it after they become a monthly donor.
• Premium model – when promoting your monthly giving program, tell donors directly that they will receive a sticker upon becoming a monthly donor.

Says Steve, “Your mileage may vary, but I lean more towards “surprise and delight” – if a prospective donor is turned off by the idea of a premium, they may not make the donation. Another way to avoid this is to include an opt-out to receiving the sticker, but this is adding an extra layer of complication that might confuse the donor (not to mention your time setting up the mechanism).

HRC takes a third approach: simply giving them away for free through a custom landing page.

Who should get stickers?

Despite Steve’s enthusiasm for stickers, he advises they be used somewhat selectively. Here’s a list of common donor segments and his recommendation for whether they’re sticker-worthy:

• 1st-time donors: No. There’s a case to be made for a “yes” here, but my gut says it’s too early in the relationship. If you really know something about that donor, and you know it will be received well, go for it. But if you don’t know much or anything about this donor, which is probably the case, I’d save it for when you get another engagement signal or inbound interaction.
• Monthly donors: Yes! This is the best group for stickers, in my opinion. The fact that they’re trusting you with their payment information to automatically charge them every month is a strong signal of affinity for your organization. There’s already pride there; give them a way to show it off.
• Repeat donors: Yes. A second annual gift is a good time to send a sticker. They’ve renewed their support and made a big jump in average retention rates (from 20% to 60%).
• Event attendees: Maybe. Have them available for folks to take if they want them. No need to force them on everyone. This will help you control inventory and costs.

You’ll find even more tips on sourcing, costs, and additional uses of in Steve’s post.  And, while you’re at it remember that the same goes for buttons, decals and bumper stickers.

And while you determine if your organization is “sticker worthy” please get in line for your “I’ve been vaccinated” sticker.

Roger