Thoughts On Inauguration Day
This is a day of fear … of anticipation … of celebration … joy and despair.
In a divided nation and a divided world these disparate emotions are running wild all over the place.
Down the hall in my tiny corner of the globe my neighbors are hanging flags and breaking open champagne to celebrate the Inauguration of President Trump.
Meanwhile I sit quietly, writing copy attacking the new President’s swamp of billionaire cabinet members mired in conflicts of interest as they plot to line their pockets while heaping misery on the lives of millions.
Democracy is very much alive.
My greatest concern today is for those who have become mired in fear, bogged down in some naïve cynicism, intent on tweeting and texting their shared disappointment and rage in a self-reinforcing loop of misery and despair.
Snap out of it!
Get to work. There’s hope to spread.
As activist Rebecca Solnit, author of the must-read Hope in the Dark so correctly notes: “Hope doesn’t mean denying reality. It means facing it.”
Among the most fortunate folks on this Inauguration Day are fundraisers.
Why? Because we have the ability — nay, the obligation — to face reality and tell stories. And we have an audience for these important stories — the donors, volunteers and other stakeholders who share our values. A far mightier army than most pessimists imagine.
Stories are the true foundation for change. They make injuries and wrongdoing visible. And visibility is the essential first step in remedying a problem, righting a wrong. Through storytelling, what so long was tolerated builds and builds and suddenly becomes intolerable.
In my 50 years as an advocacy fundraiser this phenomenon has manifested itself over and over. Segregation. Gay bashing. Women’s rights. Marriage equality. Economic inequality. Environmental concerns, animal rights. You name it.
With these 50 years behind me I can also assure you that anyone who tells you once victories are won they will stay won is a damned fool. Victory and change — for better or worse — are never permanent.
Of course things don’t always change for the better. But we can all be absolutely certain that things do change. And so, we must go to work today to create tomorrow’s change we want with our voices and vision.
I am confident our work will produce more victories and positive changes … simply because we’ve done it so many times before.
And for those deeply mired in despair, convinced of the awfulness we now face, I leave you with former President Barack Obama’s words from his final press conference on Wednesday:
“The only thing that’s the end of the world is the end of the world.”
Roger
7 responses to “Thoughts On Inauguration Day”
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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Roger, I agree with what you’ve written. I would just add that success comes when we engage the “other” rather than vilify them. For example, Ronald Reagan successfully implemented much of his agenda with a Democratic Congress. No matter how rough and tumble the political week was, Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neill would get together Friday evenings to drink scotch and play cards.
For another example, readers might want to check out my latest post: “Now is the Time to Grow Up and Show Up!” https://michaelrosensays.wordpress.com/2017/01/20/now-is-the-time-to-grow-up-and-show-up/
Wonderful, passionate call to action Roger. We in the frozen north can also play our role in telling stories about democracy and justice. And we will.
Hang in there my southern sisters and brothers.
7 top emotional triggers in DM: Anger. Fear. Greed. Guilt. Flattery. Exclusivity. Salvation. All the great movements…all the successes: My anger + fear + some guilt + HUGE amounts of action = My salvation.
So we fight. What’s new? We fight like MLK & Gandhi & 100 years of Planned Parenthood & Black Lives Matter & the world matters &….
But I won’t watch the inauguration. Actually, I have client meetings!!
I tossed and turned last night, unable to sleep, dreading today’s events. But, tomorrow, I rise early and head to DC to March!
We are in this field because we are passionate about making the world a better place, and we will continue down that road more committed than ever.
8 years forward and 50 years back today. Give, volunteer, advocate, rise up!
I was in Australia for almost the entire month of November. Landed on our Election Day.
I don’t know about NZ but I can tell you that in Oz NO ONE was celebrating – my friends and family were all miffed and could not figure out how something like this could happen in the US. They helped me mourn for my country.
I march tomorrow in Atlanta
#WeMarchEverywhere
BRAVO!
Tomorrow, women in Anchorage, Alaska will march, too . . . and many of them will be local development professionals. Helping to balance my deep sadness today is knowing I’m part of a profession that helps engage citizens and ensure diverse voices can rise. It’s up to each of us to take the actions we must in response to a U.S. President and his followers who very clearly communicate their lack of knowledge about, empathy toward and love for people not like themselves. Already climate change and LGBTQ pages have been removed from federal websites . . . and so it begins.