“We Amplify Pride”
“We amplify pride” … Are you kidding me?!
December is the month when nonprofits unleash a tsunami of emails upon their beleaguered donors, who are far more concerned about why their Christmas tree lights won’t light.
Despite the torment you cause, I’m sure all you email senders are convinced that it’s effort and resource well-spent, because you’ve established that you make a net profit on each wave, even the 12th or 20th one of the month.
But consider this.
Look at your December line-up of emails (start with the 50 to 1 match offer). Which ones do you think would actually instil pride in being associated with your organization … after all, for the vast majority of your donors, your nonprofit is just a means to an end, a tool, an instrument. Very few (mainly some of the major gift donors) actually value your organization per se.
Why am I harping on pride?
Because it’s a loyalty-building emotion. And nonprofits need more loyal donors … proud of their association.
And pride is on my mind because of this article about Fanatics.
Fanatics, of course, are really, really, really true believers. Zealots.
But cleverly, Fanatics is also the brand name of the largest online retailer of licensed sports apparel and merchandise … booking $1 billion in sales in 2015.
And the director of customer loyalty for Fanatics, Doug Glazer, sees himself and his company as amplifying pride … and creating connections.
He emphasizes: “We’re building an incredible brand, not chasing a T-shirt sale.”
What are you doing with all your e-mail appeals this month … building your brand or squeezing out one last T-shirt sale?
Tom
P.S. For the sports junkies, you might enjoy more from Fanatics. Here’s Glazer’s notion of fan segments. With just a bit of imagination, I think you’ll see the parallel with donors!
Fans of the Sport: Driven by loyalty (These are hardcore and casual fans who enjoy the game and the camaraderie of the game experience).
Fans of the Gear: These are younger, fashion-conscious fans who like the style as much as the sport.
Fans of the School: These are proud alums who remain committed to their alma maters long after they’ve left school.
Fans of Fans: These are gift givers who are likely fans themselves, but are acting on behalf of someone special.
Glazer talks about building a “fan-driven company” and about “overhauling the customer experience to focus on the fans, rather than the products”.
Some smart nonprofit needs to hire this guy!
Fascinating article … read it!
3 responses to ““We Amplify Pride””
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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Which, of course, reminds me of Seth Godin’s book TRIBES!
Of course, Shankar Vedantam (in his book THE HIDDEN BRAIN) reminds us that there are “bad” tribes, e.g., terrorist groups and fanatical religious proselytizers, etc.
But NGO FANATICS AND TRIBES?! YES YES YES.
Great article, Tom! Also enjoyed post to Doug Glazer’s article @ Fanatics.
You guys have mentioned Loyalty360 – the source of this article – before. It appears their site lists only one nonprofit in its members and sponsors – Canadian Red Cross.
Wonder what it would take to curate some of their excellent for-profit focused content and tailor it to a nonprofit audience via conference, webinar, other training vehicles.