Who’s Worse?
The client or the consulting firm?
Seth Godin recently featured the meeting in the following video. Do you recognize it? Have you been there?! [I can’t wait to hear from consultants!!]
He comments: “We owe it to our work and to the people who pay us to stand up (often) and say, ‘no, sorry, I won’t do that’.”
Amen … and enjoy!
Tom
4 responses to “Who’s Worse?”
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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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That was excruciating to watch, and may have induced the consultants version of PTSD.
*facepalm*
Oh my, yes I have been there. Classic example of who needs to protect whom. Consultants from themselves, consultants from clients, clients from consultants or clients from themselves…
The consulting firm is worse, by far! They choose to ignore obvious facts and a project doomed to failure rather than help the clients see reality and adjust plans accordingly. It is one thing to push back against typical resistance to change and help both client and other outside experts to see new possibilities, grow and adapt to new realities. This is a good thing. It is something else to totally ignore reality in order to make client happy and, therefore, doom the client to failure.
Fortunately, the consultants with which I have had experience over the years are not like this one!