Yes, but...No, but

I made an observation the other day (based on my own behaviour), that most people prefer saying 'yes' to something over 'no'. Placing this within the fundraising context, it means that probably a little more work should be put in to finding out why people would say no to us in the first place. 

So as well as giving people what they want and rightfully addressing and meeting their supporter needs. Would it hurt to ensure that at the same time we look at it from the other perspective, and actively think about and thus address the barriers to giving. Such as:

• It will cost too much money 
• It's too complicated 
• It will take too much time 
• I support other charities 
• I don't know your organisation 
• You've asked me too many times  (this is not an exhaustive list, it will also vary, and you'll know your supporters or potential supporters better than me, but you get my point)

Now, I know that in theory if we work on why people would say yes, i.e. by meeting supporter needs then why would we need to actively look at it from the other perspective? The short answer is because it can't hurt surely?

Covering off both sides of the coin and adding an extra section to your creative brief and just giving some extra thought to why they could say no to what you are asking them to do, will just go further in ensuring that people say yes to what you are asking.

Thanks as ever for stopping by.

The red paper clip and supporter development

I stumbled across this the other day and it was a great reminder that certain ambitions and aspirations cannot be achieved over night.
In this case the guy took one step at a time to achieve his objective - 14 in fact to trade-up from a paperclip to a house! And I think that is a useful realisation when it comes to fundraising and developing supporter relationships.  In fact it is probably helpful logic to apply to most ambitions.  
Obviously, as a fundraiser the aim is to build supporter engagement and where possible to move supporters up the giving pyramid.  I think it is also fair to say that this pyramid and the stages will vary depending on a number of factors: recruitment method, the profile of the supporter, their reasons for supporting in the first place and so on.  For some it could take two stages for others 14 and I think it is useful to remember that when assessing your fundraising programmes or when implementing new strategies.  So some things to think about before you commence your journey... 

• Where are your supporters now? 
• What activities are driving growth in your programme?
• What are the gaps in the programme and what are the priorities to fill? Is it Middle Value or Legacy for example?

It's important to know where you are starting from to then decide where you are going to.

• What are the steps or new elements that will try to fill these gaps? 
• Will they make sense to the donor? i.e. if the next ask is a middle donor one?
• Is it worth the investment from your perspective (at this particular time)?
• How are you going to measure the success or impact of the new strategy, programme or approach? What are you going to put in place to determine whether taking approach A - would have been better than continuing with B?
• What are you going to do differently if these approaches don't work?

All rather obvious stuff - but some times in the heat of communications plans we are probably not as critical as we could be.

Just as importantly though - we need to ensure that we take time to celebrate success - no matter how small - and if you are measuring that against your overall aim then you'll know you are on the right track - and you are taking the logical next step.  Here's to the successes.  I hope there will be many!

Thanks as ever for stopping by.