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.

No apology necessary..really.

To some extent I may be a little old fashioned - but I believe a thank you like an apology should never be caveatted with but....and should also be genuine.

Now it is sometimes difficult to say whether an apology is genuine but then you have to look at what the apology is for. However, as a fundraiser I don't personally think you should ever apologise for asking for money. Mainly because, the need for the support should be genuine, and in most cases is constant. That is why I was intrigued to see this land on my door mat.

Now when I first saw it, I must confess I thought it was an apology for some banking or admin error so I opened the envelope. However, it was essentially an ask for me to upgrade my support or rather a letter apologising for asking me to upgrade.

Please don't get me wrong, This is not a criticism of the teaser outer that actually got me to open the letter, neither is it a criticism for asking me to increase my support. My discomfort is actually with the tone of the letter itself because it was so apologetic that it detracted from the reason for asking for an increase and thus the letter was not more effective for it. In fact probably the opposite.

It was a very nice letter. It was warm, said thank you several times for my support and seemed to be genuinely appreciative of what I already do. But I am struggling to get over the apologising because I can't actually recall why they wanted more funding.

I have not ruled out increasing my support because I like Sightsavers and their work, but in my opinion there is a balance between acknowledging the current climate and its potential impact on your supporters i.e. 'I know these are difficult times and you are already doing so much, so thank you' versus a rather explicit apology for 1. possibly causing offence (should I be offended?) and 2. for asking for more to do more.

I appreciate this is a personal view point and would be interested in what you think. I also appreciate that I may not be their key audience and you can't please or appeal to everyone. But coming back to me with my fundraising hat on I just don't think there is any room for a sorry in an ask for support or even an additional ask for support.

If the case for support and/or the imperative to support is clear, focused and relevant then it should not be necessary. After all an apology would not be a reason for me to give, it would be the the WHY and the WHAT FOR that would.

As for the letter - if they removed the lines about causing offence and the explicit I'm sorry - the letter would have been no less polite or understanding of the possible situation I may be in because of the economy or the additional asks from other causes. In fact it would have been fine - and I may have been able to recall why they needed more support. As it is, I can't. I am sorry to say.

So when thinking about copy and messaging for supporters - though it is a challenging time and good to acknowledge that fact, my recommendation would be to not go over board with the apologies and focus more on the case for support, the timing and the relevance for the people you are writing to because from my experience you could go an apology too far and it can hijack the overall message of your communication. Save the apologies for when you mess up.

Many thanks as ever for stopping by.

When fundraising is child's play

Since giving birth to my son, children's media is a whole new world. A world of odd characters, gentle moralising, Yogo and Mr Tumble! Oh and Charlie and Lola of course.

Recently I was given a book for Noah - a lovely introduction to animal protection and sponsorship fundraising (yep, I am starting him young) and as I read through it I thought there is some useful reminders for fundraisers here.

1. We need to be clear on our message. Charlie (Lola's saintly older brother), does a fantastic job in explaining what extinct means - when Lola asks 'What's a stinkt?' Charlie replies 'It means no more of that animal in the entire world.' A very straight forward definition but one that has a sense of emotion. That is in contrast to the dictionary definition 'of a species, family or large group having no living member.' Or this . So, it may be worth asking yourself whether you could summarise your key messages or explain what you do as well as a nine year-old? Instead of looking at it as an elevator pitch may be look at it as a 'Charlie and Lola test'. Would a five year-old understand it and could a nine year-old explain it?

2. Sponsorship is a growing way to support. In the book. Charlie explains to Lola how sponsorship works. '...They'll give us money for doing difficult things like swimming five laps..' All very straight forward. But I think Sponsoring is increasingly becoming a mainstream way of supporting causes and I wouldn't be surprised if this is now almost as defining for some supporters as giving a regular gift via direct debit for example. Just to be clear, I am not talking about the people doing the run or the trek I am actually talking about the people offering their support for the person doing it.

Next time you do your supporter research it could be worth including a question on 'how have you supported charity over the last year?' Among the list there is usually via a regular gift (dd), appeals, taking part in running events etc - but it may be worth adding to the list explicitly 'Sponsoring friends and colleagues' or even celebrities.

With the increase of media, showcasing the wonderful achievements of people like David Walliams and John Bishop for Sport Relief - even the people texting their £5 could think they are doing it as sponsorship. As more people want to become part of a cause and the experiential side of fundraising - it is clear that they will be seeking more sponsors and in all likelihood will start with their family and friends first.

So your supporters and potential supporters will already be being asked for money but from people they already know. I think that is a useful piece of information and it may well go towards explaining changing trends in your responses, product take up, and also provide some useful insight in developing new ways for your supporters to support. I certainly think it is worth thinking about.

Thanks as ever for stopping by.

PS. I am not sure of Charlie and Lola's actual ages - I am guessing based on extensive study of the materials available.

Just some feedback..

I received a piece of feedback recently and though it ticked a lot of boxes: apparently inside track, lovely photograph, personalised, acknowledging my role in its success - I still didn't feel inspired and I asked myself, why not?

An obvious assertion could be that I am a jaded fundraiser who has seen so many pieces of feedback that nothing could inspire me? Nope - that's not it. Quite the contrary.

Or may be it was because it was made to look 'inside track', had a lovely photograph, it was personalised - in short - it looked and felt like every other piece of feedback I have received in recent times because every one is now doing the same thing to the point where the execution has become generic rather than special. That indeed could be it.

Or It could also be that no matter how great the production values, the story, the enclosures, the photographs - if you have no real connection with the people being featured then at the end of the day it is merely a broadcast - possibly a very good broadcast - but a broadcast none-the-less and we need to get beyond broadcasting and get connecting with the people who support us.

Our on-going communications are a key to the relationships we are looking to forge - as good as your stories may be, or that internally they are seen as a shining example of your work in practice - if there is no connection established very early on - no on-going narrative then there is a good chance your feedback will not get beyond the recycling bin.

There it is, just some honest feedback.

Thanks as ever for stopping by.

Mistakes are human and so should the response be

I had cause recently to raise a concern with a nappy recycling company that I have subscribed to since Noah was born because they had not arrived to collect the nappies. I knew what the problem was in all likelihood mainly because of technology. Some sat nav systems take you to the same address in the next village and that was the most likely reason.

I completed an on-line form and true to their word I heard back well within 48 hours - they explained that the usual driver who knew the route was off on holiday and the replacement driver was unaware of the sat nav issue. The email contained profuse apologies and reassurances that the problem would not happen again.

All fine and good - but the response also told me that the usual driver had gone to Florida - had a great time and had even been into the office on his return to share his lovely holiday experience. And it was that detail that well, actually made me smile.

Don't get me wrong - my 'complaint' was not a serious one - and I had always received good service so was not aggravated or annoyed in any way. Their basic response would have been fine - but the fact that this had been freshly drafted with probably irrelevant but interesting information and no standard paragraphs just made it feel human and real - even if it was in an email form.

So when handling complaints and queries may be it's time to think about your processes. Review your letters. How many standard paragraphs do they contain? And ask yourself do the responses to supporter queries and complaints sound as though they were written by a person for another person in response to that specific enquiry or complaint?

If not, then may be it's time to have a re-think to ensure that your supporters know there are real people on the end of the pen and paper or email and allow your character to come through. After all, as we all know people give to people so therefore it stands to reason that people respond better to people, real people whether complaining or congratulating. And don't forgot what an opportunity there is if complaints are dealt with well.

Thanks as ever for stopping by.

How to dish up Green Eggs and Ham

I love Dr Seuss's Green Eggs and ham and rereading it the other day made me think about (albeit simply) the job we have as fundraisers.

Like poor 'Sam the man' our challenge is to try and 'serve' up our cause and offer in a way that will get people to stop, listen and to take the desired action.

If we follow Sam's example then we should ensure we are:

• looking at various, but appropriate and relevant channels and more importantly going to where the people are, not waiting for them to just come to us


• using new and exciting ways to deliver our messages that will achieve cut through


• persevering - mainly because sometimes people don't know they are in the market for something until they are in the market for something

Of course the tale ends with Sam being thanked for his attempts to get his ham and eggs eaten by the nameless character - who loved what was on offer, and of course that is what we strive for too. After all, once someone has finally experienced our organisation we want them to feel that they are so very glad they did, feel that they made the right decision in choosing to support us, and to stay with us.

Thanks as ever for stopping by.