Passionate Persuasion

 Direct Mail, Nonprofit  1 Response »
Feb 242012
 
“Passionate people are the only advocates which always persuade. The simplest man with passion will be more persuasive than the most eloquent without.”
~Francois de La Rochefoucauld

When I interviewed the executive director of an environmental organization recently, he was extremely eager to give me statistics about Congressional budgeting as it relates to the environment and to talk about specific legislation winding its way through Congress – down to the subcommittees and staffers involved. I think we can all agree that only the most wonky among us have that level of interest in environmental legislation.

So I asked him why he cared so much. There must be a reason he was willing to delve so deeply into the minutiae of the legislative process on this one issue, right? It took him a few minutes to shift gears, but once he did, he talked about what prompted him to become an environmentalist, his outrage at what he sees as the immoral way government is spending taxpayer money, and his fears for the future of humanity if we ignore Global Warming.

In just a few minutes, we went from a dry fact piece about Congressional spending on the environment, to a Control-tying acquisition letter based on an impassioned plea for moral and humane fiscal decisions.

It’s easy to get caught up in the facts about what you’re doing – and for a lot of people working in nonprofits, people who face desperate circumstances every day as a part of their job, it’s an important method of self-preservation. But when you’re trying to get people to support your mission, you have to be able to recreate that initial surge of passion. Because all the facts in the world won’t get you as much support as one good, emotion-driven story.

This is where that old writing rule “Show, Don’t Tell” comes in.

Need an Example?

It’s easy to tell your story like this: “Every week we see more than 50 homeless, often ill, dogs come into our shelter. And tragically, fewer than 20% of those are adopted. As our canine population grows, our needs grow, too, and today, we’re facing a crisis situation. We urgently need an infusion of $XX to house, feed and care for the dogs we currently have and those we expect in the next few weeks.”

You’ve got the numbers, it’s pretty emotional, and your core group of donors will probably respond.

But consider this approach: “Zoe cowered in the back of her dog carrier, shaking. I looked at her check-in sheet: She’d been abused in her previous home, and she suffered from malnutrition and a bad case of fleas. I got down on the floor, my eyes fixed on her big brown beauties, and coaxed her forward. It took a while, but eventually, she scooted out of her carrier, calmed her shaking, and placed her head trustingly in my lap. One small triumph…that will be replayed more than 50 times this week. You can help Zoe – and all the dogs of XX shelter – make this challenging transition…”

Who can resist a pitch like that? By painting the picture of one dog the shelter has helped, you give your donor the chance to feel like they are there with you. What’s more, this approach breaks down an overwhelming problem – 50 dogs a week that need homes – into a small, do-able task. They may not be able to help every dog that needs them, but they can help this ONE dog.

Very few people dive into the nonprofit world without having some passion. So don’t forget why you chose nonprofit work in the first place. Communicate that in your fundraising, and you’ll find others flocking to your organization as well.

Testing in a Tight Market

 Direct Mail, Nonprofit  Comments Off
Jan 032012
 

One of the joys of working with a large nonprofit is the ability to test — from how you visually present your message, to who you choose to mail to, and what special offers you make, when you’re mailing for the big guys, you have the chance to really hone in on what works best for your audience.

But what if you’re a small shop with a small list and a smaller pool of resources to devote to direct mail? How can you test and refine your mailings until you know you’re getting the most bang for your buck?

You may not be able to do a split test on any one mailing, but if you’re clever and creative, there are still ways you can tell what’s working and what’s not in your direct mail.

Use Your Swipes

Those of us who work in direct mail are obsessive about checking our own mailboxes because that is one of the best places you can go to get ideas about what’s working in today’s direct mail.

And I’m not just talking about keeping an eye on the nonprofit organizations you give to. For profit companies — from banks and financial institutions, to magazines and catalogs — mail millions of pieces of direct mail each year and have budgets for testing that most nonprofits only dream about. And sure, you might not be able to include a handful of inserts, but can you crib a few ideas about what works from them and apply them to your own packages?

Bonus tip: if you’re not on the lists of other organizations in your sector, sign up! A small donation gets you a fine sample of renewals, special appeals and cultivation mailings that can give you a really great picture of what’s hot in your niche.

Cheap and Easy Tests

If you can divide your list but don’t have a lot of money to spend, there are a few things you can test with little-to-no up front investment.

  • Try a lasered upgrade message test on the reply form. You’re already lasering donors’ names and addresses (and if you’re a very small shop, you might be printing everything on your desktop printer!) so it shouldn’t cost you much, if anything, to test two different lasered messages.
  • Play with color. Too many organizations get stuck in a color rut, which can be great for sending a strong branding message…but might get you ignored in direct mail. Try substituting a different color for black — dark blue or dark green, maybe. If you absolutely have to limit yourself to approved logo colors, try using them in unique ways — a graphic band at the top of a page, highlight specific words in the text with color, or use screens to create a layered look.
  • Along those same lines, use graphic elements to call attention to your pieces. Give your designer freer reign within the same cost parameters. Bands of color (or black), reversed out headlines, handwriting and other specialty fonts, and color screens don’t generally cost any more than more straightforward design, as long as you’re not bleeding off the edges or adding colors.

The Long Haul

If you’ve got a small list but a little money for testing, try testing the same thing over several mailings. That way you can get a more statistically significant pool of results than you can on one small mailing that might include a surprisingly large gift, or have its results impacted by things outside your control.

Bonus tip: if you’re testing something on a component that doesn’t need to change from one mailing to the next — say, a colored stock reply envelope — you can print ahead for the second mailing, which will save you money due to economies of scale.

Bottom line: money’s tight for everyone. Even the big organizations are cutting back. But you can still find ways to be innovative and creative and continue testing, even on the most constrained budget.

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

 Nonprofit  Comments Off
Nov 212011
 

This fall has been a whirlwind of activity — from kids’ school and soccer, to a husband in grad school, and a work load that threatened to bury me in direct mail. There were more than a few moments I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep up the pace.

A friend of mine once told me that if you work for a nonprofit, you will always have work on your desk and exhaustion in your bones.

And these days, when more organizations are trying to meet increased need with decreased resources, I think that’s more true than ever. If you don’t find a few moments during the year to remember why you do what you do, you’ll go bonkers…or worse, burn out completely.

So now that I have a light, short week in which to take a breath and reflect, I want to jot down a few of the things I’m thankful for…things I haven’t been able to see amidst the deluge of responsibilities this past few months.

  • Clients who consistently surprise and delight me. It is so much easier to endure crunch time with people who appreciate what we’re trying to accomplish and who collaborate fully and openly. What a treat!
  • Family support. Even my four-year-old knows when Mama needs a break, and my husband and three children are my biggest caretakers…and biggest fans.
  • Friends and neighbors who step up, no questions asked. Whether it’s providing emergency child care, donating a hot meal, helping me network, or volunteering to proofread my latest letter, these people have my back!
  • Work that I believe in. One of the best things about my job is being able to channel my creativity into efforts that make the world a better place to live.
  • Connectivity. I’m old enough to remember how cumbersome working at home used to be, and I’m thankful every single day for the tools that allow me to work with people all over the world from a corner of my kitchen.

There are, of course, many other things I’m thankful for — my home, my town, my good health, the bottle of wine on my counter, peppermint jojos from Trader Joe’s, and more. But those are the biggies.

Try to take a moment this week to think about what makes you thankful in your job and in your life. Colleagues? Donors? Small successes or huge triumphs?

Nonprofits are busy places at year’s end, and sometimes the only way to make it to the other side is to remember what keeps you going. So, what are you thankful for this year?

Calls to Action…And How to Use Them

 Nonprofit  Comments Off
Nov 182011
 

Want your donors to bite? Give them a strong call to action!

When you send out your Direct Mail package, you’ve got one goal in mind. A gift, right?

Nope. Your one and only goal is to get your donor to take action.

That action may include a gift. And most fundraisers are hyper-focused on that outcome, since it’s measurable and — let’s face it — the reason they’re there. But donors don’t want to be treated like ATMs. They want to feel like partners in your mission, the invisible force that’s making all of your crucial work happen.

Instead of looking for the gift, look at the action the people on your list take. In time, you’ll see that the most engaged donors also have the busiest wallets. Try these calls to action for better donor engagement:

Join!

Most philanthropically minded people would love to count themselves among the enlightened and compassionate people who support your cause. Most of us like to feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves, a coalition or broader movement that will make things happen or solve problems or just make a difference.

Of course, by itself, asking someone to “join” your organization or your cause isn’t especially compelling. Some of us see that word and think about how we “joined” the PTA in September and by February were spending 20 hours a week making photocopies and attending meetings about school uniform policies.

So make your “join” message irresistible by linking it to a campaign or an action-plan that has specific goals in mind. Consider the difference between “Join This Great Organization!” and “Join our 3-step Campaign to Solve This Very Important Problem!” One’s vague and only moderately interesting, while the other promises results.

Subscribe!

This works well on a website or for an organization with a high-quality publication as part of its benefits. If you can get someone to subscribe to your e-newsletter or your magazine, you know that person is a willing ear. They may need a little more convincing before they fork over the dough…but if you’re writing your publications correctly, it won’t be long before that reader turns into a donor.

Of course, all the subscribers in the world are no good unless you are sending out publications that include fundraising asks and describe the various fundraising needs your organization has. So make sure the publications and fundraising teams are working together!

Sign!

I write for a lot of activist organizations, so this is one of my favorites. Anytime you send out a package (or put up a web page) with a petition in it, you’ll get a lot of people — usually around 30-50% of responders for mail — who will ONLY sign the petition without sending a gift. But guess who your best responders are the next time you go out? That’s right, those who signed the petition. Petitions are a fantastic way to get people involved in your mission and an easy way for donors to feel like they’re making a difference in your cause.

You need to have a petition-worthy issue to make this work, though. If you’re sending a petition to one of 18 city councillors or the undersecretary of some department no one knew existed, it’s not going to be very compelling. Save this for when you have a big, well known target in mind…and an issue that gets people excited enough to sign.

Tell us Your Opinion!

Everyone loves to spout off their opinions, and when you give your donors a quick, easy-to-follow survey to fill out, few can resist. Keep it short — 3-5 questions — and make sure the last question leads them to donating. (Try something like, “If you knew that This Great Organization was a leader in solving This Terrible Problem, would you be willing to support us with a financial gift?”)

All of these are great ways to get donors involved in what you’re doing. And an involved donor is a donor who gives again and again. Which gets you to the one action that most fundraisers — and board members — are most interested in: Donating.

Chasing that Silver Lining

 Nonprofit  Comments Off
Nov 072011
 

When I picked up my 8-year-old from school a few weeks ago and asked her how her day went, she heaved a huge sigh and said, “Terrible.” Of course, I asked what had happened. In a voice heavy with anger, she told me that her teacher had asked her to write her personal narrative more neatly.

“That’s it?” I asked.

“You don’t understand!” she howled. “I want to write fast! It made me so mad that I had to slow down!”

“So,” I said, “your teacher did one thing that made you mad, and that ruined your whole entire day?”

“Yes!”

It’s human nature to focus on the bad stuff. Listen to the morning news any day of the week, and stories about horrors happening in the world outnumber stories of joy by a wide margin. The mistakes we make in life stay with us in a way that our successes rarely do. We remember the bad days, remember exactly where we were the moment tragedy struck.  But those days of ordinary sweetness — of tasty dinners and laughs with friends — are harder to recall with the same clarity.

And the same is true at nonprofits. It’s so much easier for the Board, the staff, the volunteers — for everyone — to zero in on the one mailing that didn’t go right instead of celebrating the dozens that did. That mistake that resulted in a deluge of angry donor calls? Everyone remembers that. The fundraising event that exceeded projections? All anyone can recall is the snafu that meant there was one bathroom for 500 people.

And there is tremendous value in reflecting upon our mistakes.

But I’ve found — in life and in fundraising — that if I want to have more success and more joy, I have to chase down the success and joy I’ve already had.

Chip and Dan Heath, in their amazing book SWITCH: How to Change When Change is Hard, call this “finding the bright spots.” See where your fundraising program is working and try to replicate that success in your weaker areas.

A few years ago, I had a client that was very enthusiastic about trying new techniques in the mail, but they didn’t want to spend the money to test. The result was a series of mailings that were wildly divergent in their results. A blockbuster appeal was followed by a bomb, one renewal performed well, while the next effort tanked. They wailed over every disappointment and bemoaned the lack of consistency in their direct mail program.

I desperately wanted them to test, but they refused. So instead of fighting a pointless battle, I started honing in on what was going right in their program. I came up with a list of appeal themes that I knew had worked. The designer and I started using graphics that were still bold and exciting, but that we knew from past successes would work. We were able to create a more consistently effective program, while I continued to impress upon them the importance of testing.

The great Tom Ahern says that a fundraiser’s primary mission is to “Deliver Joy.”

But how can we deliver joy if we’re only focused on the bad stuff?

That day with my daughter, I asked her to spend the walk home from school listing three good things that had happened that day. She was sure she would never be able to think of three good things about that horrible day, but by the time we walked through our front door, we had a list of five great things about the day. (Which may not have softened the blow when I made her work on her handwriting for homework.)

Embrace your mistakes. But don’t forget to chase your successes, find the bright spots, and deliver joy.

Your Fundraising Letter: the 3 Pillars of Persuasion

 Uncategorized  Comments Off
Nov 022011
 

When you sit down to plan out your next fundraising letter, of course you’ll remember to write to one donor, have one signer, make it personal (by using a lot of “I, you, we”) and keep your paragraphs short and your key ideas and asks highlighted. And still it might not be enough to push your letter from “solid” to “solid gold!”

So take another look at your copy and see if you’ve used arguments from all three Pillars of Persuasion.

Intellectual

The Intellectual Argument is often one of the easiest for people to make. We’re used to collecting facts and figures to back up our positions. Numbers can tell a powerful story to many people. After all, it’s hard to argue with cold hard statistics.

A letter I received recently from World Wildlife Fund tells me that “The average American uses 350 plastic bags each year.” That’s nearly one for every day of the year! It goes on to report that “Every year, more than 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and birds die as a result of plastic bags.” I — like probably most of the people WWF mailed to — really try to limit my use of plastic bags, but as I sit at my computer, I can look over at my recycling area and see a few poking out.

I hope I use fewer than the average 35o bags per year, but I know that if 100,000 wild animals are being killed by plastic bags, then using any bags at all is too many. Those numbers convinced me.

But you can’t rely on numbers alone.

Emotional

When you’re asking people to part with their hard-earned cash, you have to move them emotionally. One easy way to do that is to paint a picture of the problem they’re helping to solve. Animal rights groups can describe the deplorable conditions for animals raised on factory farms. Environmental groups can show the suffering of children with pollution-induced asthma or the rapid disappearance of ancient stands of old-growth trees.

Tell a story related to your mission, include a photo of someone impacted by your work, or talk about a moment that moved you.

Make your audience feel the importance of your cause and the passion of everyone in your organization to solve it.

Moral

Most of us believe we are moral people, and your direct mail package can give your donors an easy way to exercise their moral muscles. Remind them that their support places them on the side of Right. Knowing that by giving to your organization they are in fact standing up for their principles is a huge motivator for many people.

Which brings me to the silent 4th pillar:

Know your audience.

Some audiences respond more consistently to well-reasoned arguments and solid facts, while others are consistently swayed by a moral ask, and still others care little for facts and respond solely to emotional pleas. Test different ways of framing your ask to see how your audience responds.

Lessons from a Soccer Fundraiser

 Uncategorized  Comments Off
Oct 102011
 

I have two daughters who play soccer with the local youth soccer organization. It makes for some action-packed weeks in the fall and the spring!

It also puts us in line for every fundraiser the soccer organization conducts — team photos, individual photos, MLS and college team partnership promotions and ticket sales. Most of the time, I’m happy to participate and feel glad to be contributing to sports programs for kids in our community.

But the other day, I received an email from someone affiliated with the soccer organization demanding that each parent on my older daughter’s team purchase two tickets to a local university soccer game, chiding those who had not yet contributed.

Now, as it happens, we’d already purchased tickets for our family through our younger daughter’s team. I explained that to the representative who emailed me back saying, “Okay, you’re fine then.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa! I know this person is almost certainly a volunteer, but somebody with the soccer club needs to give their volunteers a lesson in donor relations!

So let’s examine what went wrong with this Ask and figure out how it could have been done better.

The Offer

The first email we received about this particular fundraiser contained no details, just a vague mention of the need to purchase tickets to a soccer game at the university. I didn’t know who was playing the game — was it our kids? Or the university team? Or an exhibition game for our local MLS team? I didn’t know when the game was scheduled. Would we even be able to attend if we did purchase the tickets? And how was the money raised going to be used by the club?

The Ask

I know that no fundraising professional out there would demand a gift. But do you train your volunteers and program staff how to ask for donations? It’s all too easy for a volunteer to take a simple request that each family buy two tickets and turn it into extortion. Make sure they understand that donations are voluntary. And no one should ever be chided for declining to participate.

The Thank You

And of course, every donor should be thanked, genuinely and promptly. Tell them what their contribution means to the organization. Do my tickets to the university soccer game help pay for club equipment? Or scholarships for budding soccer phenoms in need? Make sure I know that up front and remind me when you say a heartfelt “Thank you.”

Don’t let anyone in your organization — staff, volunteer or friend — inadvertently create ill-will as they try to help raise money. Drill in the importance of treating donors with respect and gratitude, and you’ll see donations rise.

What Nonprofits Can Learn from Netflix

 Nonprofit  2 Responses »
Sep 192011
 

I read the email from Netflix Co-Founder and CEO Reed Hastings this morning with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. A lot of people have summed up the new changes, which include dividing the company into two entities, with Netflix responsible for streaming video, and the new unfortunately named Qwikster responsible for DVDs. Despite Mr. Hastings’ emotional admission that he “messed up”, his statement remains almost as tone deaf as the one he made earlier this year when he announced controversial new price structures.

Which is why I think the Netflix debacle holds a great lesson for nonprofits.

A lot of nonprofits have had to reinvent, restructure and reassess over the last few years of economic turmoil. Some have cut back on donor newsletters and magazines, others have laid off staff, sold assets, and consolidated services. A lot of the time, you can get away with making big changes without informing donors. But when financial or other concerns force you to make big public changes, how do you communicate that to your loyal donors?

Not like Netflix.

The big mistake the Internet media company made wasn’t raising its prices or splitting its business — or even lacking “respect and humility”. It was not understanding what its customers liked about the service it provided.

When I read Mr. Hastings’ statement, I wondered if anyone in the PR department actually uses the Netflix service. Customers flocked to Netflix because they could get DVDs and streaming content. They saw the company as a content-delivery service with multiple avenues for delivering that content.

But the company saw itself differently. Where customers saw one service, Netflix saw two (DVD and streaming) and decided to charge for each. Which they probably could have gotten away with pretty easily had they made moves to separate the services in customers’ minds before they announced the big price hike. (I have no words for the new Qwikster service. WHY are they making it harder for people? Why?)

The lesson: You must listen to your donors. Know how they perceive your organization, what they like and what they don’t like. See where their goals and your goals meet and where they diverge. If you must make a change you know will be unpopular, see if you can steer your communication efforts so that your donors will understand where you’re headed and why.

You’ll always get complaints, and most of the time, that’s good. It means your donors are paying attention.

But if you understand where they are coming from, you can communicate your changes more effectively, and avoid the kind of controversy — and mass exodus of once-loyal supporters — Netflix has enjoyed the last few months.

Three Ways to Collect Testimonials

 creativity, Nonprofit  Comments Off
Sep 062011
 

Collecting testimonials can happen out in the field, on the phone or during events!

We all know we should be collecting testimonials from our Members, board members, constituents, volunteers and those affected by our organization’s work. They’re the stuff of fundraising gold, able to leverage gifts more effectively than any facts and figures can ever do.

But how do you collect them?

Listen

Nonprofit professionals work long, hard, often thankless hours. By the time you answer that 50th phone call or head off to that Friday night Member event, it’s hard to remember what your own name is, much less to muster the energy to actively chase down testimonials.

So don’t.

All you have to do is listen. People want to tell you their stories. They want you to know why they support your organization and what your cause has meant to them. Give them the space to say what they want to say, and they’ll give you the gift of a shining testimonial. (You might have to take notes, though!)

Ask the Right Questions

Some people need more guidance than others. If you find yourself with someone who has a story to tell but doesn’t know how to tell it, ask them a few questions to get them thinking in the right direction:

  • How did you become involved with this organization/issue?
  • Why are you passionate about it?
  • What have you seen personally that drives you to support this organization/issue?
  • What does the organization’s work accomplish? For you? For your community? For the world?
  • What would the world look like if this problem was solved?
  • What are the barriers to solving it?

Any one of these questions can get people’s testimonial juices flowing — and give you oodles of great stuff to use in your fundraising.

Get Everyone In On the Act

Testimonials are great for fundraising, but collecting them is not just the job of fundraisers. In fact, the best testimonials often come from program staff as they’re out in the field because they’re the ones who see firsthand what needs to be done and how your organization is progressing.

All staff members — program staff, executive staff, board members, interns and volunteers — should be on the lookout for good testimonials.

Make it easy for everyone with these ideas:

  • Create a special Testimonials folder on the file server
  • Put a box on the conference table for collecting handwritten stories
  • Make a My Story form donors and friends can fill out at events
  • Learn how to use the audio recording feature on your smartphone so you can capture stories in the moment
  • Give a prize for “Testimonial of the Month”
  • Start every staff meeting off by reading one or two of the stories you’ve collected to inspire and inform

How does your organization collect and share testimonials? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

3 Ways to Involve Your Donors

 Nonprofit  1 Response »
Aug 042011
 

One of the easiest ways to get people fired up about your organization is to involve them directly in your work. Give them a piece of the action, and they’ll be that much more invested in your mission…which means they’ll invest in you.

So how do you get them involved? Try these three simple involvement devices that can work wonders:

Petitions

I work with a lot of activist causes, so one of my favorite involvement devices is the Petition. Petitions are win-win for organizations and donors. Your people make their voices heard, and you have a chorus behind you on some of your biggest issues.

A few of key points to consider when doing a Petition: first, it’s best if the Petition goes to someone your donors have heard of and who has the clout to make the change you’re asking for. The President, prominent members of Congress, corporate CEOs or business titans — these are all great targets. Second, make sure you’re asking for something sufficiently large enough to warrant a Petition. Your donors want to help you move mountains, not drive the truck around the block. Finally, make sure you deliver them as promised! Nothing zaps your credibility faster than collecting a stack of petitions that don’t ever make it out of your office.

Surveys

Nearly everyone loves a Survey. Like the Petition, this gives your donor the chance to make their opinion known. You can make it narrow by asking specific questions about one current issue your organization is working on, or you can ask a series of questions about the overall work your organization is doing, or, for current supporters, how you’re doing.

I like to include a survey toward the end of a Renewal series as a way of prompting late responders to finally renew — or say why they won’t. Two caveats: keep surveys short — 5-7 questions is best — and always use the final question to lead toward the gift.

Declarations

I’ve used this involvement device sparingly, but when you are launching a huge campaign, changing the direction of an organization, or pushing for policy change on a massive scale, a Declaration of Support can be a great involvement device.

Structured much like a Petition, a Declaration enables you to lay out your entire case in a few lines, then asks your donors to sign their support. You get donor buy-in for big campaigns or organizational changes, and donors get the satisfaction of being visionary leaders helping to guide and support exciting new endeavors. Again, it’s not for every campaign, but when you’ve got a blockbuster, a Declaration of Support might be just the thing to involve your donors.

One key point to remember: For all three of these involvement devices, about 1/3 to 1/2 of your responses may come back with no money. Don’t panic — these no-money responders have proven they care about your issue. They’ll reward you in the future if you keep giving them the chance.

There are many other kinds of involvement devices — from membership cards, to tear-off forms, and much more. But these are three of my favorites for nonprofits because they’re affordable and they invite your donors to become more invested in your mission than they were before.

What are your favorite involvement devices? Is there something else I should add to my bag of tricks? Post in the comments.

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