The Classics Work

Guest Blogger: Kathryn Hall. The classics never go out of style: More from Chicago’s P2P Roundtable Somethings never go out of style like the LBD “little black dress,” pearls, and a fab pair of sunglasses.  For the gents a suit is the ultimate classic look. No matter the decade or the current wacky trend; one things for sure  you can’t go wrong with the LBD or a suit. Like fashion, fundraising has a few classics of it’s own that never go out of style.  Guest Blogger Kathryn Hall has a few thoughts on this subject.  Take it away Kathryn! A few weeks ago Guest blogger Nancy Palo shared her take away from the Run Walk Ride Event Fundraising Roundtable in Chicago. The consensus of the group was that “the next big thing” is independent fundraising events. I’d like to share a quirky subplot that David Hessekiel, President of the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council, introduced to the roundtable discussion:  What if “the next big thing” is really not new at all? What if it’s “what has always worked” and remembering the basics? In the last few years much of our focus in the peer to peer fundraising space has been on securing effective means of electronic mass communications, providing the best high volume online fundraising systems to participants and pioneering the latest social media capabilities. This new fundraising landscape has given rise to challenges: Low retention rates, increasing competition from a growing number of P2P fundraising events and the need to differentiate / stand out. What if in our excitement to take things online and do more with electronic communications, we’re getting away from “old fashioned” fundraising fundamentals? Talking to people and making personal connections has always worked. There’s a good chance revisiting the value of the human element can help your program. A few suggestions from the group: Send hand written notes. Highly “personalized” communication via segmented email can only go so far. A hand written thank you note has big impact in this day when most personal communication happens by email and text message. Encourage your fundraisers and team captains to use snail mail creatively as well. Ask for support in person. As the volume of electronic asks from kids, relatives, friends and coworkers goes up, they get easier to ignore. When you or your fundraiser make a personal (in person/on the phone) ask, it stands out. Encourage participants to ask for gifts in person, not rely completely on technological gimmicks. Church World Service shared their homespun series of Crop Hunger Walk “Crop Vids” that, among other things, address people’s fear of asking for money with a light, humorous tone.    Talk to your team captains; cultivate the relationship. If your research shows that returning teams raise 50% more than new ones, go after the team captains personally. Ask them to come back in person rather than relying on electronic communications about the new season’s event. Have staffers go to the events and meet people. This lets supporters know there’s a human person behind the email address and name. Laurel Rosenthal, Manager of Online Fundraising at theALS Association shared that while this approach is expensive, the investment paid valuable dividends in terms of increased retention rates. Shake things up a bit. The reliable kick-off meeting is indispensable, but is the format getting a bit stale? Lindsay Avner, Founder and CEO of Bright Pink likes to keep meetings interesting. Her groups hold sampler events, trying out new locations and themes: wine and cheese, martinis, cupcakes, and similar. Collect feedback through participant surveys. Jeff Shuck of Event 360 spoke of the importance of surveying not just those who attend, but those who do not return to the event, “Find out who didn’t come back. Many, many will say they had a conflict in their calendar. This means you didn’t communicate your mission powerfully enough to get them to prioritize your event over something else.” – Amy’s guest blogger Jennifer Ashbaugh offered more suggestions for post event surveys in a recent post.

Turning a No into a Yes

Asking for Donations: When Does “No” Mean “No”?

March 29, 2012 by Tri Point Fundraising

You’ve prepared. You’ve practiced. You’ve overcome your fear of asking for a donation. So you make the ask and they say “no.” But how do you know when “no” really means “no”? I tell my kids “no” all the time. Yet, it doesn’t stop them from asking again, and again, and again. They do this for a variety of reasons, but mostly becasue they’ve learned that sometimes “no” turns into “yes” if they ask frequently and persistently enough. So how come as adults, we’re much more likely to take an initial no as a final no? Turning a “No” into a “Yes” In fundraising, some of the best development directors are those who can take a “no” and turn it into a “yes.” When you get a “no” for whatever reason, your job is to ask why? That’s the most important question you can ask. Get to the core reason, and explore if there’s a way to turn the “no” into “yes.” Before asking a prospective donor for a contribution, you’ll want to consider all of their possible responses, so you’re prepared to respond appropriately. In general, there are three types of response:       1. yes       2. no       3. maybe In fundraising, “yes” and “maybe” are great answers, but “no” can be good too. “No” is an opportunity to explore, build the relationship, ask more questions, and encourage engagement. It’s up to you to find out why the person is saying no, and how you can turn their no into a yes. 4 Reasons Why Prospective Donors Say “No” There are many reasons why people say no. Four of the most common include: 1. Wrong time. Money is tight at the moment for whatever reason. Six months or a year from now might be better. Or, they could need more information before making a decision. 2. Wrong project. They love your organization. They’re really interested in the after school program — but you asked for the preschool program. 3. Wrong amount. You asked for too much or too little. Once you ask some good follow-up questions, you may be delighted to receive a gift of another amount. 4. Wrong asker. This is often the most difficult issue to identify, but it’s possible that your donor just doesn’t click with the board member you brought along. Keep your intuition tuned for issues like this, because they will often go unspoken. I’ll be discussing how you can turn those no’s into yeses and a whole lot more in my upcoming session at the International Association of Fundraising Professionals’ conference. Going Further There are some great posts around the web pertaining to this topic. Here are two of my favorites: When a foundation declines to fund you, the story isn’t really over Overcoming the 9 Fundraising No’s

Are You Thanking Your Donors?

Are You Treating Your Donors Right?  The Quiz.
By: Katya Andresen, Network for Good

With the Network for Good team, I just created a mini-course on thanking donors.  It’s a self-guided tour to writing great thank-yous and treating donors well all year - so they will give again!  (It’s not free, but I immodestly think this guide to stewardship is worth every penny.  Learn more here.)

So do you treat your donors well?  To figure it out, take this quiz.  (It’s free.)

And remember the rock bottom, bare minimums when it comes to donor stewardship!

1. ALWAYS THANK YOUR DONORS: Always.  No exceptions.

2. THANK THEM EARLY: You should thank your donors within a few days of their gift.

3. THANK THEM OFTEN:  Thank your donors several times, over time, and keep reporting back on the difference they have made.

4. THANK THEM ACCURATELY: Make sure you have correctly spelled the donor’s name, stated the amount and date of the donation, included appropriate language for taxes and carefully noted if the gift was made in honor of someone else.

If I had a dollar for every charity that didn’t do these four things when I gave…

Relationships

4 ways marketing is entering the relationship era My colleague, the avid reader Kate Olsen sent me a fascinating AdAge article by Doug Levy and Bob Garfield on the future of marketing, and I think it’s worth reflection. Here is my take on the ideas that grabbed me in the article, “The Dawn of the Relationship Era,” along with what I think they mean to nonprofits: 1. Manipulation backfires.  You shouldn’t be going for the quick sale (or donation) - you should be going for trusted, sustainable relationships.  Don’t send an appeal and skip the stewardship.  That will make you the Comcast of nonprofits. 2. The network effect is enormous.  The old funnel has been flipped, and it’s not about what we say but what consumers say about us to each other.  The people who love your cause are your greatest asset.  Think of them not as fawning fans but as powerful champions. 3. Core values can’t be faked.  You have to walk your talk.  Companies with a true purpose trump companies who use cause affiliations as a cosmetic ploy to cover up their lack of caring.  Keep that in mind when you choose your partners. 4. Everything you do is the new media department.  Social media isn’t about your tweets—the masses play out who you are online.  Remember that in all aspects of your operations.  How you treat others is how you will be portrayed in social media! 5. To do this all well, look inside and be honest.  As the article notes: “In the words of that Danish marketing guru, Polonius: ‘To thine own self be true.’ Counterintuitive as it may seem, a pillar of the Relationship Era is that it is better to look inward than define your business as the accumulation of your public’s often fickle, shortsighted tastes.”  For nonprofits, this is even more important.  Know why you matter, and make it matter to others.  That is the great, messy, thoroughly human essence of marketing. Post by: Katya Andresen, Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog