Storytelling for Fundraisers | Tom Ahern | June 18, 2018 · 1 1 Storytelling for Fundraisers | Tom Ahern | June 18, 2018 This is what your target audience looks like. “I’m getting
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Storytelling for Fundraisers | Tom Ahern | June 18, 2018
This is what your target audience looks like.
“I’m getting push back from management that it’s too cheesy and sickly sweet.”
Moceanic student, on how her new appeal was received internally; 2018
The 100% Fallacy•We could get a 100% response rate. (Giggle.)•Anyone can be our donor (Values must match.)•Any donor is a great donor (WRONG!)•Once acquired, a new donor is likely to stay a long time: “Ours for life.” (4-6 years.)•We need younger donors. (Low ROI except for monthly giving.)
The 100% Fallacy•We could get a 100% response rate. (Giggle.)•The shiny new thing will save us (Delusional.)•Anyone can be our donor (Values must match.)•Any donor is a great donor (WRONG!)•Once acquired, a new donor is likely to stay a long time: “Ours for life.” (4-6 years.)•We need younger donors. (Low ROI except for monthly giving.)
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A. What percentage of crowd-funding campaigns reach goal?
The 100% Fallacy•We could get a 100% response rate. (Giggle.)•The shiny new thing will save us (Delusional.)•Anyone can be our donor (Values must match.)•Any donor is a great donor (WRONG!)•Once acquired, a new donor is likely to stay a long time: “Ours for life.” (4-6 years.)•We need younger donors. (Low ROI except for monthly giving.)
The 100% Fallacy•We could get a 100% response rate. (Giggle.)•The shiny new thing will save us (Delusional.)•Anyone can be our donor (Values must match.)•Any donor is a great donor (WRONG!)•Once acquired, a new donor is likely to stay a long time: “Ours for life.” (4-6 years.)•We need younger donors. (Low ROI except for monthly giving.)
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A. How likely are volunteers to give money, compared to non-volunteers?
[ ] Half as likely[ ] Just as likely[X] Twice as likely
The 100% Fallacy•We could get a 100% response rate. (Giggle.)•The shiny new thing will save us (Delusional.)•Anyone can be our donor (Values must match.)•Any donor is a great donor (WRONG!)•Once acquired, a new donor is likely to stay a long time: “Ours for life.” •We need younger donors. (Low ROI except for monthly giving.)
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A. How long will an average donor give to a charity?
[ ] 1-3 years[X] 4-6 years[X] 7-10 years[ ] more than 10 years
The 100% Fallacy•We could get a 100% response rate. (Giggle.)•The shiny new thing will save us (Delusional.)•Anyone can be our donor (Values must match.)•Any donor is a great donor (WRONG!)•Once acquired, a new donor is likely to stay a long time: “Ours for life.”•We need younger donors.
The 100% Fallacy•We could get a 100% response rate. (Giggle.)•The shiny new thing will save us (Delusional.)•Anyone can be our donor (Values must match.)•Any donor is a great donor (WRONG!)•Once acquired, a new donor is likely to stay a long time: “Ours for life.”•We need younger donors.•All donors are created equal.
Not all donors are created equal: the $100 split
...the control group got an emotional appeal and a personal story about a participant in the nonprofit’s program; the test group received the same letter, plusan additional paragraph talking about the “rigorous scientific methodologies” on which the nonprofit’s program was based. Jerry Panas, April 2018
The researchers found an interesting split in the data: effectiveness data significantly harmed response among smaller (under $100) donors (.6 percentage points lower response rate) and helped response among larger ($100+, but you probably guessed that) donors (one percentage point higher response rate).
One might say (and I do) that this highlights a dichotomy in how people give: smaller gifts are heart gifts; larger gifts are head gifts.
•LTV of a one-time donor (U lose $): $50/average?•Gives same amount for 10 years (rare): $500•Converts to $10/monthly gift for 10 years (conversion takes work): around $1,200•Becomes a $1,000/annual donor: around $9,000•Leaves a charitable bequest: $50,000 or more
Looking at LTV helps you prioritize your activities and investments. It is Dr. Adrian Sargeant’s most important metric.
•Make a list of anyone who’s given 3 times or more.•Create a Legacy Society (a special group to join and be honored by).•Send your list a letter once a year, asking them to consider joining your Legacy Society by adding charity to their Wills.•Repeat ad infinitum.
[Bequest] marketing ... is about getting a small number of very large gifts from your ‘average’ donors. These are the donors who aren’t on your radar screen already, who aren’t interested in tea and banana bread with a planned giving officer, but who are very loyal to your cause.
It may seem counterintuitive, but actually, those with the greatest net worth are not normally your best or most likely prospects for a bequest.
You need to look for men and women who are long term and consistent donors. This is especially true of those who give four or more times a year, several hundred dollars a year. They are your very best prospects for a bequest.
The greatest percentage by far are bequests from men and women who leave estates of $2 million or less.
“Drip, drip, drip. Planned gifts are prompted by life events – death, birth, marriage, health, travel, retirement.” [People write or rewrite a will on such occasions.] “That’s why it’s so important to have a regular cadence of marketing messages. Because you never know when the time might be right.”
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Source: 2012, Jeff Comfort, Georgetown; via Phyllis Freedman’s Planned Giving blog
“It never occurred to me!”“It never occurred to me!”“It never occurred to me!”“It never occurred to me!”“It never occurred to me!” “It never occurred to me!”“It never occurred to me!”
Opening: Thank your donor deeply ... humbly ... for years of help.
Middle: Put the Legacy Society offer in front of them, without coyness. Ask for their consideration, not an immediate action. “Next time you review....”
End: Thank your donor some more.
PS: Offer free information about charitable bequests.