Fundraising Insights by Robejohn
1. Tell a story
One of the most basic fundraising principles is that people give to people, and the most effective way of applying this principle is by telling a story.
So what makes a good story?
A good story starts with a dramatic opening. This is then followed by an outline of a strong need. This is resolved by the need being met.
While stories are vital to good fundraising, some stories create stronger emotional appeal than others. For example stories about children, especially girls, are very powerful. The story told from a mother’s or father’s point of view is also very powerful because as a reader we can relate to a parent’s feelings.
In order to tell a good story it is important to spend time with the person or family about whom the story is about. And where possible it is best if the person who writes the story does the interview.
2. Create something Tangible
Today donors want to know what their donation will do. You can answer this by saying trust our organisation. But what we find is the more tangible the offer the greater the response.
In recent years we have seen gift catalogues become very popular with charities, both overseas as well as local ones. One of the reasons for this is people feel that their money is going toward buying something they can see will make a difference.
However such a tangible offer should be created for an appeal wherever possible. It some cases such offers are easy to find but in many cases it can be very difficult to create such an offer.
Creating a tangible offer involves more than creating an item it also involves creating an attractive name for the product. And very importantly it involves creating the right dollar amount that shows what the item costs.
3. Create a Sense of Urgency
It has long been accepted that urgency helps generate stronger responses. We especially see this at times of emergency disasters. People want to give we just have to give them the opportunity.
But not every appeal is for an emergency disaster. In fact most appeals are for “bread and butter” needs. So how do you create urgency for such appeals?
There are a number of ways this can be done:
You can do this by giving a deadline. Twice a year there a deadlines which are created by the season, they are the end of the financial year and Christmas.
Another way is by communicating a need that needs to be met now. The need can be related to client needs, project needs even financial needs.
Another way of creating need is to use specific words such as, “Act now”, “Send your donation today”, “Send your donation by…”, using an “URGENT” stamp, “Right now”, “If you don’t reply today people’s lives will be at risk”.
4. Educate your donors
It is vital to educate your donors about your organisation’s mission and values. The more donors understand who you are and what you stand for the more loyal they will be. But there is a time, place and way to do this.
Often we see organisations trying to educate people from the start and they do this by using statistics. The problem with this is that generally people do not make a decision to support an organisation based on statistics. They make their decision about how powerful is the need of those being helped. And the best way of showing this is through stories and not numbers. After all we use the emotional part of the brain to make our buying decisions.
This is not to say we shouldn’t educate people. From an early age we learn through stories. As we mature and grow up we learn through more detailed information. However we also know learning works best when it is made interesting and not boring.
We need to be prepared to take people on a journey. At the start our aim should be to convince people to support you to meet the needs of those you help. As they get to know you then you give them information but always in an interesting way.
This information can then be used to help the donor to rationalise their support of an organisation. It can also be used to share with others.
Want more? Order your copy of Fundraising Insights by Robejohn, including 100 invaluable tips & insights such as:
- How long should a letter be?
- Ask for an immediate response
- Tell your best supporters you know who they are
- Think of the back-end from the start
- Response is a Left Brain Activity
- Look to a long-term relationship from the start
- Don’t try to trick people
- Get the second gift within the first 4 months
- Direct response is not advertising
- The higher the average gift the lower the response
- Say Thank you
- Ask for Money
- When you ask for money also include overheads
- Engage the donor emotionally from the start
- It is not about Donor Satisfaction, It is about Donor Loyalty
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