I apologise, but I do feel sorry for these young people asked to do something so pointless
The other day I saw two young people in front of a stand outside the local Sainsbury’s.
I asked them what they were doing. “We’re raising awareness of the Red Cross,” replied one, a girl.
I should be shot, because I was rather rude and it wasn’t her fault she was engaged on something so utterly pointless.
However, I was so stunned that I just said “How stupid. You should ask people for money”. There was no facility for doing this as far as I could see.
The only purpose of charity marketing is to help a charity do its work. This means raising money. Only if telling what you do moves people to give is it relevant. Otherwise it is mere blowing in the wind.
As John Caples said, “When people have read your copy, they want to know what to do. Tell them.” In this case, when people have seen you stand, the same applies.
I know of few people marooned so far up their own backsides as some who work in charity. I think this is because they feel they are doing something important, and many (though by no means all) are deeply committed, and feel everyone should know about their good deeds.
Unfortunately, talking about how wonderful you are works no better for them than anyone else. Nobody gives a damn about you. They want to know what’s in it for them. That means a charity must show how donating makes the donor feel good.
I first wrote copy for a charity back in 1976 – I think ActionAid.
They realised that people give to people so they featured people in their ads. They realised that people like to know what they have to do to help, so they asked for money. And they realised that people like to know precisely what get if they do what you want – so they told how much money and what exact sums would achieve.
The first proper client of our fledgling agency in 1977 was the Dr. Barnardo’s children’s charity. I just copied what I did before and we raised a lot of money. Then one day, the head of fundraising said they wanted to run ads just telling people what they did.
I said that the only way you can know your ads are paying for themselves is if people read them and act. And the greatest action is giving. Only by measuring this can you know what you are getting or your money what your ROI is.
To do otherwise, to my mind, is squandering the money people have given you in good faith, believing you would put it work to the best effect. I believed it then. I believe it now.
We parted company.
Bravo!
I worked as a professional fundraiser for two charities in the early 90’s – I say professional as I got PAID to do it – a full 30%
Now I know some people will recoil in disgust at that, but hold on there pinwheel, lets do the cold hard math …
Those volunteer ‘collectors’ who did it every other Saturday in exchange for nothing more than warm fuzzy feelings collected about £40, as they took “you are not allowed to ask for money or rattle the tin” to heart, and just stood there in silence in the supermarket exit
I, on the other hand, used every direct sales technique I could apply. I put the tin down, stretched out my hands, made laser strength eye contact with anyone passing by and announced the name of the campaign with an Australian-style upnote at the end of the last word
“Its a wheelchair appeal for Disabled Children”
Not asking for money per se, not rattling a tin
I collected £600 a day. Never less.
The charity benefitted from my chutzpah by £400 a day. £400 it simply would not have had if it weren’t for me leveraging the hell out of human nature to collect 10 times the donations from the same footfall
Drayton is right – donors should indeed expect part of their donation will go towards enabling (financing) fundraising methods with demonstably better & better economics = more money raised per hour or £1 spent on media
To lean into a well worn headline format –
“If Icould show you how to consistantly get £10 in donations for every £3 you invest in your fundraising, how much would you invest?”
My efforts bought 6 brand new childrens electric wheelchairs … & there it is
(I reet enjoyed writing that)
That is what it’s all about. Not poncey corporate idiots wasting time and money
Let’s say little Jonny needs to go to the USA for some operation (that can’t be had in London for some wacky reason)
It’s going to cost £12,000 to send Jonny & guardian + exes etc etc to Palookaville to save his life
The local Pub landlord, his uncle, takes this crusade to heart and sets about ‘fundraising’. They have a new quiz night for a month, a car boot sale in the carpark, two oversized bottles on the bar with Jonny’s photo, a raffle, a charity Karoke, a parachute jump … and then run out of ideas, as you would
The total stands at £2688 – a fine community effort but somewhat short of what Jonny needs to save his life.
Over Nine grand short
Now lets imgine someone walks into the bar and pulls the landlord and says –
“I see you need £9,312 for this appeal to succeed. I will raise that money IN YOUR NAME, achieve your target, and send Jonny off to the States for his life saving operation, within 60 days”
LL “How will you do that?”
“Well, leave that to me. Be assured, it’s 100% Legal & Ethical”
LL “Why would you do that for us?”
“Well, this is what I do. When worthwhile causes like this one flounder or stall, I’m available to make up the shortfall. I will show a profit for my time & trouble, but you WILL get the £9,312 Jonny desperately needs, in your hand, 60 days from today – what do you say?”
Will the landlord say – “Whoa, hold on there, a PROFIT? How much profit?”
Naa. Why would he care? Jonny’s campaign has gone from dead in the water to dead cert overnight, & the landlord will look like a hero.
Why would anyone give a shit what the fee is for raising the remaining £9,312?
Point to ponder: A Heart Transplant operation is about £32,000
They get the heart for nothing
Think about it
Well done, David – and of course Drayton. It’s not just “charities” that could benefit from this advice. A few years ago, I was a school governor, and it was so frustrating listening to the committee tossing around ideas that might raise a few pence here and there. They really couldn’t see that they had to think BIG!
I decided to give some money to the Red Cross to supply drinking water for a family of four. I then got bombarded with mail for ages and operators ringing me up. Maybe the bigger picture was being looked at, but for me a complete waste of money. Most of my donation I feel was wasted.
The reason why they failed with you is very simple- and most charities forget this.
They did not properly explain the benefits of communicating often, or give you option to ask for fewer messages – pr tell you in advance you would get a lot of messages.
When people sign up for my helpful ideas I make a point of saying they will here from me a lot.