Question about Profiling Donors

Would either of these links be any good to your sister Arfa? (Send her my regards too if you would be so kind).

Overseas Charities

A Few Good Donor Management Systems | Idealware

Kindest regards,


Mark Andrews

Copwriting for charities has got to be emotional.

If you can't make them cry, you won't make them buy.

The problem with charities - and I've encountered this - is the same as other businesses...

There are too many people working for them who feel they know everything.

And no matter what you tell them, they don't care. This is mainly because the guys who work there are employees.

And all they want to do is prove they know best.

It's harsh, but it's the truth.

If you, or your sister, can persuade them otherwise, you'd do well.

It's all to do with emotion.

Send me an email and we'll have a chat about this...

During the day. I'm going to sleep.

It's imperative to create complete transparency in how the money is used.

Donors need to feel unconditionally confident that their money is going to generate as big of an impact as possible in The Cause you represent.

If possible...

Tie The Cause... and how you use the money together in your brand tagline.

"Saving Africa's Schools - One Library at a Time"

Then...

Drive home your brand message in your About, Project and/or Cause pages.

Also...

I've found that dredging up the circumstances of your Cause simply isn't enough.

Painting a picture of the helpless faces you're intending to help might make someone cry (or at least feel empathic,) but you need to tap in the ego-driven reasons why:

1) I should believe my money won't just get lost in bureaucratic nonsense or corruption.

2) Giving my money to your Cause will affect or change MY LIFE! Paint a picture that appeals to my need for attention, while revealing a deeper perspective into what happens (to me or my way of life) if this Cause continues failing to receive proper aid.

This feedback may be off base - since I don't what The Cause is.

In terms of getting more emails opened...

I'll let someone else tackle that...

Mark

Hey Arfa, the first thing that comes to mind is a survey.

Maybe a small one to those who have already donated... check why they donated and what they'd like to see in order to keep funding.

Maybe you guys already tried that, but it's a small thing that will surely help get a solid avatar or at least something to run by.

arfasaira,

Here is a link to a story, a true story. Start at the Aunt Margaret story.

http://www.hopehomes.org/AuntMargaret.htm

It is how one woman with a five dollar bill got the ball rolling on a project which today serves many people.

Then, the rest of the story.

My wife and I were the first Direct Care staff hired by Hope Homes, Inc. and we were the first house parents. I worked there for 8 years, my wife (ex) put in 27.

In the early days there were 4 admins, and 2 staff. During the first couple of years we gave many speeches and presentations to groups to tell the story (and raise the funds).

We were very effective with the development because we told our stories about the residents. Made them come alive. It wasn't very long into the thing we (me) started to develop some direct mail campaigns. The truth is, at that time, they didn't need a lot of help because TWO groups of churches had a dedicate Hope Homes day for giving.

As we grew, and as our residents became a part of the community, the giving increased. At every turn, every new home proposal we were fought tooth and nail because the "ignorant" didn't want "them" living next door.

Anyhow, to help your cause, quit thinking of them as "donors" and think of people.

A Harvard "Baby Lab" is showing that goodness comes packaged with us (as does other innate concepts) and we want to help other people.

Surely, you can find tons of examples and like others have said, SHOW them how their contribution did (or would) help and just tell them a true story.

Good luck with your efforts.

gjabiz

Arfa,

In order to help them, you have to know what their current fundraising strategies are.

Until you do, you're playing 'pin the tail on the donkey.'

You have to know what resources are leveragable. For instance, how do they generate their current donations? What are their current fundraising metrics?

8 key fundraising metrics - TheNonProfitTimes

I'm not asking because I want to know here. I'm asking because if you want to help them, you have to take inventory of the fundraising assets they have in play. And then come up with either tactical or strategic solutions.

In other words, poor email open rates and lackluster direct mail campaigns performance may be a SYMPTOM of something amiss and not a cause of poor fundraising results.

This is a tricky distinction, but I hope you get it.

- Rick Duris

You are right and she is right.

However you are both right in different ways.

She is right because she can say we have unemployed single mums who donate and we have accountants and lawyers who donate and we have millionaire business people who donate.

But they don't donate the same amounts for the same reasons so this is why you are right too.

Quick proof of this.

NSPCC will use blanket flyers, door knocking and TV Ads to bring in the cake if you like.

But this is not how they get the icing.

They target companies, company bosses (gained from lists) sports people, wealthy people in the public eye eg Dragons on Dragons Den, and they pitch them differently for a much much bigger result.

The sports person may be pitched to be the host of 'An evening with...' type event concluding with an auction.

The small businesses will be pitched on attending 'An evening with...' for £150 per table of 6 which is exciting for staff of those businesses to attend (get it?)

Wealthy individuals will be pitched on a place at Top Table etc etc

And then the auction starts after the food is settled (thermostat usually turned up a notch ) and wine (not applicable to you)

I am not saying do that but I am saying that most charities operate in this way.

Segmentation does occur and the message delivered to each segment is different.

Your message to divert these donations from 3rd World to UK is down to you. I can't help you with that.

But is it the open rate you want or the result?

Segmentation can increase the result even if open rates stay the same.

You just need to understand the hot button behind each group.

The Sainsbury Wing at The National Gallery

The British Library with the names of doners carved for perpetuity in the walls. Bigger donation = bigger font (?)

What is the womens refuge called? Name it after the biggest donor. That sort of thing. Charity should not be ego driven. One could argue that that defeats the object.

But I can tell you that it matters not one jot whether it is non religious or religious or what that religion is, ego comes into it.

You get the idea.

Dan

PS: Forgot to add my usual disclaimer on this forum. I am not a Copywriter, what do I know?

...I think I may be asked to do a charity campaign.

Arfa, I'm so glad you asked your question, I too needed to know the answers.

And thanks everyone for the replies.

Immensely useful.


Steve

Useful insights Dan - certainly food for thought!

My sister only approached businesses for the concorde dinner and we had a guest speaker, the main attraction was a guided tour of the concorde (which btw is TINY inside, I was truly shocked!) and an auction where they had things like Mohammed Ali's gloves for grabs, a famous tennis players racquet and several other items up for grabs...

What was humbling was seeing people raise their hand to donate £10,000 at a time (3 people did that) without so much as flinching. I'd LOVE to be in that position one day!

Back to the question at hand, there's some real gold on this thread so thank you to everyone!

Arfa,

Ask the accountant to print out a list of the top 10% of donors in terms of dollars. Another list with the next 10% in terms of dollars. And another list with the next 20%.


Find the commonalities within each group. I promise you, they exist. Once you have the names, you can look them up via social media (youtube, facbebook, twitter, linkedin) and start coding patterns.

I'd really focus on the "why". Why do they really donate: to remove shame and guilty in their life, because they believe in the cause, because of some deep internal pain they experienced a long time ago (rape victims for example) and they want to help those who have suffered like them, or is it because they want to inspire?

If possible, and this world be very helping, interview your top tier donors and ask:

• Personal Hero? Why?
• Real life villain? Why?
• Greatest enemy? Why?
• Favorite book? Why?
• Favorite movie? Why?

Look for the theme's or issues that come up. You'll fine distinctly different patterns in each dollar group, as well as commonalities.

Hammer in those pain points and make your organization the solution to their deepest issues.

And this a really key: make the organization the solution to THEIR personal issue.

For example, by donating $5 a month, one less woman will be raped on her way to get water that morning. That $5 is the difference between living in constant fear or being able to live without it.

Did this help at all?

Adam