Charity Chatter

It's NOT What They Say

It's What They DO

Besides death and taxes, one additional thing you can count on from people, is that we're really inconsistent and we don't often know what we want or like.  Allow me to explain... 

How often have you heard any of the following:

• I dislike negative political advertisements and/or will not vote for a candidate who uses them.
• I dislike shock advertisements.
• I am not influenced by advertising.
• I won't donate to organizations who send labels in the mail. 

In reality - people do respond to these things.  So while we may not like negative political advertising - we tend to vote the way they want us to.  We may not like shocking advertisements, but they get our attention and many people respond by giving, advocating and/or changing behaviours as a result of those ads. 

Sometimes, this happens because the person "saying" they don't like it, is not the person you are trying to reach.  However, they are often they the same person.  Their actions are simply inconsistent with their words.  They aren't dishonest.  They are simply... human.

Do as I say... not as I do.

People are so inconsistent - that we have a cliche' that acknowledges how inconsistent we are. When you read your survey's or conduct your focus groups - or when you're out talking with your donors... remember, that what they say they think, may not be consistent with how they act.

You must be considerate and respectful of what they say, but you must also accept and act in a manner that responds to what they do.   

Knowing what people do and inspiring them to "Do" in support of your charity, is your job.  Be aware that often there's a difference between "Say and Do" - and be prepared to negotiate the difference.

Of Fanbois and Fanatics

Sports teams have long had "fanatics" - as have celebrities and other well known characters.  In my gaming days we referred to them as "fanbois". These days, as I watch human behaviours on social networks, I see no shortage of those same characteristics for companies, bloggers, popular Twitter personalities and more.

Today Apple launched its iPad.  I see a larger, iTouch with very minor improvements. I certainly don't see anything impressive, innovative or magical.  I don't see my life being made any more convenient than it is today.  I will still need my laptop and a blackberry or iPhone.  It's a cool toy - that will undoubtedly be useful to people who don't need all the functionality of a laptop.

The iPad is all the rage for some fanbois and fanatics.  I keep hearing things like "this is the future of mobile".  From my perspective, it's nothing I can't get in an iPhone... and an iPhone is also a phone!  Lets face it, this is something most people don't need.  However, the beauty of having fanatics and fanbois is that you can do anything and they will love it... and they will give you their money.  Fans are also fabulous because they passionately support you.  In difficult times, they will stick with you and talk about your good work.  They are your champions.  On the other hand, if you're the unfortunate person who happens to upset the fans... you'd better pull out your virtual armor.  You could be seriously, (albeit virtually) subjected to some very unpleasant comments.

Apple is just one example.  A few others that I've witnessed in recent days involve a Vanity Fair article which referred to some female twitter personalities using unflattering language, the issues surrounding Wyclef Jean's charity, Yele Haiti and another incident where a fundraiser made some well reasoned critcisms of a popular blogger whose fundraising efforts had been lackluster.  In at least two of these cases, there were some very difficult days for the parties involved. 

In the worst situations, this can reach unthinkable proportions on the internet.  Blog comments will fly by at a frenzied pace, Twitter hash-tags will light up, facebook wall comments will scroll by the hundreds (or thousands) and if you're on the receiving end of the fan fury, you may find yourself up against what feels like an unstoppable force.  Do not think that this won't reach the traditional media or your donors. It can and your phone lines and email inbox will be next.  I don't say this to discourage people from communicating online, but rather to understand the potential pitfalls and to be prepared should they occur.

As with all things internet, be cautious of what you say.  Always have a communications plan to deal with a potential Twitter-storm or other potential social media unrest.  Don't disregard those early signs of discontent online.  It's far better to acknowledge it and address it, than it is to ignore it.

Apple has done a remarkable job of cultivating an impressive following of fanatics. Steve Jobs is not trying to be all things to all people.  He's built a remarkable community and he makes products for that community.  As a result, that community sticks with him and each time he creates something, that dedicated group of fans will buy it - whatever it is.  Go Steve!

What has your charity done to build a fan-base of dedicated, loyal supporters who will donate every time you ask, and who will stick with you through difficult days and challenging times?  There is value to be found in those people - when cultivated well and managed appropriately. 

What are you capable of becoming?

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I quite like the idea of surrounding myself with people who help me and perhaps even push me, to become all that I am capable of being.  I think this is what good leaders & managers do. 

In a recent conversation, it was suggested that there are very few good managers in the fundraising profession.  I'd suggest that there are few good managers and leaders everywhere, but I can see why it may be a greater challenge in the charitable sector and fundraising profession.  Although some people are naturally good managers and leaders, most people have to learn management and leadership skills - and that requires time, effort and money.  I would argue that it's a cost effective investment, but many people don't appreciate the long term ROI of good management - so, it's a tough sell.

Managing Well on Day 1

The Goethe quote provides a great start to managing well, before you hire someone.

I wonder... when interviewing fundraising candidates - are managers asking: "What is the candidate capable of becoming and how can I help them achieve that?"   Similarly, fundraisers should ask themselves:  "What is the organization is capable of becoming, and how can I help it become that?" 

If you find alignment in the responses to that question - you've got an excellent starting point for a good manager/employee relationship.

Of course, this won't solve the challenge of cultivating great managers in the fundraising profession; but given the nature of a fundraisers work, I think it's a great opportunity for reflection - and probably worth pondering, from time to time.

Events, Donors & More Lessons Learned: The Tent Card Trilogy

Recently I wrote 2 blogs on some tent cards I created for a formal Gala.  The first talked about the creative process I underwent to create them, while the second discussed an error that occured on the tent card.  Both of these blogs discussed some key lessons I learned along the way.  This is my update and self critique on that intitiative - painful as it is.  Thus my unofficial title for these 3 blogs is: The Tent Card Trilogy.

Know Thy Audience

When I first worked on the tent cards, one of the organizations' staff said to me: These people (referring to people of financial means) don't want to be bothered with monthly payments.  I told her that she may be right, but I wasn't convinced that the single donation card was the way to go and I wanted to TRY monthly donations as a test.  My tent cards received high praise from colleagues, friends, and fundraisers.  I felt good about it.

They failed horribly.  Previous years results were 50K, and then 15K the year after that.  This year, the cards thus far have resulted in 3K.  Now the question is:  WHY??  I didn't expect the tent cards alone to do the work.  I had 7 people walking the floor; 4 fundraisers from other agencies, and 3 young adults with disabilities (and their 1:1 facilitators).  Throughout the night I consulted with them to determine what kind of feedback they were receiving and how each person was doing.

I am not convinced that executives and professionals have some sort of aversion to monthly donations.  In fact, I reject that argument until I see some data to support it.  If anyone has good data on this - please share!  However, having now experienced this black-tie gala and based on the feedback of my volunteers, I do have some ideas as to why this initiative failed:

• This audience was there for a party - with a tremendous number of auction items.  90% of the evening is taken up with auctions for 15, 20 & 30K vacations, BMW cars and other very high ticket items for auction. 
• More than 60% of the guests approached indicated that they didn't know what the charity did.  That's problematic for me in general and for a monthly donor initiative.
• The spectacle outshines the charity:  The amazing decor, auction items, entertainment and genreral size of the facility required to hold several hundred auction items, tables for 1700 people, the photography booth and many other "attractions" make it difficult, if not impossible to deliver any message to the guests.
• You need a very specific kind of volunteer to grab a guests attention in this environment and they are not easy to find.

Seven Faces of Philanthropy

Once again we go back to basics and review our seven faces... these were pure socialite givers.  They were there for a spectacular party with other guests from within their social networks.  They were pleased that their attendance benefitted a charity - but it could've been ANY charity.  They had no real tie to the charity's mission.  Monthly donors need to feel some sort of connection to the charity and/or cause they support and to acquire guests as monthly donors, you need an opportunity to present them with a compelling reason to care. 

That said - even single donations were down.  Only one of my volunteers had any real consistent success in soliciting donations - her name is Emily. 

Emily: The highlight of my night

Emily is a firecracker!  She is a young adult with Down Syndrome and in her words "I AM ON FIRE!"... She was the best part of the night for me.  One of my fundraiser volunteers said to me: "She has more self confidence than anyone else in this room" - and she was right.  I will remember Emily forever.  In my opinion, Emily outshone everyone and everything at the event.  Thanks Emily!

People couldn't say no to Emily.  While I suspect that her disability played a role in that - it's also important to note that I had 2 other young adults with Down Syndrome on my team and they didn't enjoy the same performance.  Emily has an innate ability to make people smile and laugh.  She always started with a compliment - and guests enjoyed her.  Still, even Emily couldn't obtain a single monthly donor, although she solicited 90% of all the single donations. 

Conclusion

There are many factors that contributed to the poor performance of the monthly donor initiative at the gala.  Certainly the fact that the first 3 speakers reminded our guests about how bad the economy is, didn't help. (Hint - do NOT remind people how bad the economy is at a party!) The 35 ballon bust sales people circulating the tables asking guests for $50.00 for their raffle was difficult to compete with; and of course the silent auction items, the live auction items, the challenge of conveying an impactful, mission oriented message to 1700 people more interested in wandering around a massive shopping facility with hundreds of awe-inspiring auction items etc. etc.

However, in the end - I think it comes down to knowing your audience.  I assumed that at least 10 - 20% of the attendees would feel a strong affinity with the charity and they did not. 

Next Year?

I will recommend that we do not proceed with the "Sponsor A Camper" initiative at next years gala.  After 22 years, the audience for this gala "is what it is" and is well established.  I may recommend that we combine the initiative with the balloon bust.  Perhaps offering people who sign up for $10 a month monthly donation a ballon bust raffle ticket might work - although I suspect even if we had a high response rate, we'd see a very high level of attrition.  So unless my post-event analysis changes or my peers and colleagues offer me some additional insight, I think the sponsor a camper initiative should seek a new home: door to door/face to face fundraising, perhaps?

There is a finite amount of money that people are going to spend at an event.  For this event - and this audience, I do not believe that a monthly donation initiative is a good fit. 

Now I need to figure out what to do with the estimated 400 remaining tentcards... any thoughts?

Thus ends the Tent Card Trilogy, and adds to my growing list of "lessons learned" in The Adventures of Fundraising: An extreme sport! (maybe that should be the name of this blog?)

Never Go Back Again!

My former manager Michael Campbell is a very smart fellow.  As the former VP, Director of Marketing for Pearson Education (the Umbrella company responsible for Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley and several other excellent publishing imprints), Michael was an inspirational manager, who challenged us all to think in multiple dimensions.

Michael is now operating his own Marketing Consulting Company.  I visited his website today and came across a fantastic quote that really sums up Michaels approach to life and work - and is extremely relevant to my recent post on "Thinking Differently":

A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions. ~ Anonymous

I love this quote.  It's really quite a brilliant notion.  To do/think/act in a way that results in literally changing the way you perceive the world -- FOREVER!  That is something worth savouring. 

In my current contract, I am presented with a multitude of organizational and functional perplexities that often frustrate me, but also provide me with opportunities to think anew.  My initial reaction is to see the roadblock or challenge and "feel" the frustration.  This quote, reminds me that once I've discovered the path, negotiated a new direction or shaped a new solution, I have literally changed the way I think -- and from here forward, I will see everything in a way I've never seen it before. 

This is something I've experienced since taking up photography.  I see a burr or a snail as a thing of beauty.  A bike ride in a rainstorm isn't an annoyance, it's a chance to get pictures of worms doing cool things that worms do!   

Thanks Michael - for the brilliant reminder. Great quote... and as usual, great work!

** On a side note, I also find it interesting that the most outstanding managers and leaders from my past who taught and inspired me so well - continue to do so in the present.  Perhaps that's a blog for another day...   

Kevin Donovan: Singing Sweetly

A couple quick notes about Mr. Donovan.

After posting my blog, Mr. Donovan and I exchanged a couple emails.  The first thing I'd like to note is a correction.  Mr. Donovan is an investigative reporter for The Star, however, he was not the writer of each of those stories.  Mr. Donovan did state that he fully supports the work of the writer of those stories, Mr. David Bruser.

He Seemed Like Such a Nice Man!

Mr. Donovan was very kind and polite in his emails to me.  I didn't request his permission to share the contents of the emails, so I'll keep to generalizations about the exchange.  Mr. Donovan pointed out that The Star writes many positive stories about charities.  I revisited the website and using The Stars' search engine, I found precious few of those positive stories. If this is incorrect, they need to invest in a better seach engine. 

Still, my comments weren't about The Star.  My comments were about Mr. Donovans' charity investigations and the stories that result from those investigations.  I do not object to his investigations - nor do I object to writing fair stories about those investigations.  On the contrary, I think it's incredibly important that charities conduct themselves in an honest, reliable and transparent manner - and that the public is informed when they fail to do so.  I think the work Mr. Donovan does is very important!

BAD, AWFUL, HORRID, good, nice, helpful 

My concern is that there is precious little positive to balance out the negative as he portrays it.  With over 82,000 charities in Canada, it's not surprising that you will find some instances of poor practices and a very few who abuse or scam people.  It's imperative that these organizations be uncovered and corrected - and if appropriate, closed down.  However, out of those 82,000 charities so very many are doing good things, great things... remarkable things!  We hear precious little about those organizations.

People who work in marketing, sales and/or the media, know that negative sells.  Negativity is the "easy route".  In sales the mantra was: "People will move away from pain more quickly and easily than they will move toward pleasure".  Our goal was ALWAYS identify their pain... then show them how we could provide pleasure by removing that pain and voila' - sale closed! This is why politicians rely so heavily on negative ads.  They work! Not only do they work in the short-term, people also tend to remember negative stories and ads for a very long time.  It takes a lot more work and skill to sell positive, good news stories.  It's a far greater challenge.  Personally - I thrive on challenge.  Do you Mr. Donovan? 

If Mr. Donovan took the passion, drive and talent he has and applied it with the same degree of zeal that he puts into his negative stories... could he sell positive?  I think he could.  He may have to do more revisions and choose his words more carefully to fully maximize the storys' impact, but he could do it.  It is important that he continues to investigate and expose the few bad apples that exist.  But he can choose to sing more than one tune.

Sing Out Loud.. Sing Out Strong!

I believe Mr. Donovan sincerely wants to make the charitable sector better.  I believe he genuinely wants people to have faith in charities.  However, his approach needs to be refined.  Nobody benefits if his current approach results in people becoming so distrustful of charities that they cease contributing to all charities. 

So Mr. Donovan - sing loud and sing proud.  Be the canary in the coal mine!  But please, sing sweetly now and then.  Sing praises that inspire, motivate and compel people to act.  You have the power to educate, inform, and involve people across the country!  Not only do your stories have the ability to help the charitable sector improve their policies and practices - your stories.. YOU.. have the power to help make the world a better place.

It may be a little harder, Mr. Donovan.  But I promise you - it's worth the extra effort. 

Look Again!

This summer I began biking.  I would ride my bike and every so often, I'd notice the smallest things; remarkable things... stunning things!  One day, I decided to bring a little point and shoot camera with me to capture these things.  Wouldn't you know it?  With my camera, I noticed even more beauty, oddity, interesting, wonderful - picture-worthy things.

It's now winter and I don't ride.  I miss those rides.  Not only was it great to push my physical limits, but my entire perspective changed when I spent each day finding new beauty along the same old bike path. 

This year I left my job and career of 13+ years, to enroll in the Fundraising and Volunteer Management, post graduate program at Humber College and pursue a new career.  After having spent years working very autonomously, I was now expected to be in a classroom every day and to work on a large number of team based projects.  It was a big change and a huge adjustment for me - and for everyone else in the class, no doubt.

We all survived.  I think in our own way - we all thrived.  Perfect strangers became friends.  People who didn't "fit" became part of the family.  In just over 3 months, a micro-society developed.  The term is over and assignments done (until January) and people have time to reflect.  And as I reflect on the past 3 months, I feel much like I do when I take my camera on bike rides.  In my mind, I am able to think of each person and recall something I learned; something I appreciate now - that I hadn't before. 

Each person in the program is absolutely devoted to making the world a better place.  Each has their own area of interest, their own passion... their own gift that they will contribute to a cause that improves the life of someone, somewhere.  If you happen to run into one of these fine folks...  look closer. 

 

You'll see some remarkably talented, committed and compelling individuals. 

Things this motley crew taught me (or reminded me)?

• One person's flaw is another person's valued character trait.
• Sometimes you just gotta say... "screw it".
• It may take time to really SEE a person for who they are... take that time.  It's worth it.
• If these people are represenative of "the future", the world will be a better place.
• Finally - and far less importantly.. I really like the music of my youth!

To the Fundraising and Volunteer Management Class of '07/08.. Happy Holidays!