Why you should Hand Write your Thank You’s

Picture Source: http://z6.co.uk/sr7qg8

You know what its like when you get a hand written thank you card, it makes you feel special. Don’t we want to make our donors feel special?

So is it worth taking the time to hand write your thank you notes?

Its possibly not realistic to hand-write all your thank you notes, but maybe you could take the time to write one a day? Ask all your staff to write one a day.

I think by doing this something else will happen in your organisation. You will start to look at all your appreciation communications. As you hand write a note you will look for ways to relate the donation to the donor, to talk about impact, to really personalise it. Thats not something we do with mail merge. We tend to categorise donations into campaign pigeon holes and so the person that responded to mailing X gets thanks letter X and the person that donated because of event Y gets thank you letter Y.

By taking the time to hand write some notes, not only will you make those donors feel great (do it randomly too, dont just pick the big cheques), you will start to think about how you can apply this right across your organisation.

So while the idea of hand writing all your thank you notes may be a bit idealogical, you should look at how you can apply your hand written note thinking to all your thank you letters (should they be letters by the way?)

Amnesty’s “Read it or Bin It” insert – follow up from Amnesty

I posted a few weeks ago about the insert in the UK papers that Amnesty did called Read it or Bin it (you can read that post here).

I asked a few questions in the post and got a really nice response from Fiona McLaren, Amnesty’s Online Communities Editor. She told me that the team werent able to share any stats (always disappointed with that) but were happy to share some of the insight into how the campaign came about, thought you may be interested to read what they had to say

“The ‘bin it’ creative was produced specifically for the insert marketplace. Learning from other successful creatives suggested that less can be more with inserts and that we should try to get the reader to the point of the ask very quickly. So it was designed to explain the work of Amnesty International in a very short, simple and engaging way. It was first tested in Feb 2010 and out-performed, both in terms of response rate and ROI, two other test pieces. We are now rolling it out to insert media we have used successfully in the past including newspapers like The Guardian, Observer, Scotland on Sunday, The Independent and Indy on Sunday and periodicals like The Week, New Statesman, Big Issue and Time Out. At the moment, we have no plans to use the creative in other acquisition mediums but we will see how the roll out campaign works before considering other acquisition activity.” – Alistair Baggs, Senior Direct Marketing Coordinator

Top Charities know what buttons to push

This is the title of a page from the An Post website where three Irish Charities share their insights into Direct Marketing. The presentations are all on the site, free to download. Worth taking a look

You can find them here

Sunday Times Rich List 2010

The 2010 Sunday Times Rich List was released yesterday.  Every Fundraiser in the country probably has one but its still a useful resource.  Apparently there will be some information online next week for those that didnt get a copy.

They do have an annual giving list, which is great, and the paper reports that:

Crucially, we find that the rich are still opening their wallets for charitable activity. Our annual Giving List shows that the top 100 charitable givers donated £2.493billion last year, down £324m from £2.817 billion the year before.

Although this represents an 11.5% fall, most of the charity accounts relate to the year to April 2009 — a period when the fortunes of the super-rich were plummeting by the day, leading to the 37% fall in their wealth reported in the 2009 Rich List. So, relatively speaking, philanthropy remains buoyant, with several windfall donations establishing foundations that will generate huge sums for generations to come.

Is this just Cause-Washing?

Piaras Kelly posted a picture of the front Page of today’s Sunday Independent on Twitter last night. Here it is

source:http://twitpic.com/1i5k1b

This money is, according to the Sunday Independent, his disputed bonus, and apparently:

a close associate of Mr Fingleton, speaking with authority, declared: “Mr Fingleton has never said he would keep the money for his own personal use. This was an option he never once considered. His intention always was to quietly distribute these funds to a number of Irish charities. It is still his preference that this should happen.” (source Sunday Independent)

I like how he wanted to do it quietly, but its now front page news!!

For those who don’t know ” Mr Fingleton resigned as chief executive of the building society in April 2009 after it emerged that he had received the bonus just weeks after the Government introduced the State bank guarantee the previous September. Mr Fingleton promised in March 2009 to voluntarily return the money, even though he was “entitled beyond any doubt” to receive it.” (Irish Times)

But should any charity accept this money?

When I saw the picture on Twitter last night I wondered if this is one of those instances where charities should say “No Thanks”. Something about it just feels wrong.

I am not sure it would be a wise move for any charity to accept this money. The term green washing is used to describe “the unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue by an organization to create a pro-environmental image  after being embroiled in  an environmental controversy“.

I think this alleged move by the former banker is akin to what I call Cause-Washing.

The temptation to accept his donation is huge, it could create a massive Impact to a charity, I get that (trust me I get it!). But I think all too often charities are used as scape goats. We often hear the phrase “But its for a good cause”. Well thats not good enough. We need to be able to take a position that this isn’t in the best interest of our cause, our long term goals, and most importantly our donors, and turn this donation down.

In the brief discussion on Twitter Richard Dixon made the great point that the donation would have “short term good, but what does it do to long term brand value? You’d forever be “the charity that took 1m from …”

I would love to hear from any charity that is offered the funds and if they have taken the step to turn the donation down. And if they accept it, what made them make that choice?

Face to Face Fundraising

Mark Phillips posted this over on his blog earlier….and I thought it was well worth re-posting and sharing with any of you who may not have seen it. I have also put in another video, a genuine recruitment video from a face to face company….do you see any similarities?

Do photo-calls work?

I met with two people connected to the organisation I work for last week and we were chatting about things in general and during the conversation we discussed, naturally, other charities in our space.

The two gentlemen I was with both commented on a picture that was on the front page of one of the largest national newspapers that morning, both talking about what that charity did etc… I hadn’t seen the piece in the paper so I went into a shop to look at a copy and see what they were talking about.

Here it is, great picture, front page. I am sure everyone in the charity was just over the moon that day.

picture taken from the Irish Independent Front Page

But guess what….both men that I spoke to named the wrong charity. They both thought the launch was for a totally different charity then it actually was for.

Now of course this is only anecdotal, but it certainly begs the question, are we right in pursuing this kind of PR. I know I am prone to fall into default mode of, lets do a photo call. It’s realitively easy, it ticks a lot of boxes (normally keeping a sponsor sweet), but what impact does it have. And we are all about Impact right?

It clearly didnt resonate with my colleagues, it certainly wasnt going to compel them to act (if it did they would have been acting for the wrong cause). So does this kind of PR really work? Are we measuring it (beyond the ad-value of the piece landing on the front page of the paper?).

Maybe the question is, what kind of PR does work for non profits? I would love to hear from PR professionals either inside or outside of the non profit world and get their thoughts on what they are doing differently?

As it happens it was a launch for that Jack and Jill Foundation who have set up a site called www.jackandjillflowers.ie

“Regular giving trends return to pre-recession levels”

Rapidata today released the first full tracking report for charity direct debit donations, and the news looks good (well better), with a return to pre-recession donation cancellation levels and increases to both the volume and value of regular giving (see executive summary below).  

Its great to have this information available to the sector and Rapidata should be applauded for this research.  Some of the key findings are:

• Direct debit donation cancellations fall to pre-recession levels
• First ever sector analysis of direct debit average gift shows an increased gift for 54% of charities in 2009
• Volume of direct debit donations increase by 14% (2008-09)
• Income by direct debit donations increase by 18% (2008-09)
• Average gift breakdown by cause shows children’s charities top the chart, while international charities made biggest growth during 2009

According to the Press Release

For the first time, Rapidata’s Charity Direct Debit Tracking Report 2010: The Full Picture provides not only the latest benchmark figures for direct debit cancellations (up to the end of March 2010) but a comprehensive analysis of direct debit regular giving.  The new elements include: charity direct debit volume, income and average gift levels and explores the changes from 2008 to 2009.  The 2010 report also provides details about how donors cancel their direct debit donations and what charities can do when armed with this information.  Benchmark statistics in these areas have not previously been available to the charity sector and provide significant new insights for the current state of regular charitable giving.

Scott Gray, Managing Director of Rapidata Services Plc says of the new information,

“Cancellations of donations will inevitably rise in a global recession, but donors have shown that they are also willing to increase their support and commitment, understanding that this is as much a difficult time for charities and, ultimately, their beneficiaries, as it is for themselves.”

 Professor Adrian Sargeant, Professor of Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising of Bristol Business School and Professor of Fundraising of Indiana University previewed the analysis and responded,

“This report provides some fascinating insights into donor behaviour and some of the very first evidence to suggest that the worst of the donation losses due to the recession may finally have come to an end.

You can download the full report here 

Executive Summary

Rapidata’s Charity Direct Debit Tracking Report 2010: The Full Picture

 

Overall fall in cancellation rates

2009 saw direct debit cancellation rates fall substantially throughout the year, returning to pre-recession levels for the first time since June 2007. Cancellation rates began at a high of 5.63% in January and rates dropped steadily for the first half of the year, falling at a more accelerated pace in the second half before plummeting to 2.63% in December (versus 3.89% in December 2008). December 2009 was also the first month rates dropped below 3% since June 2007. The good news continues into 2010, with cancellation rates in January to March considerably lower than in the same months last year and in 2008.

The Cancellation Cycle for 2009/10 returns to pre-recession pattern

During the height of the recession, there was little evidence of the cyclical pattern for cancellation rates that we have seen over former years.  And yet, during the last half of 2009/10, the clear cyclical pattern for direct debit cancellation rates appears to have returned.  Rates even dipped below the pre-recession average in August and October, and again in January 2010.

Increase in value and volume of direct debit

Overall, the actual amount generated through direct debit donations rose significantly in 2009. The 117 charities within this data sample received just over £26m by direct debit donations, up from £22m in 2008 – an increase of approximately 18%.  The increased value was largely prompted by a substantial rise in the number of donations over the past year – an increase of 14%.

 Average gift direct debit amount revealed

This is the first time that it has been possible to reveal the average amount that charities receive per direct debit donation, amounting to almost £12. In 2008, the average monthly direct debit was £12.26. Last year, this fell slightly to £11.95 – a drop of 31p (2.6%). Meanwhile, 54% of charities saw an increase in their own average gift level in 2009.

 Some causes fared better than others in 2009

Overall income levels as well as the volume of direct debit payments increased across the board in 2009 and, while a slight majority of charities saw their own average gift amount increase, results varied depending on the cause. Detailed analysis was reserved for the top five causes (each represented by over 10 charities within this dataset); children, young people & families, healthcare & medical research, international, general social welfare and community.

 Out of these, children, young people and families now top the chart in terms of the highest average gift by cause at £13.11, while international causes yield the lowest level (£10.65). However, it looks as though this hierarchy may be shifting. 68% of international charities succeeded in increasing their average gift amount over the past year and this segment reported the highest annual rise in average gift, yielding a 38% rise in the overall value of donations.  General social welfare and community charities achieved substantial growth in the volume of donations, but reported a decrease in average gift from 2008 figures.

 Majority of donors cancel directly with their bank

Less than 10% of donors cancel directly with the charity. Instead, the vast majority – 68% of cancellations in 2009 – were from donors cancelling directly with their bank. 20% of cancellations last year came from direct debits being returned unpaid, and just 4% were a result of incorrect bank details meaning that payments could not be collected.

 Twice as many direct debits are failing because of insufficient funds

The percentage of failed direct debit payments due to a lack of funds in the bank account more than doubled between 2006 and 2009 (from 11.97% to 26.89%).  More and more charities are re-presenting direct debit donations in an attempt to secure payment the following month, constituting 6 in 10 of all unpaid direct debits in 2009.

Homer Simpson for Non Profits

Have you read this E-Book from the Network for Good?

If not, then stop everything you are doing right now, click on Homer and download the book, its well worth the read.

photo source: http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/

If you arent convinced by my Stop Everything and download it now plea, here is a bit more about the E-Book (but trust me just click here and download it!)

The Truth about How People Really Think and
What It Means for Promoting Your Cause

The success of your online outreach hinges on your understanding of the inner workings of the human mind. Learn the basics of the new and revolutionary field of behavioral economics and how you can use these principles to craft more effective messages that will win the hearts and minds of your audience.

People are not rational beings, but the patterns of irrationality are consistent, and understanding them is key to effective marketing and fundraising.Some ideas to look forward to:

• Small, not big – The bigger the scale of what you’re communicating, the smaller the impact on your audience
• Hopeful, not hopeless – People tend to act on what they believe they can change–If your problem seems intractable, enormous and endless, people won’t be motivated to help
• Peer pressure still works (Nope, it doesn’t end after high school) – People are more likely to do something if they know other people like them are doing it.

Haven’t downloaded it yet?? Ok last time…here’s the link

Incentivize

I don’t think there is anything wrong in incentivizing people to donate, but you need to be careful that the incentive isnt the motive for the donation, especially when its just a pledge based thing (ie pledge to donate now and you could win X). In their recent editorial Nudge, nudge, Chink, chink, nfpsynergy suggest that a nice incentive increases the average direct debit size.

If you are smart about your incentives they will also continue to work for you, continue to spread the word about your organisation and make the person who donates feel proud that they are one of your supporters. I love wearing the hoody of my favourite charity out and about, I take pride in the fact that I support them. Let your incentives do this job for you.

Another interesting way to work an incentive, that I saw to great effect recently, is to send it back to the person who the donation is being made for. Let me explain. Working on an appeal recently we encouraged people to make a donation and if it was over a certain amount we would then send a teddy bear, with their name on it, to a child who would benefit (in this case, sick in hospital).

The gut reaction for things like that is to reward the donor, send them the teddy, and yes there is merit in that. But this was a really great way to turn the incentive on its head. I took calls from donors who just loved the fact that we were sending a teddy with their name on it to a child. It was happening that day and the donors were able to check out the impact of the gift through audio and online (i would love to have had pictures of the children with the teddy from each donor sent to the donor….but not sure that is possible).

Whatever you decide to do with your incentives, make sure they continue to work for you, because they do work

UNICEF – Carbon Positive

The idea behind this site is that you calculate your Carbon Footprint and understand the impact your carbon footprint is having on vulnerable children, you can then donate to help UNICEF in their work.

It’s not altogether clear to me if they work on projects that help off set your carbon footprint as such? Or if its just a case of maybe you feel bad that your carbon footprint is so high that you make a donation?

The site is nice though, the calculating is easy enough (although I got stuck on energy usage) and it makes a donation suggestion based on your footprint.

Came Across this on Civil Society

How to write a Creative Brief

Paul Dervan posted this last week and my humble opinion is, its very good and something a lot of charities need to get better at.  But Paul actually knows what he is talking about and he says “ This is really good. Trust me on this one.” so its worth taking a look at.

Original content created by Nick Emmel.

Creative Brief Workshop

View more presentations from Nick Emmel.

Be Urgent

People don’t give because everything is ok. People give because there is a need. More importantly people give because there is a need NOW.

Create a real geniune sense of urgency in your appeals. Link it with a impact (ie your donation of X will do Y).

Let people know you need them to be the ones to act

Of course a word of warning, you can’t always use urgency, because your donors will see through it. It has to be genuine.

Comparative Charity Ads

This is an interesting debate and great post from Craig Linton the Fundraising Detective, what do you think?

Is Charity Comparative Advertising a Good Idea?

Could adverts like this soon feature charities? 

Possibly, after the Committee of Advertising Practice announced a consultation on whether to allow charities to use comparative advertising.

The announcement has been greeted with caution in Marketing Week and Third Sector  with worries that charities will focus any such adverts on efficiency, rather than impact.

So far the UK public have seemed relatively indifferent to comparing charities, with sites such as Intelligent Giving and Guidestar not really attracting too much attention or appearing to change giving behaviour.

I wonder if any charities will be bold and confident enough to use comparative ads? If they do, what would they compare themselves with? 

Here are a couple of ideas for adverts that might appear in the future…

Direct comparisons between rival charities

Last year we rescued 350 stray dogs, our rival only rescued 240.

For every £10 you give we feed 15 hungry children, charity x only feed 8 for £10.

We provided 300,000 hours of hands on care, our competitors only provided 150,000 hours.

Comparisons between charities generally

We only spend 5% of our income on admin costs, the charity average is 15%.

We help more animals in the UK than all the other animal charities put together.

More of our money goes direct to our beneficiaries than any other charity.

We spend less on adverts and junk mail than the top 10 fundraising charities.

Conclusion

If charity marketing was to go this way, then it could be a slippery slope with people losing their trust in charities generally and overall giving could be affected. I’ll watch how this progresses with interest.

 

Reading it made me feel a little uncomfortable….imagine a children’s hospital saying We care for more children than Great Ormond Street do (I can think of a few that may like to say that) ? Or the NSPCC and Barnardos going at eachother over who cares for neglected children better.

I think its a very negative road for us to go down and agree with Craig when he says that it could end up in people losing their overall trust in charities.

I asked the question on Twitter the other day asking for help in explaining why Impact is important for non profits. I think this shows why Impact is important. If you are demonstrating your Impact you dont need to go down the comparative route, you don’t need to say you are better than the other charity in a similar space. Your Impact tells that story.

This is certainly one to watch. And if you want to read some more thoughts Mark Phillips from Blue Frog has a great post today with his thoughts on it, read it here

If We Ran the World

I got the email below a few weeks ago from Paul Dervan.

Paul had been telling me about this site called If We Ran The World and he had decided to start using the site and was looking for me to do a micro-action on it. I had to look into this a bit more!

 The site was started by Cindy Gallop  “as a quick, simple and easy way for people and businesses to turn good intentions into action.”.

From what I understand Cindy set up the site because she knew how many people had good intentions but failed to turn these into actions. Lets face it we all do. So the premise of the site then became a way to connect people with needs to people with skills. They hope to “harnesses good intentions and download them into tangible, do-able microactions that anyone and everyone can do.”

So how does it work? Below is a summary of how it works from their website and you can find out more here

 

Decide what you want to do. Answering the question, ‘If you ran the world, what would you do?’ identifies what you care enough about to want to do something about. Make it as tangible and achievable as possible. Ideally, localize it. For example, if you’d like to ‘help the homeless’, why not decide to ‘start a food and clothing drive for the homeless shelter in my local community.’

When you answer the question, you have three choices: you can start an actionplatform of your own to make it happen. You’ll see the other actionplatforms (in yellow) related to your answer that other people have started, that you could join instead. And you’ll see all the microactions (color-coded) related to your answer that you could pick up instantly and do.

 

you choose to start your very own actionplatform – what microactions do you need to make it happen? Have a think about what the very smallest steps are that go to make up your actionplatform, and create them. Don’t overthink it – you can always go back and re-edit or re-order them. So, for the food and clothing drive for the homeless shelter, microactions might be:

• Ask local retailers to act as donation drop-off points
• Design a flyer to ask for donations from the community?
• Run off 200 photocopies of the flyer
• Put flyers up around neighborhood to tell people where to drop off donations

This site has such great potential, I like the fact that these are microactions, they are really do-able, think about how you can apply this to your organisation. Imagine connecting with a local company who would happily add 200 copies to their print run for you, or who would offer you a free meeting room, or add your 20 sandwiches to their catering order for your next volunteer meeting?? Simple things, that will help you out.

I had a few problems with the site. When Paul sent me the micro-action he wanted me to do it was a bit vague and so I was a little confused by the site and what it wanted me to do. But I think its actually Paul’s fault, he was vague. So the lesson there is make sure you spend time making your micro-action clear.

I think the homepage of the site needs a little more information on it too about what it wants you to do, what its all about. Again I was a little confused when I came back later to the home page to take a look around the site again. Just some more basic information would have been great.

Finally I thought the little tool bar at the bottom of the page was frustrating…it made it hard to read the whole page.

I plan on using this site and I would encourage you to use it. Like anything the more of us that use it the more populated it becomes and the more effective it is. Click here to visit IfWeRanTheWorld