The Fall of Fundraising

I may be the only non profit marketer who is thinking this right now, but I think fall is a horrible time to do fundraising. To be more clear, rather I think it's a horrible idea to wait until fall to do fundraising. In fact, I think it's downright wasteful, irresponsible, and fails to appreciate the relational aspects of generating support for an organization.

As marketers, we know that it would be silly of us to be quiet for nine months of the year and then try to make all our annual sales quota in the last three months. We also know that in order to get consumers to buy our products or services, we need to constantly remind them of our value, our uniqueness, and the big damn difference we can make in their lives or businesses.

But since it's fundraising, let's ignore the simple laws of relationships and marketing and postpone everything until the last minute; 'cause that is the way we've always done it, right?!?!

Don't get me wrong, there's a good reason for our current practice in that many giving organizations will begin evaluating their budgets and see what they have left in terms of dollars to spend. Some may even be looking for some tax benefits. And still others are preparing for the following year so it makes sense to get on their radar screen now. BUT, way too many non profit marketers try to do ALL parts of their fundraising in these last three months. Again, not a good idea.

I will freely admit that I am not an expert in fundraising. Yes, I've generated monies for the organizations I've been involved in, but not to the extent that professional development people have. But I am an expert marketer and I do understand human nature -- and one key element to keep in mind is that fundraising begins at the moment your organization is first introduced to someone and continues until either you close your doors or that person's will is finally executed. Fundraising is a way of being, a way of communicating, a golden thread that must be woven through every communication and interaction with your community. This is not to say that you're always asking for money. On the contrary, what it means is that you're always giving your community reasons for them to see the value in supporting your mission.

Perhaps this fall, as you begin writing your annual ask letter and start your push through the end of 2009, you'll also begin a parallel path of looking at how you can retool your organization's interactions and communications with your community to create reasons for funding, create opportunities to demonstrate value, and communicate your big damn difference in such a way that people come to you with open wallets before you even ask them.

-- David Kinard, PCM

What Are Your 2010 Priorities?

Believe it or not, we're quickly approaching the telltale time of the year where marketers start peering into their crystal balls and try to predict what's going to happen in the coming year -- or otherwise known as the annual budgeting process. The challenge, however, is knowing what is going to be important, and what should be culled away as chaff.

According to a survey by virtual events provider Unisfair, your priorities are simple: Grow customers (or members), show how smart you are, and serve your customers in richer/fuller ways.


But while marketers may all think those are reasonable priorities, how to achieve those results vary widely. Not surprisingly, all things social media and online continue to drive to the top of the tactic list for most marketers.


But before you go out and plan your online strategy, build your budgets, or even set in stone your own priorities for 2010, ask yourself a simple question -- WHY DO YOU EXIST? And please, don't write the generic answer that's quick and easy to come by. Write a detailed and specific answer, one that defines your reason for being. Then you're ready to ask yourself the burning questions related to 2010 priorities such as:

1. How do we do this better?
2. How do we reach people who need what we have?
3. How do we find resources that match our vision and goals?
4. How do we engage in dialogue and communication to generate conversations?
5. How will we know if we made a big-damn-difference at the end of 2010?

Or, you can take the easy path and just do more of what you did this year -- more of the same -- hoping for a different outcomes (isn't that the definition of insanity?).

-- David Kinard, PCM

Making a Big, Damn, Difference

Recently, I unplugged. I decided to unplug from the socially-networked world and just be quiet. I found myself getting caught up in all the hype and frenetic pace of blogging, twittering, RSS-ing, and Facebooking that I forgot what I was doing there in the first place. You see, I started this blog because I wanted to equip and enable marketers to increase their ability to market for good (and yes, the double entendre is intended). But what I found was that I started posting just to keep up rather than because I had something to say that was important.

Earlier this month, marketing celebrity and pontificater Seth Godin wrote a blog entry entitled The Problem with Non. I think it's safe to say that non profit marketers and leaders got their underpants in a twist over the things he noted. Seth being right or wrong isn't the point of this blog entry. Many have already voiced their opinions to what he said (read here, here, and here). What struck me, and frankly pulled me from my self-imposed social media fasting, was that non profits continue to struggle to find their own voices.

Even in a sea of communications options, and with decades of instruction on how to craft stories, generate dialogue, and connect on an intimate level with communities, most non profits still fail at what I think is the single most important part of what they do -- telling the world why they are the only option for solving the problem they address. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead said it best, "You don't want to be considered the best at what you do. You want to be the only one doing what you're doing." I love that.

To me, it isn't (as Seth notes) that non profits have failed at taking advantage of social media, but that most interactions with non profits are non events in themselves. Godin asks, "When was the last time you had an interaction with a non profit that blew you away?" Sadly, I think the answer is not frequently enough.

YES, there are non profits out there that are changing lives via one, two, or two hundred people at a time. YES, there are non profits that are making a difference in the world by building schools, feeding the hungry, digging wells, and even holding the hand of a lonely person who is on their death bed. YES, there are non profits that are blowing people away on a regular basis. But again, I think those are the exceptions, not the rule.

Finding our voices as non profits isn't about finding the tool to carry it. It's about being unique, being special, being the only ones. It's about making a big-damn-difference and then TELLING and SHOWING how if you weren't there that something huge and important would be lost.

I am ranting, I know. But to me we have an important opportunity right now to do our craft better...to not just accept the mediocrity forced upon us by our tight budgets or lack of resources. We have an opportunity to become the topic, become the solution, and become the voice that is heard from the mountain tops.

Earlier I noted that I took some time off to stop and listen. To unplug. I think that break was refreshing. It reminded me of my own purpose, and got me thinking about how non profits market -- and what we do well and what we fail to do. So, here's to a reenergized season of marketing for good. And while we're on this journey together, let's see if we can become the big-damn-difference we're trying to make in the world.

-- David Kinard, PCM