A gift of nothing...

I wanted to say a special thank you to 'Agents of Good', a brilliant group of fundraisers whom I am fortunate enough to work with. This year instead of sending a gift basket or a box of chocolates, they sent the gift of nothing - and by nothing I mean possibly the best gift of all.

Instead of sending client gifts this year, they provided toys for children at a home for disabled children in Uganda. You can find photos and additional information on the Agents of Good blog.

Thank you John, Jen and Mark for your awesome gift, and a reminder of what is really important this holiday season. Have a wonderful Christmas, and I look forward to working with you more in 2010.

Tis the season...for gift catalogues!

I LOVE Gift Catalogues. I think they are a fantastic way of honoring your loved ones while improving the lives of people around the world. The truth is, most people on your gift list probably don't need, or even want, anything for Christmas. According to a poll conducted for World Vision by Ipsos Read in 2007, 8 out of 10 Canadians said they didn't need anything, and eighty-four per cent agreed that they would prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else, rather than a traditional gift like a pair of socks or a sweater.

For this reason, our mailboxes are being flooded with stacks of catalogues for all kinds of different organizations. You can buy a pig, goat, cow and even an alpaca for your friends; you can pay back that brother that always picked on you with a latrine; or you can honour the teacher in your life by providing school uniforms or school supplies for a child in a developing country. If there is someone in your life who loves the outdoors you can adopt a piece of land or an endangered species. Or you can help out at home, by providing gifts for the homeless or toys for children spending Christmas at the hospital. There are so many special gifts you can give that will really make a difference this Christmas - and I think its brilliant!

As a fundraisers though, we need to ask 'what next'? We know that gift catalogues can acquire new donors with a very high efficiency rate. Realistically though, this group are better classified as catalog buyers than donors. As someone who has purchased from a variety of gift catalogues I am regularly thrown into the direct mail stream but catalogue buyers cannot be cultivated in the same way as your traditional dm donors.

How have you manged to turn catalogue donors into committed donors? Have you found away to get a second gift? Or better yet, have you been successful in converting these donors into monthly givers?

Oh - and one more thing. If your still looking for a gift for the person who has everything - here are the links to three of my favourite gift catalogues...

World Vision Canada

Operation Eyesight

WWF

The day after...

After two and a half days packed with brilliant speakers, inspiring sessions and lots of great opportunities for relationship building, AFP congress has come to an end. Despite the fact I returned to an abundance of messages in my inbox and a 'to-do' list that seems to have no end, I wanted to take a few minutes and reflect on some of the things I took out of the last three days. Here are the 5 most valuable things that I learned at congress:

1. Don't use statistics - they are truly a waste of space. Focus instead on your case for support. This is what will inspire people to give you money and support your cause.

2. STOP evaluating charities based on their admin costs or costs of fundraising. These are efficiency measures, NOT effectiveness measures. Non-profits should be measured based on their impact. And please take the pie charts out of your donor communications because it is only perpetuating the problem.

3. Get to the roots of your story and make it about a beneficiary, NOT your mission statement. Tell stories in all your communications: print, phone, DM, it doesn't matter.

4. They secret to raising more money is to spend more money. You have to be willing to take risks, which will also mean making mistakes. The most successful organizations have made loads of mistakes but by doing so have found things that really work.

5. Stop talking about your charity! Talk about your cause. Spend your time talking about the reason why people support you... I guarantee it has very little to do with you, and a lot to do with the people/animals/environment you serve.

Hats of to Mark and the rest of the team for a remarkable three days. I'm thrilled I was able to be a part of it.

Pareto Fundraising announces four fundraisers who are on their way to AFP’s Toronto Congress

A few weeks ago I wrote about Pareto Fundraising's passion for training and deveopment. We decided to offer four passes to AFP Toronto’s Fundraising Congress to brilliant fundraisers who would otherwise not have been able to attend this year’s event.

We received a large number of applications, and are delighted to award the four full passes (which cover the registration fee for the full three days of Congress) to:

Pam Bastedo, Meal Exchange
Aileen Doyle, JHR (Journalists for Human Rights)
Elaine Scrivener, Mark Preece Family House
Mary Warner, Toronto Renewable Energy Cooperative

Each of these individuals shared with us what they were most excited about learning at Congress and how they would be able to use the knowledge and experience gained to further their organizations fundraising and make the world a better place.

Thank you to all who those who took the time to submit an application. And congratulations again to Pam, Aileen, Elaine and Mary.

We’re really looking forward to a great Congress. See you there.

Homeless Charity in Sweeden gets innovative with their Christmas Appeal

I came across this Christmas appeal on the Epica Awards web site. Its an innovative approach to a Christmas appeal which should break through the holiday clutter that.

During a season when people are more likely to give, charities are much more likely to ask. Donors receive countless DM appeals from charities and are bombarded by asks outside of their mailbox as well.

Gothenburg Homeless Aid relies on generosity at Christmas which is when a substantial portion of their entire year's funding is collected. In order to stand out, they developed their no fixed abode Christmas card appeal. They produced a standard Christmas Card, that at first glance doesn't look to different from what anyone else would send out at Christmas time. Where they got really creative, was with the address.

The charity wanted to draw attention to people with no fixed address in Gothenburg, so they addressed the pack to "Lasse Persson, a doorway/tunnel/stairwell, Hisingen (a part of Gothenburg)”. They then wrote the details of the actual intended recipient on the back of the envelope. When the Swedish post office received the letters they were unable to deliver them to Lasse because he has no real address.

When they couldn't deliver the envelope, they were "returned to sender" and sent "back" to the intended recipient with a post office stamp saying "not known at this address". The yellow label on the envelope not only highlighted the fact that there are people in Gothenburg who have nowhere to live, but made it almost impossible for the recipient to simply throw it away without opening it to see what it’s all about.

The Christmas card was sent to 20,000 people in Gothenburg, and raised approximately 255,000 US dollars, making it their highest performing Christmas appeal to date.

What innovative approaches have you taken to encourage recipients to open your pack?

AFP Congress pass give away

One of the things I love about working for Pareto Fundraising is their passion for training and development. We regularly provide free training for charities to help them become better fundraisers and grow their organizations.

Given this emphasis on professional development, its no surprise that we are offering 4 full AFP Congress passes to fundraisers who would otherwise not be able to attend. This three day event is one of the top fundraising conferences in the world, and you won't want to miss it.

Congress takes place in Toronto November 30–December 2. If you'd like to apply for one of Pareto Fundraising's free passes, please see the criteria and application guidelines below. Applications must be received by November 5th, 2009.

CRITERIA

1. Candidate is employed by a non-profit/charity and is responsible for fundraising

2. Candidate must work for an organization who is not sending anyone else to Congress

To apply for one of these passes, please tell us in 500 words or less what you hope to learn from your attendance at the conference and how this will help you in fundraising for your cause when you get back.

Your response can be emailed to ruthann.richardson@paretofundraising.com

The deadline to submit applications is Thursday, November 5, 2009. Successful applicants will be notified by November 12, 2009.

MSF's new video

This new :60 spot from Medecins sans Frontiers is getting a lot of attention right now and is stirring up a great deal of controversy in the fundraising world. The piece is actually a cinema advertisement and began airing in August in theatres across the UK. According to their website, MSF is trying to do something different in non-profit marketing, and I think its safe to say that they have. The spot is jarring, unsettling and difficult to watch. Even if you've never heard of MSF before, you'll understand quite quickly the type of work that they are involved in, and my guess is, you won't forget what you've seen.

Its difficult to argue that this is not a powerful piece, but questions are being raised as to whether or not they have gone too far. What do you think? Do you love it? Hate it? Do you find it offensive? Does it leave you feeling depressed and hopeless or are you inspired to do something to help?

And as fundraisers, do you think they have hit the mark? There is no call to action, no information on how you can help, just the bleak reality of what life is like for many children around the world.

Whats your view...

What makes a REALLY great letter

I happen to receive a significant number of mail from non-profit organizations every month. However, rather than tossing them into the recycle bin in the mail room where so many like them end up, I always take them up to my apartment and give them a read. I have read some really compelling letters and some that are, to be blunt, crap. But most of them fall somewhere in between...in this safe zone where they follow all the 'rules' of DM, often confusing, and rarely convincing me to give.

Its a shame that as a sector we still haven't mastered the art of letter writing. Instead we send organizationally focused appeals that don't really communicate to the individual who will be reading it. If you are in charge of DM for your organization or for your clients, I urge to write a letter that actually SOUNDS like a letter - a communication between the individual who is writing and the individual (donor or prospect) who will be receiving it. Write with passion and make your message clear and compelling. And before you even put pen to paper, as yourself these three simple questions:

1. Why am I sending this letter?
2. Why do I need the money now?
3. What am I going to do with the money when I get it?

If you can answer these questions for your donor they are much more likely to give. Add to that a strong human case study and you have the great beginnings of a powerful letter. I say beginnings because there is a lot more that goes into a great DM piece, but shouldn't we at least get the foundations right?

Powerful TV spot from UNICEF

With a background in DRTV, it shouldn't suprise you that I get excited when I see a powerful TV spot. I can't say enough about the spot below done by UNICEF as part of their Tap Project.

Direct Mail isn't dead...

I finally got around to catching up on some blog reading today, and read a fantastic post on The Agitator in response to a paper written by Chuck Prewitt of A.B. Data. Chuck believes, and I agree, that the predictions of the death of direct mail are groundless. And he’s angry they seem to get so much attention.

To give you an idea of who Chuck is, his firm directed the direct mail fundraising efforts of the Obama campaign. That's right - Obama's campaign didn't rely solely on social media - it included a DM campaign that brought in $103 million through the mail.

In his paper, Chuck argues 3 facts, all supported with evidence.

1. The direct mail donor universe is alive and well and actually shows little signs of rapidly diminishing - at least in the next decade.
2. The growth of online fundraising is happening but it is happening much more slowly than many predicted.
3. There are enormous multi-channel marketing opportunities out there for smart people with open minds.

The Internet, and now social media, have certainly produced a valuable new marketing tool, but one that cannot yet replace Direct Mail. This is not the time for non profits to be abandoning this medium...for many of them it makes up to big of a chunk of income. Instead, organisations need to look at how they can do direct mail better.

You can read Chucks entire paper here.

High Tech Bus Stop Ad

We've all seen bus stop ads, and some of us may have even used them in a campaign for our clients. Well, in Germany they have found a way to take this medium to a whole new level. This bus stop ad, recently erected in Hamburg, Germany, changes changes when someone looks at it. Using a built-in camera with eye-tracking technology, it can tell exactly when someone is checking it out.

Amnesty International is behind this anti-domestic abuse message. When no one is looking, it shows a man hitting his wife. But when you look right at it, it changes (after a slight delay) to a picture of the couple looking happy and normal. The slogan reads "It happens when no one is looking."

What a powerful use of technology!

The Orphan Diet

I have to thank Bryna at Streams of Hope for making me aware of this project. The "Orphan Diet" campaign is being run by an organization out of Hamilton ON called Absolute Leadership.

This grass roots fundraising effort is the second part of a a campaign in support of an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti where 68 children are in desperate need. The focus is simple - raising money to provide these children with medical attention (many of them have never seen a doctor), school supplies and food as well as providing some much needed renovations to their facilities. To raise the funds needed to do this, the organization is encouraging people to give up a meal, or a day of meals in June and to give the money they would spend on food to their cause. There message is on youtube and is being spread through twitter and facebook.

I actually love the simplicity of this video because it is believable. The video is authentic and the message is clear. Sure, the professional fundraiser in me wants to tighten the video, script the copy and capture a wider variety of shots - but this video is real and lends itself well to its target audience. Oh, and this video does something that so many non-profits fail to do...it tells me how the organization spent the funds raised during the first half of the campaign. I know that my money helped provide food, purchase school supplies, build beds and pay the rent. Seeing those children carry bags of food into their facility is enough to make me willing to support the campaign again.

I encourage you to take 6 minutes to watch the video and let me know what you think. And hey, if it moves you, why not make a donation. I know I found 68 good reasons to give.

The 7 Essentials of Fundraising

I recently read the book "Tiny Essentials of Fundraising" by Neil Sloggie. It was a quick and easy read, but really hammered home the basics of fundraising, with 7 essential principles:

1. Always focus fundraising on the work of the organization
2. Concentrate your efforts on the areas of your fundraising programme which produce the best return on investment
3. People give to people
4. Recruit your supporters to automatic payment as soon as possible
5. Make sure you are looking after your existing donors before recruiting new ones
6. Think from the donors' point of view
7. Every fundraiser should be proud of the work they are fundraising for and be proud to ask for money for it

Foreign Aid - Does it Do More Harm than good?

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a debate on the merits and pitfalls of foreign aid. The topic of debate was based on a new book by Dambisa Moyo entitled Dead Aid in which the African-born economist argues that "evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that aid to Africa has made the poor poorer, and the growth slower." Moyo, along with fellow economist Hernando de Soto were quick to point out the poor track record that aid has had, supporting dictators and tyrants, and destroying the entrepreneurial spirit of Africans who could, if we let them, bring themselves out of poverty.

Challenging Moyo and De Soto were author and economist Paul Collier and activist Stephen Lewis. In his opening remarks Lewis stated "What Dambisa's book fails to acknowledge is the huge impact aid has had on the humanitarian imperative. Millions of people living with AIDS alive today, who without aid for antiretral viral drugs would be dead; millions of children immunized against fatal diseases; over 30 million additional African children in school since the year 2000; modest reduction in extreme poverty from 58% to 51% between 1999 and 2997; 12 million orphans with the prospect of food; malaria death rates cut in half in countries like Rwanda and Ethiopia over the course of just two years because of insecticide treated bed nets. I could go on and on ad infinitum. THIS is aid. Aid that gets to the grass roots. Aid that transforms hope in communities. It is no small matter. It is no band aid."

The debate was a fascinating one, with compelling arguments from both sides. However, as someone who has seen the impact of donor dollars being distributed by reputable organizations on the ground in Africa and in other parts of the world, the discussion itself worries me. It is true that aid money has been abused and that it has fallen into the hands of corrupt leaders BUT it has also transformed the lives of millions of people around the world. What we must be careful of is HOW aid money is used, because when used properly it has the potential to make a lasting difference for people, families, communities and entire countries. We can't stop giving, we just have to be aware of where we are giving.

If your interested in viewing the debate all 2.5 hours are available online.

A blog about fundraising...

For the last three years, I've been a fundraiser. I don't really know how it happened - when I was a little girl I certainly didn't dream that this is what I'd be doing when I grew up. Yet here I am, in my mid...ok, late 20's, working as a professional fundraiser. I guess it grew out of a love of marketing and a desire to help make the world a better place.

I spent almost three years working for an agency in Los Angeles, and have recently transitioned to another brilliant agency in Toronto. Both do exceptional work helping non profits to grow, thus impacting the lives of many around the world.

When I entered this job I was pretty sure I knew a lot about direct response marketing but if there is one thing I have learned in the last 4 weeks its how much I still don't know. I decided to develop this blog as a place to post the things I'm seeing in the fundraising world - industry news, brilliant campaigns, and practical lessons in fundraising.

Please feel free to comment, debate, or to post your own insights into the not for profit sector. After all, we are all in this together to make the world a better place. :)