Authenticity... the quality of being authentic.
Dictionary dot com defines authentic as not false or copied; genuine; real.
When I stop and think about it - it makes sense to me that authenticity would be at the top of my values list. I do try (and admittedly sometimes fail) to live an authentic life. To be true to who I am, to be transparent to those around me, and to be trustworthy. I try to surround myself with authentic people and I expect my team and my colleagues to be authentic in the workplace and with our clients.
But in the last few weeks, I've become aware how easy it is to move away from authenticity in the work that we do. Stories become a bit more dramatic in an attempt to create the friction we believe is needed to raise money. We manage to ignore really beautiful, personal pieces that a person has created on their journey - wether that be a trip to the field, a battle with cancer, or the loss of a loved one - pieces that while perhaps not 'perfect' capture a moment in time - and instead design something that we think works better. We make a signatory, or a support person a bit more emotional, when in reality, they may be very rational, because we 'think' that will generate a better response. I see it time and time again in the mail I open in my mailbox.
While none of these things are done to be untruthful, or misleading in anyway, they are missing authenticity... and in doing so, I think are missing the mark.
One of the best performing packs I ever worked on, and one of the packs I am most proud of having been a part of, was for a children's hospital in Sydney. The AMAZING staff in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit make a beautiful scrapbook for every child who is in their care for more than two weeks. They include photographs, record milestones and have notes from the doctors and nurses who are caring for them. These books are an incredible gift to the parents of these children and I know from having talked to several mum's of children who have been through this NICU how appreciated they are. Two years ago we were privileged to tell the story of a little boy who had spent a few weeks in Hospital and we knew there was no better way to tell his story but through the words and images of the people who were part of it. Instead of recreating that booklet in InDesign, we did nothing but photocopy every single page of it, and reproduce it to send to High Value Donors. Response rate from that segment doubled from the previous year and I am confident that piece had a lot to do with it.
As you dive deep into your Christmas campaigns, be mindful of how authentic your copy and creative is, and keep your eyes open for those authentic pieces that already exist, and that tell a story better than you or I ever could.
