What we can learn from Olive

Last week, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the F&P Forum here in Sydney.  This years keynote, Mark Phillips, is someone I have been following for quite some time.  He's a brilliant fundraiser, and CEO and founder of Bluefrog - an agency based in England, and doing amazing work around the world.

Mark spoke a lot about what is happening in the UK, following the tragic death of Olive Cook, a beautiful 92 year old woman from Bristol, who ended her life in May when she jumped from a bridge.  Olive was a volunteer and donated to a large number of charities, and the newspaper picked up on the amount of requests she was getting to give more, both through the mail and over the phone, and cited this pressure to be the reason she chose to end her life. 

You can read some of what is being said in these articles from the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, and the Guardian.  British daytime television show This Morning even created the hashtag #charityonslaught and ran a special feature on the fact that kind people are being bombarded with unwanted mail from charities asking for money. 

The truth is, we will never know what caused Olive to jump from that bridge.  And while I believe it is a pretty big stretch to assume that it was because of the requests that she was receiving from charities, I do think Olive's death should be a reminder to all of us to look at the ways we are asking for donations.

There is no doubt that aggressive fundraising techniques will raise money for charity.  Money that is desperately needed, and money that is being used to make our world a better place.  However, when these techniques are then used by multiple charities, a small number of our most generous donors are being put under an overwhelming amount of pressure. And many of these beautiful, incredible people find it difficult to say no. 

I know, as a sector, we have to be cautious not to react too quickly or drastically when we hear a story like Olives. If we stop asking for money, we won't be able to accomplish our mission and to serve the beneficiaries who are relying on our support. 

However, I do think we should pay attention to what is happening.  And I think that as a sector we need to constantly strive to be better.  I think we can start by looking at our current communications and the relationships we have with our donors.  What are we giving them, that they would miss if that relationship didn't exist?  Are we thanking them? Really genuinely thanking them?  Are we telling them about the impact that their donation is making, and explaining to them how it is making this world a better place to live?  Are we giving donors a reason to connect to our cause and our mission, or are they giving because they are good people who just can't say no? And are we confident in the fundraising tactics that we are using - and willing and prepared to explain those tactics to our donors? To the press? To our critics?

There was an opinion article in the guardian this week, A Message to Big Charities, which urged charities to stop groveling and sand up for themselves, and I think it is on point in so many ways.  We are incredibly lucky to do what we do.  We get the incredible opportunity to connect beautiful people with opportunities to change our world.  We need to ensure that our fundraising is responsible.  And if it is, we need to stop apologizing for what we do, and start telling the world why our charity matters. It is our responsibility to raise money for the causes and people who are relying on us.  And there is no shame in that. 

The importance of authenticity

I have been really fortunate to be going through leadership development coaching over the last few months, and in a recent session, I was given an exercise to help uncover what values were most important to me.  All the usual suspects were there, honesty, effectiveness, accuracy.  But as I worked through the exercise the value that came out on top of all others for me, was authenticity.

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.            

Donor Care Done Right

I have been fortunate enough to work in fundraising in Canada, the US and Australia.  The best thing about that is the fact I have had the opportunity to meet and to work with some incredibly smart, creative, passionate and inspirational people who are changing the world.  I was so excited to hear that an email one of them wrote to their Regular Givers this past February was highlighted in a post on 101 Fundraising today.  Below is this beautiful example of donor care, written by my friend Libby Lang at Unicef Australia.  We could all learn something from this one.

Subject line: “You’ve got a secret admirer.”

Living Below The Line

We live in a VERY rich world.  Yet, more than a billion people live in poverty. Our word is full of inequality, and children are suffering as a result.

Every day, around the world, more than a billion people live on less than $2.25 per day.  I have pledged to do feed myself on just $2.25 per day for five days in September to get a glimpse into what life is like for so many others. 

I'll be doing this in support of Oxfam New Zealand.  They are a global movement for change – a network that empowers individuals, communities and organisations to build a future free from the injustice of poverty. They work in the Pacific, Southeast Asia and Africa, providing practical support, skills and resources to help people work their way out of poverty.  I feel very lucky to work with the team at Oxfam NZ and to be a part they are doing to change the world.

I know these 5 days will be hard, and incredibly humbling.  But I also know that there are people cheering me on and supporting me in this venture will be powerfully motivating.  Please show your support by making a donation to Oxfam NZ on my fundraising page here.  I will keep you updated on my blog, and on twitter so you can see how I'm going, and what I am eating, and of course, hear inspiring stories of how YOU are helping to make a difference.

THANK YOU.

Reflections

Sometimes a story completely grabs you.  It takes you away from the every day - the deadlines, to-do lists, forecasts and briefs - and reminds you WHY you do all of this.

That happened to me today.  I read a story so captivating that I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  So powerful that I sobbed at my desk.  So beautiful that feel honored to be able to share it with donors. 

Tonight, my thoughts are with Emma's family.  Seven months ago they lost their gorgeous little girl to cancer, and I can't even begin to imagine what they go through every day. In a few weeks I will share more about this amazing young girl, her three year battle with cancer, and her beautiful family who was by her side as she went through every horrible moment of treatment. But today, I was reminded not only how precious life is (I certainly cuddled my little girl longer, and tighter than usual) but of the privilege it is to be able to share stories of people.  That these individuals are willing to share with us their struggles, their darkest moments, their hopes and their fears puts a profound responsibility on us as fundraisers.  That they allow us to share their stories with beautiful donors is an incredible honour.  

Emma's story touched me in more ways than I think I even realize, and she reminded me how very fortunate I am to have a career doing what I do.    

Donors are beautiful

In a busy world of pushing appeals out the door for a number of amazing organizations, I often loose sight of how wonderful the people are who are receiving the packs.  Today I was reminded of what beautiful, lovely people they are.  People who are interested in the work that the charity is doing.  People who are proud of the impact they are having.  People who are touched by the words in the letters that we send, and who are moved by the images of the people whose story we are sharing with them.

We have just mailed Cancer Council NSW's tax appeal, and were privileged to tell the story of a beautiful little girl named Emily, who was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer just weeks before her first birthday. Emily's mum was kind enough to open up to us and allow us to share their difficult journey, the highs and the lows of the diagnosis, the treatment, the recovery and of course their hope for Emily's future.  You can read more about Emily's story, and make a gift to help Cancer Council NSW fund more research and treatments for children with cancer by visiting their website.

On the response form, we invited donors to send some words of encouragement to Emily and her family. Cancer Council NSW have started to receive the most beautiful messages from their supporters and I am thrilled that they shared some with us. Reading these messages made me smile, made me cry, and reminded me how lucky I am to do what I do. As a fundraiser, I get to connect with people every single day - to share stories with them - to inspire them - and to give them the chance to make a difference.  And these people are extraordinary people, who like me, believe our world can be better.

I know engagement devices are nothing new, but if you are not already doing them, start.  Not on every appeal, and only when its relevant, but not only will they increase response, they will give you something to smile about. 

Thoughts on Social Media and Fundraising from FIA Conference 2013

The use of social media in fundraising is a hot topic in the fundraising circuit these days, evidenced by the fact the social media sessions at the FIA conference a few weeks ago were packed full of fundraisers dying to know how they could turn facebook, twitter and instagram into revenue for their charity. 

Given that, I thought I'd share a few of the learnings that I picked up over those two days:

In Jill Ruche's session "How is Digital Different", she pointed out that the first thing that people look at on your facebook page is your profile picture, so it is paramount that this is compelling.  Her three keys to writing great facebook content were:

• identify who your audience is
• test the best time to post
• plan a communications schedule. don't just post content, be strategic about what you are sharing and when

In Benjamin Mangold's session "Remarketing with Google", he points out that Australia has very high mobile penetration.  For the first time, more money will be spent on digital than on TV this year.  In terms of advertisements, he cautioned that your landing page is even more critical to your success than the ads you create.  It is essential that we think about where we are sending people when they click through.

Finally, Kate vander Voort in her session "Using Social Media to Improve Fundraising Results" stressed that social media is not a silver bullet.  98% of non profit organizations with a facebook page did not raise a cent last year. She reminded us that when using facebook, you have to put your brand aside.  People using social media are longing for engagement.  They want to get behind you, but it is essential that you engage with them. You need to demonstrate what it is that you are doing and take them on a journey before you even think about asking. 

A few other social media thoughts and ideas...

1. When people take action (give a gift) on your website, prompt them to share their action via social media
2. Inspirational quotes get more shares than anything else on facebook
3. Use video - it is the most compelling way to tell a story and to motivate a gift
4. Likes are nice, but not really a relevant measure.  Don't just think about how you are going to get those likes, focus your attention on how you can turn those likes into action.

And something fun to emphasize that the last point, check out UNICEF Sweden's new TV spot "Likes Don't Save Lives".  It has proven to be very controversial in the fundraising sector - but I happen to like healthy controversy.