Solicitation Season has Arrived
Well, it is that time of year again and my mailbox is stuffed to the brink. Everyday, new solicitations arrive, and I've been taking mental notes.
What makes for an effective message? What messages inspires action? What makes a solicitation hit the "to do" bin? What makes a solicitation hit the trash bin?
Here are some of my thoughts on solicitations,
Orthonomics' list of Do's and Don'ts:
1. Do be concise. Don't overwhelm the potential donor with too much information and/or too many graphics.
-->The quicker you make your case, the more likely you are to keep the attention of the reader. We all receive tons of mail everyday, much of which is junk. So, the quicker we can read through your piece of mail, the better, lest it hit the junk pile. A recent solicitation I received has four glossy pages of small print, pictures, and side bars. This might be the norm, but it looses my attention at 10PM when I am sorting the mail before heading to head. There is a such thing as providing too much information. With the invention to the internet, I would suggest pointing those looking for more information to the appropriate website. If you don't have a website (as many organizations do not), don't use that as license to overwhelm the reader.
2. Do give the potential donor some assurance that the money is headed towards the cause they believe they are donating to.
--> One particular format that I have come to like is that of a particular organization that provides food and clothing for the poor in Israel. They send coupons for meat, groceries, etc, that are redemable at certain vendors. I think there is something nice about knowing where my donation is heading.
3. Do make a strong case for your cause or organization.
--> One recent solicitation extolled the virtues of publishing the calendar it published and what an important function the calendar served. I don't know about you, but I probably collect 10 calendars by Yom Kippur. Let's just say that I don't view calendars production as an important function of an institution. So, don't forget what your organization's actual mission is. Chances are it is not calendar production (!). And, if, for some reason, that is your institution's function, then at least make the calendar attractive.
4. Do make a brief, multi-faceted, case for your organization.
--> Recently I was pleased to receive a plea for funds for an established Yeshiva. Being that funding for Jewish education is one of my interests, I was very interested in how they would sell it! They certainly had made attempts to build a case for why their Yeshiva was important and why funding for it was important. But, they basically concentrated on the need for higher wages for Rebbeim and staff and the need to proper facilities. I doubt any of this is debatable. But, every potential donor has their own pet interest. So, it is good to look at the issues from a few other angles (briefly, of course), in order to appeal to more donors. Market research is a must.
5. Don't insult the intelligence of the potential donor.
--> I just received a solicitation with a calendar (surprise!). There were instructions in the solicitation letter on just how to a person uses a calendar to record appointments, events, etc. My goodness, if I am capable of writing a check, I hope I am capable of using your calendar. As it is said, sometimes less is more. This was definitely one of those cases!
--> Last year I received a solicitation telling me that a certain gadol had come to the headquarters and ascertained, during his brief visit, that all funds received are used properly. Now, as an accountant/auditor, my intelligence was insulted. My past work involved expending many hours testing transactions, following paper trails, verifying internal information with external sources, and more before I was able to conclude that an agency was operating properly. I guess I am not a gadol, because if I was, all I would have to do is take a look around and draw a conclusion.
6. Do welcome all donations. But, don't shoot too low if making a suggestion either.
--> One recent solicitation gave a suggested donation level that even I considered to be low for the purpose that it serves in the community. While it is terrible when an organization, or more likely a door-to-door solicitor, asks for way too much, scaring off the donor, or making them feel inadequate or cheap. It is just as bad to suggest a lower donation than most in the audience would consider giving. Since there is a fine line being walked, it might be better to refrain from suggesting an amount in the cover letter, and just include a card where donors can mark off the traditional amounts (i.e. $18, $36, etc) or fill in their own amount. But, when you are looking for greater donations, don't suggest lesser amounts.
7. Do go easy on the gloss. (In addition, do go easy of the promises of yeshuot and pictures of gedolim. Remember, your audience is much broader than those your organization serves).
--> Glossy is certainly attractive. But, while it attracts a certain segment of potential donors, it can also offend another set of potential donors. So, don't overwhelm with gloss.
--> On a related note, not everyone is impressed by promises of yeshuot, or even pictures of gedolim. So, here too, you might want to go easy and find a middle ground.
8. Do be timely. Jewish time is not the appropriate time to send out your notice.
--> Numerous times, including just this week, I received information for an event after the date of the event. Information should be timely and relevant. A person needs enough lead time to decide if they can attend an event or shiur. Each event requires its own amount of lead time. While I haven't done a study, I would theorize that the bigger the commitment, the larger the lead time needed. E.g., a banquet at $180 a head needs more lead time than a shiur or carnival that costs $5 or $10. But, I do know, that it is impossible to go to an event after the event has passed. So, do be timely.
9. Do inspire further action, especially after a successful event.
--> Once you have a donors enthusiasm and loyalty, don't leave them hanging. Follow-up and inspire further commitment before the next great organization comes along and captures their attention. (This point could inspire a post about follow-up in shidduch dating).
10. Do thank the donor in writing (the quicker the better).
--> Everyone likes to be appreciated. The quicker a thank you note (and tax receipt) is sent out, the better. Lack of acknowledgement doesn't make a donor feel wanted or appreciated and won't inspire further action (see #9). So, make sure to acknowledge all donors timely.
--> My alma mater recently sent out a newsletter thanking ALL donors, even those who gave a measly donation, and I mean measly. I am not a donor as there are just too many causes to support in my own community. But, I was very impressed that they acknowledged everyone.
Can't wait to hear your do's and don'ts regarding solicitations. I ask that no organizations be named. Any comments that reveal the name of an organization, especially in a negative light, will be promptly deleted, as I believe that most of the organizations are worthy (even if I would never write a check to them myself).
This post is dedicated to JH of JewishPros blog, who runs a valuable blog on non-profits. Check out his blog. It is a very valuable "Orthonomic" resource and I am learning a lot from it. Update: JH has posted his own Do's and Don'ts list. Fundraising is not my expertise (I just count beans). So check out his list. It is great.
15 comments:
Haha...thank you very much.
As usual, your posts are near and dear to my heart. I think I will mirror a post of direct mail Do's and Don'ts, tying into your theme.
Thanks again!
No offense to most solicitors, but in my apartment, 99% of the junkmail goes straight into the garbage without even being opened. My maaser money is mostly given out already, and on the rare occassion it isn't, we have our own personal places that we like to donate.
To all solicitors, please take my address off your list.
JH-Thanks! If fashion mags can attract readers with do's and don'ts, I figure, why can't a financial writer give it a try. (Of course, the inspiration came from the insulting solicitation I received telling me how to use a calendar).
Aishel-Most things eventually hit the garbage here. But, I like to look for good ideas as far as solicitation goes. So, I tend to open everything and read it (if it doesn't consume my whole evening).
I thought of JH all through this post. I once meant to write about one I got from my elementary school: It was excellent (almost no gloss!), well put together, and pretty much followed all these rules. It has always done a great job of fundraising, and it's easy to see why. (Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, btw.)
As someone who has been involved in marketing I could not agree more another don't: don't cut and paste photos that insult our intelligence.
You forgot another big one - proofread your mailing to avoid typos. And write in English. Great post!
Esther-An upcoming post! You are correct. And, I would add, don't just proof your mailing. . . give it to someone who knows how to write to proof it.
Four things that keep me from donating (or donating a second time).
One, limit the rate at which you send reminders. I generally write checks once a month. Sometimes I have gotten two or three reminders about a phone call before that happens. That convinces me you spend too much on postage.
Two, explain where the money is going. If I can't figure out how much is going to program vs fundraising, or what the cause is I don't give. This goes for door-to-door too. If the sh'liach can't (or won't) tell me how much of the money gets to the organization, he doesn't get more than a dollar or two from me.
Three, don't insult your audience. Intelligence has been mentioned, but think about other areas. I don't give to chareidi institutions that want to "save" people from a modern orthodox lifestyle. And, since I can't afford to buy my 4 kids houses, I don't contribute to pleas to help some kli kodesh buy houses so he can marry off his 10 kids.
Finally, don't include statements from prominent Rabbis telling the recipient to send his tzedokah money elsewhere. I am thinking in particular of an organization supporting the poor in an Israeli city that had a letter from a prominent Rabbi explaining one should support this charity rather than others because it supports the city, and the halocha is that the poor of your city (rather than your shul or other more restrictive group) have priority. I thought about it, and gave the money to an organization supporting the poor in my city.
One more.
Deposit the check promptly. If you can't get around to it for 3 months, I figure you don't need the money too badly.
"Two, explain where the money is going. If I can't figure out how much is going to program vs fundraising, or what the cause is I don't give."
You have very limited space in a direct mail piece so I suggest a line saying, "To learn how your dollars go directly to support this cause please call us at...check online at...request our annual report at..."
"Deposit the check promptly."
Good organizations have a policy to NEVER hold on to checks. It is very unprofessional to save them up, unless the check is payment for an event and at least once a week would be acceptable to deposit the RSVP money.
"...had a letter from a prominent Rabbi explaining one should support this charity rather than others..."
Good fundraisers never put down the charitable decisions of their donors. THIS is condescending to tell the donor what is MORE important. You SHOULD say the your charity is ALSO important and should ALSO make the grade for their charitable dollars.
JH:
How much space does it take to say:
"80% of the money goes to poor families, 5% covers our overhead overhead and 15% fundrasing costs"? I don't need to see the whole budget. Although sometimes I want to.
Anon-Welcome (or welcome back). Great comments. I think I will need to add a further installment.
I believe we received the same insulting solicitation telling us this charity for poor was more important than even local charities for our own poor.
If I don't support the down and out in my own community. . . who will? Certainly not the down and out in another community!
If an organization can't make a case for their own cause without telling me that the causes more near to me are less important. . . they don't get my money.
I received two great solicitations this summer. One was for my old elementary school - they do one big mailing at the end of the school year showing off all the wonderful things they did -- and it's always impressive. Who knew seventh graders could debate, in hebrew, about gush katif?
The other great one I got was short, and to the point. It's a group that feeds the poor in the community - they explained what they put in the boxes (a really nice shabbos meal, not just the bare minimum), how it's decided who gets it, and that for the first time they had to say no to a family in need. They stated that they were $10,000 in debt, and if they didn't pay that money to thei suppliers they would have to close down, and they gave a specific date. The didn't include an envelope, which some might find annoying - but if they wrote that they were $10,000 in debt, and put an envelope in, I would have been annoyed.
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