As we approach the end of the year, many of us are bombarded with requests for donations. From our alma mater, to our local hospital, to the March of Dimes, to Doctors Without Borders and beyond — it feels like we get an email or letter asking for some type of donation every day. And each one is accompanied by a distinct, strategic ask message and appeal.
The overall goal of these solicitations is simple: Get you to open your wallet. But in order to be successful, they must first get you to open their letter or email — and that takes more than a bunch of holiday spirit.
In fact, as I’ve written before on this blog, there’s plenty that fundraisers can learn by studying how big brands market themselves during the holidays. And one such lesson can be found in the story of The Grinch.
Just as fundraisers need donors to open their emails or letters so they can be read and acted upon, the makers of The Grinch needed kids (and parents) to watch the trailer so they could see it in theaters.
But how do you get little minds to pay attention? You captivate them by getting into their heads and showing them something new and unexpected — like “It’s Raining Tac
I didn’t always feel this way. In fact, I felt like The Grinch for most of my life.
Prior to a career in fundraising, I worked as a journalist, trainer and management consultant, and I wasn’t drawn to the non-profit sector at all. Sure, I donated to charity, but not much. I believed in the importance of giving back, but it was never top-of-mind or part of my personal budgeting plan. And when high pressure fundraisers called me at dinnertime, they got the same response as most people: “No thanks.”
It took a while, but one day it clicked: Fundraisers were calling me because they needed money to continue saving lives and making our world a better place. And if they didn’t get that money quickly and easily, the mission would be compromised.
That was the moment my attitude changed forever. I realized that my role as a donor wasn’t just about writing checks. It was about opening doors to create opportunities for change. My job as a donor is to help fundraisers do their jobs well in order to generate more donations faster and more efficiently. If you’re passionate about helping others in need, you can relate to this feeling – even if you haven’t
The holidays are quickly approaching. The season of giving is upon us. But it can be easy to forget the reason for the season. What if we told you that there is a way to make people feel more “giving” this holiday season? And what if we told you that one of the most powerful ways to do this has nothing to do with fundraising?
A New Study On How To Boost Giving
There’s a new study out on how to improve charitable behavior. When researchers asked participants to watch either a video about the benefits of donating money, or a video about the benefits of receiving money, they found that participants who watched the video about the benefits of receiving money were actually more likely to donate than those who watched the video about donating. And when researchers asked participants to watch a holiday movie unlike anything they had seen before, they found something even more interesting: “Viewers who watched Grinch and then made donations gave more than people who watched Elf or It’s A Wonderful Life.” Why would watching a movie about “stealing Christmas” increase giving behavior?
The Grinch made people think differently than Elf or It’s A Wonderful Life did. It created empathy in them – empathy for someone who was doing bad things but with good intentions. The Grinch evoked
Remember The Grinch? Dr. Seuss’s classic tale of the green, grouchy creature who hates everything about Christmas? As a child, I loved its simple moral: it’s not about gifts or decorations but about “the true spirit of Christmas.” I have a feeling that most fundraisers take the same position as this classic children’s book.
But then again, they’re not five years old anymore. Now they know that Christmas is supposed to be about spending money on other people. Well, at least, that’s what the fundraising universe wants you to believe in December. It’s not just a matter of giving away gifts; it’s also about giving to charity!
The idea isn’t exactly new. But what is new is the way fundraisers are trying to make you feel guilty if you don’t spend your money on others. For example, they’ll tell you that “A gift to charity is one of the best presents anyone can give this holiday season.” Or “Donating even a small amount of money can have a big impact on someone else’s life.”
But here’s the thing: If you really want to make an impact on someone else’s life, there are much better ways to do it than by donating money. Like volunteering at a shelter
As a fundraiser, I am always watching for ways to improve my practice. I recently found some great tips in an unlikely place: the classic children’s storybook How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.
The Grinch is a great example of what not to do when it comes to giving. He starts out as a bad person and then he turns good because of the generosity of others. But there are some important lessons to be learned from his journey, and perhaps a few tips that can help us have greater success when raising money for our favorite causes.
1) “If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up.”
First, The Grinch has to stop being the person he is and become someone new and different. While many fundraisers want their donors to change, they don’t change themselves. The Grinch realizes that if he wants something different in his life–in other words, if he wants to give–he must do something different in his life. We need to be willing to look at ourselves honestly and make changes in how we ask for donations if we want more generous people in our lives.
2) “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store.”
The second
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been working in fundraising for over five years. I can remember the first time I heard the phrase “donor fatigue” and thought it was a joke.
Now, as we approach the end of another year, I have seen first-hand how difficult it is to raise funds during this time, even though it is supposed to be the most charitable time of year.
Everywhere you look, there are reminders that this is the season of giving and that you should give to your favorite charity. There are TV commercials and in-store displays, online campaigns, and organization fundraisers. Meantime, donors are seeing their phones ring off the hook with calls from nonprofits competing for their attention and money.
With all of this noise, it is no wonder that donors are fatigued or feeling overwhelmed by requests for donations.
This phenomenon is what inspired me to write this blog post. I want to share some insights from how fundraisers approach the holiday season that may help your nonprofit stand out from the crowd.
It’s the time of year when the Grinch who stole Christmas is on everyone’s mind. The story of this curmudgeonly character, who had a change of heart after he learned the true meaning of Christmas, is a tale that has captivated and inspired generations.
But how did a Dr. Suess character become such an influential force? And what can we learn from him so that we too can experience our own epiphany?
When you think about it, the story of his transformation isn’t all that different from what happens to many nonprofits when they learn to embrace new technologies or rethink their fundraising strategies.
It starts with them not believing in the power of giving and being unable to see past their own doubts and skepticism. But as soon as they are able to embrace new ways of thinking about their work, everything changes for the better.
In other words, this classic story is really one about innovation: Even after years of living in isolation and thinking that no amount of change could make a difference, one day he wakes up and decides that it is time for him to act.
