Can you fundraise without the “ask”? It seems to me that fundraisers are too quick to jump to “the ask.” They should be more concerned with “the tell.” Nonprofits don’t seem particularly willing to address donor fatigue, fundraising’s concern du-jour. It seems like such an idiosyncratic term, but it is a very real problem. How many mass mailings can people get – and throw away – before fundraisers get the message? How many walks, runs, or bike rides can they go on, how many dinners can they attend, on a given day? How many ribbons can they wear on one coat? People are tired of the same old sell. Donors feel tapped out. Even marketing consultants – the ones who undoubtedly propose such tactics in the first place – question the efficacy of conventional marketing practices.
Several years ago, Chip Walker, an American advertising executive from Energy/BBDO, told the National Post “we focus so hard on interrupting people and trying to be different that we’ve ceased to say anything they actually care about.” Desperate for money and scrambling to be noticed, fundraisers doggedly pursue formulaic and unmemorable events – anything, it seems, except figuring out how to stay meaningfully-connected with the people who are really interested in their work. Consequently, the public image of nonprofits is of organizations perpetually cap-in-hand; not the image you want; not the mission you are trying to advance. But there is an alternative: organizations that rely on fundraising need to work harder to inform, differentiate, and effectively build constituency.
It’s time to realize fundraising isn’t just about separating people from their cash. It should be an identity project, but this gets forgotten when snatch and run looks so appealing. I’d say if organizations want a proactive relationship development process, they should focus more on “the tell” than “the ask”: http://wp.me/pqoXT-11
So, tell first, tell them again. Keep them connected to your story. Ask later.
