Dinosaurs & Dodo's: Will you exist in 5 years?

I wrote this blog last night and saved it for editing today. Today, Marnie Grona at Imagine Canada, tweeted the following video. It puts it all in perspective for me.  I am very concerned that charities who do not remain fluid, diverse and capable of adapting to new technologies and demands of the world, will ultimately disappear.  Watch the video, read the blog. What do you think will happen to charities who say: "we don't have time to talk to people" - or - "our donors don't use the internet"? Will you and your organization survive these "exponential times"?

Direct Response - creating unrelatistic expectations?

I think that direct mail and direct response have created very dangerous perceptions and behaviours within the charitable sector.  We seem to think that we need only ask people to give us money and they will. Send a letter, knock on a door, make a phone solicitation and "poof" money magically appears. Hooray! How easy was that?

Unfortunately, that's not working quite as well these days, but we keep doing it. We look at a new initiatives and expect DM style, immediate payoffs, but "the times they are a-changin" (anyone hear Bob Dylan in their head?).  Socio-economic conditions change. Technologies change. People change. They want to be involved, consulted, engaged, inspired and talked with (not to or at).  Many charities don't seem to be doing this well - if at all.

People give to People

We hear this time and time again and yet, it seems we don't actually HEAR it.  This was also the mantra of our sales team in my corporate life: "People buy from people".  When times got tough, we'd cut support staff, we'd cut IT, we'd cut everywhere - but we'd maintain sales people and in some cases, even grow the sales team!

You can not treat social media, planned giving, major gifts, events and most areas of fundraising like a nameless, faceless cash cow. You have to talk with people. You have to build relationships.  You have to earn the right to ask for their support! This was also a big part of our corporate sales process - it was our last check before asking: "Have I earned the right to ask for their business".

You would never, ever, approach a total stranger in a bar, or at a sporting event and ask them to marry you right away.  (Denny Young said that and I've stolen it) OK maybe if you had a few drinks you might - but even drunk you'd be shocked if they got up and started walking to the chapel.

These websites and online platforms are places where people socialize. They aren't there to give you money.  They don't know you. They didn't even invite you. They are there to socialize, learn, share, laugh and do the things we do in social spaces and at parties etc. Why don't we measure the success of these things the same way we would a planned or major gift cultivation?

Do what it takes & make the time to talk to people

If you are so over extended in delivering your charitable programs, research, and/or services that you can't talk to people - cut them, now!

I know, I've just said a horrible thing - but lets put it another way.  If you're not talking to people today, you may not exist tomorrow. Nobody will benefit from your good works if you don't exist. Better to cut back today, and cultivate for sustainable growth tomorrow than to put all your fundraising resources into grabbing all the low hanging fruit you can until the well runs dry and your organization is dehydrated into extinction.

I've heard way too many people say "I don't have time to have conversations" or "I don't have time to learn all this new stuff".  Make time - or hire someone who can do it.  Do what it takes and find a way to do it.  You're not doing your organization or the people who depend on your organization any favours by doing otherwise.

Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater...

I'm not suggesting you stop your direct response.  I have enormous respect for the amount of research, effort and data driven results that have made direct response programs successful.  However, if that's all your doing and you're not spending time visiting people in person, creating an online presence that allows your organization to chat with people, building relationships and preparing for the future - then to quote Donald trump, you're fired. (or at least you should be)

It's a competitive market. A very small Canadian population is being asked to support a large and growing number of charities. Do not expect other initiatives to perform the same way as your DM efforts do. They're not the same and direct mail is becoming increasingly less effective as the generations shift and new technologies emerge.  As the current generation of happy, direct mail donors disappears, how will you replace them? If you're not talking to people and expanding your organizations personal relationships - how will you know where to find new supporters?  How will you know what those potential donors think, want, care about... and how they want to give?

Dinosaurs and Dodo's

Dinosaurs & Dodo birds are incredible creatures.  I am fascinated by them... but they don't exist anymore! I think it would be a damn shame if good charities, doing great work, ceased to exist because they based their fundraising expectations on tired old ideas destined to end up in a museum alongside dinosaurs. 

Make hard decisions today. You may have to cut some services. You may have to help fewer people (for now). But in the long run, you will not only be here, you'll be doing more things for more people.  And you will probably have a lot more fun getting there. People are nice.  Especially, when you show a genuine interest in them. Try it! I promise you'll like it - and you'll be around in 5 years to enjoy it.

Comments

[John Lepp]

Holy crap Laurie. You're on quite a roll this last while. This post really struck a chord with me in that charities continually make things more and more complicated because it is then they feel like they are making progress... but the reality is they are overlooking and ignoring the basics of good fundraising... don't confuse being busy with being effective... and imo too many charities are... slow down people...

[Laurie]

LOL Thanks John!

I agree (obviously). Telling the world to slow down is akin to standing in the middle of the road during the running of the bulls and saying "halt!" heh.

I suspect what will happen is that those charities who get bowled over will be replaced by similar charities who think and act differently. At least I hope that's what will happen, because the people, animals, planet etc. who rely on these charities deserve to have someone championing them.

Thanks for the comment!
Laurie