tom ahern: everything i know as of 6/15/16
TRANSCRIPT
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
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Your job, if UHCF really wants to fundraise itself out of a slow death, is to get a well-educated and –informed male, 68 years old, living in another state, to give you a gift.
Good luck.
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“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard this flight to somewhere between here and where you actually want to get to. Flight time tonight could be anything from one to six hours, depending on how well we do.
“We’ll be flying at an altitude that we hope will be slightly higher than last year but not as high as we flew four years ago when flying was easier. We cannot at this stage commit to a specific altitude. Obviously we hope we will go reasonably high.
“We are hoping for a smooth flight but if there’s any turbulence we’ll conclude air flight is unrealistic in this current climate and land immediately.
“Now, sit back and enjoy the flight!”
>> Don’t. Toby Bourke, former fundraising head, Greenpeace
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
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“A donor’s heart isn’t stuffed with cash, it’s filled with passion. And that’s what you have to tap into, dear fundraisers.” Shanon Doolittle
“What do you think Universal Health Care does?”
“Something like Doctors Without Borders?”
4© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Describe UHCF’s purpose in 2 words.(It’s not supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be nearly impossible without a lot of thought.)
5© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“Clean water”
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“Patient satisfaction”
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A fundraising “case for support” answers just 3 predictable questions ...
Not necessarily in this order, though.
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Why now?What’s the big hurry?
What changed? Why is this URGENT?1
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Why now?What’s the big hurry?
What changed? Why is this URGENT?1WHY IS THIS A
PRIORITY?
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Why us?What are we doing that’s so uniquely wonderful that the
world should want more of it and support our new plans?
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“We’re a little, mission-driven place that wants to be recognized for providing the best care for the poorest people.”
– Susan Kelly, president Charles Drew U. of Medicine and Science, 2008
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So, what do you folks do?
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
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Why us?What are we doing that’s so uniquely wonderful that the
world should want more of it and support our new plans?
2“WE’RE #1!”
Not sure why you matter?
Pretend your organization, project, program, idea, mission or vision has
gone away.
14© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
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Why you, the donor, might care?3
Connect with what’s already in their heads!
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“Your donors have identities (e.g. bird enthusiast, cancer survivor, caregiver of someone with mental health issues, member of local community, religious person who is giving in concert with their faith) that explain why they chose to give to you. You are simply choosing to ignore it.” But they won’t.
DonorVoice, May 2016© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 17
“Donors are staggeringly ignorant of the causes they
support.”--
Richard Radcliffe
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DONORS MAY BE IGNORANT, but what they DO have in abundance are their own personal values, interests, beliefs, connections, experiences, upbringing, lost loves, secret passions, regrets, fears, angers, hopes, and built-in empathy [except for psychopaths]...
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“All fundraising copy should sound like someone talking.”
-- George Smith
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Thought for today....
Write drunk. Edit sober.(ancient advice followed by reporters)
Don’t be afraid to show the ugly.
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Source: NYU neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, in Emotionomics
“Negative emotions are linked to survival – and are much stronger.”
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
The amygdala
If there are no problems to solve, donors have
nothing to do.
24© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Dear Jill,
What can I tell you?
Roe v. Wade celebrates its 43rd birthday this January.
Some of you remember. On that landmark day—January 22, 1973—a lawyer from Texas, an amazing female in her mid-20s, finally convinced the US Supreme Court to grant American women control over their own pregnancies.
It's been downhill pretty much ever since, I can tell you.
Mind if I share with you what scares me?
I fully expect 2016 to be the worst year yet for Planned Parenthood here in Minnesota (not to mention the other two states we desperately try to serve: North and South Dakota).
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“Did phenomenally well in 2015!”
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DONORLANDIt’s a rough neighborhood.
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Beginning of mail
End of mail
Elapsed time: 1-3 seconds
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
The first gift you ask for is my attention.
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The average attention span of an adult
human in 2013 was 8 seconds.
We’re #1!
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“What is our gift of joy?”
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
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The gift of joy
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The gift of joy
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Editor: Michelle Brinson
The gift of joy
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The gift of joy
The gift of joy
The gift of joy
Welcome toa family
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“Synthetic family”
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Source: Russell James III, 2014© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“Synthetic family”36© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
The donor is IN the story frame
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NOT just a spectator.
Donor, who art thou?
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Arts = “Arts lover”Children = Adults (hardwired)Environment = “Nature lover”Faith-based = Those in the fellowshipHospice = Families of deceasedJustice = Tests well w/ AmericansLibrary = Patrons, “library lover”Hospital = “Grateful” patientsUniversity = Graduates
Natural constituencies
11 Questions Every Donor Asksby Harvey McKinnon
“Why me?”“Why are you asking me?”“Do I respect you?”“How much do you want?”“Why your organization?”“Will my gift make a difference?”“Is there an urgent reason to give?“Is it easy to give?”“How will I be treated?”“Will I have a say over how you use my gift?”“How will you measure results?”
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I KNOWdirect mail isn’t
dead; it’s a major source of major gifts
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One-in-six of first gifts from $2,500+ donors was through traditional direct mail acquisition, as was one-in-four of first gifts from $1,000-$2,500 donors.
“Think of it another way, take away direct mail acquisition and a significant chunk of your future large donors will also go away.”
42© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Source: American Cancer Society, Analytical Ones via The Agitator, 2014
I KNOWthat “legacy gifts”
are worth more than major gifts
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Source: Pareto 2015
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
I KNOWhow to raise money through Facebook
It’s complicated, it costs money, and it isn’t for every cause
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Making money from Facebook...
I KNOWthat donors aren’t
forever
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“We truncate lifetime value at 7 years because that captures almost all of the giving. Most donors give only once. It’s rare even for a long-term donor to stay longer than 7 years.”
Jeff Brooks, creative director, TrueSense
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I KNOWthat targeting
younger donors is a lousy fundraising
strategy (but an OK Facebook and advocacy strategy)
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Yes, I donated to direct mail, until I was 87 maybe?
Jane Joyaux | Widowed @ 65 | Died @ 90
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
4%
11%
17%
22%
47%<3535-4445-5455-6465+
Donors by age (percentage)
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Source: Pareto 2015
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
For eyes over 60...
AIGA recommends 14 pt. for body copy.
53© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Basic message:“Without your
help there is no hope.”
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IN THE BIG TYPE
visionenemyhero
servedSource: Stephen Pidgeon and Tangible
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“Me?”
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“It is the fundraiser’s job, your only job, to make the supporter feel good about supporting your charity. You have to love your donors. The money will follow.”
Stephen Pidgeon
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BY THE WAY...
From you....They want to feel good.They want to feel loved.They want to feel smart.They want to feel needed.They want to feel important.They want to belong.They want to see their values in
action.They want to win!
58© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
The virtuous circle...
You ask (and flatter).You thank (and flatter).You report (and flatter).
You cannot flatter too much.
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Source: Neuromarketing blog
“Even when people perceive that flattery is insincere, that flattery can still leave a lasting and positive impression of the flatterer.”
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Direct mail does not operate in isolation. It is part of a system that brings in new donors and
then tries to cling to them.
The most costly failures will be in your thanks and reporting.The most lucrative successes, too.
61© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
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THIS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT!
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THESE ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT!
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THE BEST THANKERS WIN!
How to write(Hint: Make 1st ¶ short.)
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President Obama’s Top 15 Moneymaking Subject Lines($690 million raised)
1. I am just so happy2. I want to do this again3. My uncle Teddy4. This isn’t already illegal?5. My place, June 14th6. Karl Rove sent you a message7. Hey8. Me again9. Saturday night10. Up late11. I love you back12. Hell yeah, I like Obamacare13. I tried.14. Wow15. Clutch
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It’s come to this.No one’s safe.He won’t be taking a backseat.This borders on scandalous.Don’t lose faith.Mad enough to kick a cat?It tipped the balance.
Leads from Ozy.
“Help” rather than “give”Booth School of Business, UChicago, via Claxon, 2016
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Don’t just ask me to DO something.
Ask me to FEEL
something.
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
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AngerExclusivityFearFlatteryGreedGuiltHopeSalvation
Common emotional triggers
Source: Jeff Brooks reporting on AMA Journal of Marketing Research, 2011
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Direct mail secret to success.......
You’re trying for “mental nods.”(I.e., they agree with what you’re saying.)
A. Lee Edgar, M.D.
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If you believe inHospice as much as Ido, open immediately....
Authority figure
Mental nod
What should I do next?
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Sue the bastards.
Writer: Roger Craver
TAP AN EMOTION
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Always tell ‘em what to do next...
Rule #1:Don’t bore me
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What it sometimes takes to triple response, from 5% to 16%
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“The quirk that works.”
Writer: Patti Saunders
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SURPRISE/DELIGHT ME
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Client: Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, designer: Andrea Hopkins
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Client: PPSNE, designer: Andrea Hopkins© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Neuroscience says…
“Coming across new information triggers a chemical reaction that makes us feel good, which in turns causes us to seek out even more of it.”
Source: Wall Street Journal article by Lee Gomes, on USC neuroscientist, Dr. Irving Biederman; published March 12, 2008
88© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Rule #3:Never stop
asking© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 89
Indirect ask
Direct ask
Direct ask
Indirect ask
Indirect ask
Indirect ask
Indirect ask
Indirect ask© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 90
Your letter is one long call to action.
Indirect ask
Direct ask
Indirect ask
Indirect ask
Direct ask
Indirect ask
Indirect ask
Direct ask
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16 asks ... NOT a recordPS: brought in 10K+ new donors
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FREE FOR YOUsofii.org
A world-sourced archive of donor communications that worked.
© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 93Source: Jeff Brooks, 2014