Everything Tom Ahern Has Learned
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Transcript of Everything Tom Ahern Has Learned
Everything Tom Ahern Has Learned
9/25/14 1pm EDT
!The presentation will begin shortly.
!For audio, dial +1 (312) 702-‐1380
Use the pin 732552#
Before We Get Started3
This presentation is being recorded! !
The recording and slides will be emailed to you later this afternoon.
!Please chat in any questions for our guest.
We will answer them in the formal Q&A session at the end of the presentation.
!For audio, dial +1 (312) 702-‐1380
Use the pin 732552#
Today’s Guest -‐ Tom Ahern3
Tom is considered one of the world’s top authorities on donor communications, consulting on and writing cases, direct mail, donor newsletters, and charitable bequests. !He specializes in applying the discoveries of psychology and neuroscience to the day-‐to-‐day business of inspiring and retaining donors. He’s written five well-‐received how-‐to books, with more in the pipeline. !His clients include the Sharp hospital system in San Diego; the Alberta Cancer Foundation; Bow Valley College; the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative; the Museum of Flight; the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation; the University of Chicago; Plan International; Save the Children; and SOS Children’s Villages worldwide, as well as many smaller and local nonprofits.
For audio, dial +1 (312) 702-‐1380 | use the pin 732552#
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Bloomerang Presents Everything Tom
Ahern Has Learned
4
The biggest almost untapped opportunity for bringing in MORE GIVING to your
charity is through your donor communications.
5© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 6
How great the ORGANIZATION is = $4,470 in gifts
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
CORPORATE communications
DONOR communications
7
How great the ORGANIZATION is = $4,470 in gifts
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
How great the DONOR is = $49,600 in gifts
1,000% IMPROVEMENT!!!
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“Everything I thought I knew ... was wrong!!!”
9© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
10© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“Sixty percent of our $10,000+ donors started out as regular direct-mail donors.”
Source: membership director, Heritage Foundation, 2008
“Direct mail is dead!”
11© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“Sixty percent of our $10,000+ donors started out as regular direct-mail donors.”
Source: membership director, Heritage Foundation, 2008
“Direct mail is dead!”
“No. Direct mail can be a major gifts channel!”
12© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
2% Online giving in 2013, as a percentage of the whole.
Source: Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2014
13© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“E-zine brought in just under $1k in online gifts. Our print newsletter brings in $20k per issue.”
Rob McCulloch, Ottawa Humane Society, June 2014
14
Your new donor newsletter enclosed!
15© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Source: Jeff Brooks, June 2013
16© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
17© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“Ugly works. Tacky works. Corny, embarrassing, and messy all work. In print, or in digital.”
Source: Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, 2014
18© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Source: John Lepp, Agents of Good, 2014
19
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Source: John Lepp, Agents of Good, 201420
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Flesch-Kincaid: 5th grade level Flesch reading ease: 82
21
Why was this letter doomed to succeed?
22© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Flesch-Kincaid: 5th grade level Flesch reading ease: 82
23© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
What would your DEMENTED OVERLORDS
disapprove of?
24© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Flesch-Kincaid: 5th grade level Flesch reading ease: 82
25© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“I have a Ph.D. Therefore, appeal letters over my name cannot use
contractions.”
Dr. Actual Person, College Overlord, Wisconsin, August 2014
26© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Are most donor comms “built to fail?”
[Indisputably.]
27© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
70+% of first-time donors in the U.S. do NOT make a second gift.
28© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
The story’s about the donor ...every time someone donates to a good cause, they're buying a story, a story that's worth more than the amount they donated. It might be the story of doing the right thing, or fitting in, or pleasing a friend or honoring a memory, but the story has value. For many, it's the story of what it means to be part of a community.
Source: Seth Godin
29© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Pixar Pitch !Once upon a time ________________. Every day, _______________________. One day ______________________. Because of that, ________________. Until finally_____________________.
Source: Daniel Pink, To Sell Is Human, via Joanne Fritz
A donor showed up. Someone JUST like you!
30© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
vision enemy hero
servedSource: Stephen Pidgeon and Tangible
31© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 29
!Yes, I donate....
Jane | Age 89 | Widowed32© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Every 15 minutes someone in the UK begins to lose their sight. Today, with your help, we can give them the practical support needed to rebuild their shattered lives.
Source: Stephen Pidgeon and Tangible
Vision
Hero
EnemyServed
33© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
hero defeats enemy
34© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
donors make sad happy
35© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Source: NYU neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, in Emotionomics
“Negative emotions are linked to survival – and
are much stronger.”
36© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
37© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Angel Aloma, ED, Food for the Poor, a $1 billion-a-year US charity fighting poverty in 17 countries.... !“I went to Holland, to the IFC, to hear a very inspiring American. His name was Tom Ahern. And he truly made me internalize the meaning of donor centricity.”
38© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
39© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
40© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
If there are no problems to solve, donors have
nothing to do.
41© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Donors:Why they’re just not that into you
42© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
A lot of charities could be mistaken for
egomaniacs.
43© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
44© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT USABOUT US
ABOUT US ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT USABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT US ABOUT US ABOUT US
45© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT USABOUT US
ABOUT US ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT USABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT US ABOUT US ABOUT US
ABOUT THE DONOR
46© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Lucrative donor communications are
about how wonderful the donor is, not the charity.
47© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Communications are a mirror held up to donors. They see themselves in
what you say.
48© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
You’re in my home: “Why are you here?”
!
Bad guest or good?
49© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
To make ME feel good!!!
Important!
Wanted!
Needed!
Proud of myself!
Happy!
Pleased!
Entertained!Surprised!
50© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
51© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
52© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
53© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
5154© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Welcome to the family
55© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
St. Jude’s welcome package• #10 envelope: THANKS! Your St. Jude welcome materials
are enclosed. • Personalized, one-sided letter (for $10 gift) gushes, “I’ve
just received the marvelous news – you’re the newest member of the St. Jude family.” Marlo Thomas
• P.S.: “I know there are many worthy charities that ask for your help. Please know how honored we are that you’ve chosen to support the work of St. Jude.”
• Inserts: thank you from patient, thank you from parent, small notepad, reply slip with a gentle ask for “extra gift”
56© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Fundraising is sales. You have a customer:
the donor.57© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Why bother? UNhappy customers
give ELSEwhere.
58© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“Please stop staring at my wallet. You’re making me
uncomfortable.”
59© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
“Fundraising is NOT about
money.”© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
Source: Alan Clayton
60
It’s about making your donors happy.
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 61
From you.... They want to belong. They want to see their values in action. They want to win! 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 feel something.
62© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
My free how-to e-newsletter… www.aherncomm.com
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
I subscribe!
63
Questions?
My free how-to e-newsletter… www.aherncomm.com
© 2014 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com
I subscribe!
65
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!!!
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Move a First-‐Time Donor to a Major Donor
!Rachel Muir, CFRE
!10/2 -‐ 1pm eastern
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