Communicating Your Message to Donors

Eric PhelpsRAINMAKER Consulting

RAINMAKER Consulting

• Fundraising Consulting

• Strategic Planning• Executive

Coaching• Organizational

Development

Today We Will…• Meet Each Other• Review Valley Gives

Opportunities• Learn the SUCCESs

model• Practice Storytelling• Imagine reaching

new donors• Explore Channels of

Communication/Video

• Q&A• Write a First Draft

of Message– Feedback– Sharing

• Q&A 2• Next Steps• Adjourn

Who Are We?

Who’s in the Room?

What is the possibility of individual giving?

Total Giving in US 2015?$373.25 Billion – a record year!

Up 4.1% from 2015Individual Giving makes up 72%

($264.58B)87% if you add Planned Giving

More people in US gave to charity than voted!

Source: Giving USA 2016 Report

What could Valley Gives funding enable you to do?

Valley Gives Review• 9,596 donors• 4,476 NEW

donors to Valley Gives

• 19,391 Online donations

• 454 Participating Organizations (with primary offices in 54 towns/cities)

• CFWMA– 185,000 in

Prizes/Grants• Leveraged

$1,613,725– $1,193,863

Donations– $322,341 in

Outside Matching Money

– $70,022 in Donated Fees

Valley Gives Review

Location, Location, Location

• 68 out of 70 towns/cities

• 202 Towns outside PV (77% of MA)

• 50 States + DC and Puerto Rico

• 8 Countries

Valley Gives Insights• Average Donation?– $25.00– 22% of all donations– Only 37 donations of

$1,000+• Not a large dollar

event– You can FOCUS ON

new donors, small donations that add up

Valley Gives Insights• Average donations per

organization– 39

• Organizations located in:– Hampshire – 38%– Hampden – 36%– Franklin – 17%– MA – 6%– Other States – 3%

• Organizations that raised $1,000+– 54%

Room To Grow

Adults Gave to VGReminiang Adults

Valley Gives Goals• Increase breadth

of participation• Continue to attract

high number of first-time donors

• Increase number of VG donors under 40

• Create clear messaging that engages folks

Not so long ago in a city far, far away…

X

Recent Example

Campaign ReviewPro-gress• Urgent

– Deadline– In plenty of time to make

a difference• Relevant

– Election– National Republicans are

running TV ads against me

• Clear ask (x 3)• “P.S. Message”

Con-gress (or Senate)• Addresses the audience

from a position of weakness– Kochs are after me– Fighting $400M campaign

• Does not tell a story• Does not make a case for

support• Did not engage

“Matterness”– “Top target list” for $25.00?

• Looks amateur in Courier

New Approach• Simple• Unexpected• Concrete• Credible• Emotional• Stories• (short)

• SUCCESs!

“Stickiness”…• Gets attention• Is memorable• Inspires people to act (purchase, share,

discuss, donate, petition)

Our CampaignsTend to…• Talk about ourselves

with internal jargon• Talk about our

outputs• Tell a good story,

then… (See above)• Include too much

information• Forget the

Matterness• Yadda yadda yadda

Could…• Make connections to

donors• Make a case for our

impact• Tell a good story

(Stop)

• Include enough information

• Include Matterness• That’s it!

Simple• Don’t “Bury the Lead”• “If you say three

things, you don’t say anything”

• Names, Names, Names – Local Connections

• Core + Compact• Use Generative

Analogies– Jaws on a spaceship

(Alien)

Polemo SchemaA polemo is the largest citrus fruit. The rind is very thick but soft and easy to peel away. The resulting fruit has a light yellow to coral pink flesh and can vary from juicy to slightly dry and from seductively spicy-sweet to tangy and tart.

A polemo is a super-sized grapefruit with a very thick, soft rind.

Simple

Help is a four-legged word

Our vision doesn’t require sight Finding a cure

now… so our daughters

don’t have to

Make Meaning• Kenneth L. Peters, the Principal of Beverly

Hills High School, announced today that the entire high school faculty will travel to Sacramento next Thursday for a colloquium in new teaching methods. Among the speakers will be Margaret Mead, college president Dr. Robert Maynard Hutchins, and California governor Edmund “Pat” Brown.

• There will be no school next Thursday!

Unexpected• Surprise brow,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRh1xH_oBOo

• Create curiosity – Gap Theory– Gaps start with some knowledge– Start now with providing knowledge and lead

to May 3• Use joke structure: “One of these things is

not like the other”• Be creative!

Concrete

Tie Gift to Impact

• Meals provided• Clients/patients

served• Jobs created• Carbon offsets• Change

• This is especially noted for Millennials

Goat - $50No kid-ding

here—this gift is an

invaluable resource for

rural communities.

Credible

Rating of Patient Care

Would Recommend This Hospice

Providing Emotional Support

Treating Family With Respect

Support fro Religious & Spiritual Beliefs

0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%

NationalStateHFH Level

Source: DEYTA/Medicaid

Emotional• Video, Love has No Labels• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

PnDgZuGIhHs

Data & Emotion2004 Study• Informational Appeal• $1.26• Story Appeal • $2.38• Mixed Appeal• $1.14• Primed for Emotion• $2.41

Your life has been woven with so many surprises.

So many lessons that can benefit others.

So many insights. So many moments.

Some you’ve revealed in the stories you tell today.

But many others will be revealed in the stories

you will tell tomorrow.

A story is a journey with a twist, taking us

from one place to another where a change occurs.

Good Stories Are…• Retellable and

Memorable• Have a…

– Beginning (Set up/Context)

– Middle (Crisis)– End (Resolution)

• Brief (or can be told in short form)

• “Viral” (Jokes, Urban Myths)

Types of StoriesOrigin Stories• Often very effective – they

demonstrate your DNA & are well-rehearsed

• Depict your beginnings (Raison d’etre, early successes & struggles)

• They show what you’ve learned

• Create connection with supporters

• Examples can be found everywhere

Types of StoriesImpact Stories• Can be in parallel with

Origin Story• Must demonstrate change• Are BEST from someone

other than YOU! (Don’t brag)

• Shows how funds are used

• Are more effective as “power of one”

Types of StoriesVision Stories• Show where you

are going– Future Plans– New Building– New reach

• Imagines a world…• Example: MLK’s “I

Have a Dream” speech

Eric’s StoryOne day during a meeting at work, I noticed a flash appearing out of the corner of my eye. I thought it was a reflection from the overhead lights, but then it happened again when I went home. It even happened when I closed my eyes – so I knew I needed to see an optometrist. The next day, I made the appointment, but it required a referral from my primary care physician.

Eric’s Story (Cont.)So I called his office as formality and to address the problem with my vision.

It turned out that I had not had a full physical in quite some time (which my doctor was quick to point out). In exchange for the referral, I agreed to have him check me out the following week…

Eric’s Story (3)My heart began racing when I heard, “Everything checked out fine, except that I felt something on your prostate.” Incredulous, I said, “But I came in for my eye!”

From the beginning, Cancer Connection provided me with support, answered my questions, and made me feel like I had people to talk with who had gone through what I was facing…

Share Pair Exercise

Share a story about your organization that incorporates

SUCCESs-ful principles

A Few Words About Video• 85% of web traffic is

driven by video• Videos are “Sticky”• YouTube has over 1

Billion users – almost 1/3 of all ppl on internet

• 81% of Millennials use YT

• Videos are mostly viewed on mobile

• 300 hours uploaded every minute

A Few MORE Video Pointers…

• Videos can..– Ask– Thank– Report

• But don’t do more than 2 of these in 1 video

• Scripts can help, but don’t read from one

• Brevity is the soul of wit – shorter videos get more views!

SUCCESs-ful Videos• Follow The Frog• Charity: Water• Alex: Childhood Cancer Slayer• Anti-bullying PSA “Who Will Stop

The Bullying?”• First World Problems• Africans for Norway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUQ1vdJQWn0

One Size…

• Use Data Segmentation to customize your messages

• Consider in cultivation, solicitation, stewardship

• Consider what people want to hear…

Millennials Report Reminders

1. Don’t Neglect Core Supporters– It is easier to retain

than gain– And our goal is to

GAIN2. Engage Millennials

Early and Consistently– Use Video & social

media– Prompt them to

“share”

3. Engage Millennial Online and OFF-line– Consider an engagement

event for younger donors

4. Clearly show where money is going/will go

5. Use an authentic voice6. Feature a peer

(volunteer, client)7. Encourage Millennial

employees to share

Campaign Goals & Focus• Matching Grants

(Board, Business, Major Donor)

• Particular programs

• Incentivize campaigns (EOY, balance budget, complete a campaign)

• Stay unrestricted• Amplify success• Peer Network

Fundraisers

Channels• Email• Social Media• Facebook• Twitter• LinkedIn

• Live events• Video (Vimeo, YT,

others)• Your web site• Peer Fundraising

Clear Call to Action

Draft or Outline a letter that incorporates SUCCESs-ful

Principles

THANK YOU!!

THANK YOU!!!

No, Seriously…

• Among those who didn't renew their annual contribution, many cite the fact that they were not thanked as a primary reason (2012 Giving Survey)

• Individualized stewardship is easy, fun, and perfect for participants or board members! (Be sure to get their name right!)

• People cannot be “over-thanked”!• Go “old school” and use a pen, paper,

postcard.• It is not too late to thank someone…

Thank You!Eric Phelps

eric@rainmkr.comTwitter @rainmkr

@ericlphelps