Over the final week 2011, I received almost identical emails from some of my favorite charities asking for money.
Not one of them took the time to recognize that I was a monthly donor. That made me angry.
I am so engaged with their mission that I give them something every single month to do their good work. I figured they might take the time to recognize that before they ask me for a second gift in December.
So, right off the bat, I’m mad. But then, because I am committed to their mission, I read on. A big mistake.
Rather than tell me something compelling about their work, they told me I only had a few days to get a 2011 tax receipt! By the time I got this email from the fourth charity I give to monthly, I was in a rage.
Apart from the fact that the entire message is an insult to a monthly donor (I am confident they will bank my December payment!), it’s as compelling as a root canal.
Surely they are doing something which might compel me to think about another gift. Surely they need my help one last time in 2011 to advance our shared mission.
But no, my reason to give is that it’s my last time to get a 2011 tax receipt.
By now, I’m apoplectic! Research shows that even for major gifts and bequests, the fact that there is a tax advantage is far down the list of motivations for giving.
People like me give because we want to give back, want to heal a sick world, want to do the right thing for the right reason.
I better stop writing now. I’m on the verge of canceling all my monthly gifts and giving up on my attempt to contribute to a better world. But if I stop now, I’ll be OK.
My two new year’s resolutions for those who sent me this offensive, stupid email (all of whom are getting a personal copy of this rant addressed to the President or Executive Director), are these:
1. Don’t talk to me without recognizing I give monthly.
2. To rephrase Bambi: “If you can’t say something compelling, don’t say anything at all.”
Great post David! I would have been very offended if I had received an email like that from one of the charities I support monthly. I actually just received a phone call from one of those charities asking me to upgrade my monthly support over the holidays. I was OK with the call because they first of all thanked me profusely for my support and recognized that I am important in furthering their cause. I didn’t upgrade my gift because it already is a significant amount, ($25), but I didn’t cancel it either which can happen if you handle these types of calls in the wrong way. They did give me some valid reasons to increase my support which I did appreciate though. In the end I hung up the phone feeling good about my support and my decision to support this organization.
Loved this post! And the following comments. We discussed it here and why this happens and how important it is to treat people as if you know who they are! But it is true that sometimes only the fundraisers understand this and other parts of the team just “want to get it out” or don’t understand the relationship building and the true value of it. Always a good reminder to never take the short cuts!
Glad you enjoyed the rant Beth. It makes me feel better when others feel my pain. Keep loving donors.
Jen, you nailed it. I know that problem well, and we’re not going to fix it until we demolish internal silos – and that has to start at the top of organizations. As long as people are being judged by their area’s performance… this is what you end up with.
And Agent Dad… good rant – right on!
Thanks for your comment Mary. Demolish those silos! Love those donors!
The late Hank Rosso said “People give to people.”
Segmentation is part of the solution but the core problem David is addressing is that too often we view donors as ATM machines instead of thinking of them as people.
The way I approach my work is to think of myself as the donor – so I think to myself “if give montthly does that mean the charity is important to me?” To which m gut response is “Hell yes!”
Thus I treat donors how I want to be treated – which is why I am so devoted to hand written thank you notes.
But ultimately, it’s not about the hand written thank you notes or segmentation – it’s about treating people like people not automatic giving machines.
How great is it to hear from you!
And yes, I felt like an ATM. Great analogy.
You’re right of course Jen.
But even if they get the segmentation right, they need to send something worth reading. And “make a donation to get a tax receipt” is not worth reading.
Especially five times!
You rule Agent Dad! I was saying to John that I think this post is particularly interesting because it’s not even really about the strategy to email people at the end of the year to try and capture that last bit of love and energy. The data shows that lots and lots of us give at the end of the year — it’s a bonanza for online fundraising. So, if charities make the decision to email everyone about it, we’re not going to criticize. The issue is segmentation. If you’re going to do it, make sure to speak differently to your most treasured audiences. It would be heresy in direct mail to send EVERYONE the same version of the same renewal or special. We do anywhere from 7 to 15 variable page 1s and variable coupon copy. And yet online it is so much easier to segment, and do it thoughtfully, and basically for free! But many of our own clients will confess their email database and fundraising database don’t talk to each other, so they don’t know who is who on their email list. And then the ultimate kick in the ass, the email database is “owned” by communications so it’s never the top of the priority list to roll up sleeves and tackle a massive data scrub. For me, it’s about segmentation, not strategy. But maybe you were too mad to notice the nuances.