You never forget the first time. Words matter (again). And what Alec Baldwin said…
It’s amazing how things have changed. In years past, for as long as I can remember, I’ve dreaded those times of the year when my local NPR station (KUT) would rudely interrupt my regularly scheduled programming to conduct pledge drives. C’mon, I’m a recurring giver, for Pete’s sake… Enough with the repetitive banter and T-shirt offers!
Flash forward, and as I’ve explained in two previous posts, I’ve become kind of fascinated with how deftly National Public Radio navigates the cutting edge of fundraising, and I actually find myself nodding along and taking mental notes on their best practices.
Last spring I observed how clever (and effective) KUT was by purposefully calling their effort a “membership” drive instead of a fund drive or a pledge drive, and I pointed out that recurring gifts (sustaining memberships) and “challenge gifts” were really moving the needle. These strategic approaches still make sense, and are still being used effectively, but wait – this time there’s more…
Right away in their recent fall membership drive, KUT made it clear that they had a significant goal – signing up 2000 new members. The radio hosts pointed out that of every 100 people listening at any given moment, less than 5% contribute to the station. And that’s with 150 new people moving to Austin every day! The new member theme dominated the pledge drive, and it took a day longer than they’d hoped, but KUT broke their previous record and received pledges from more than 2000 new members. So what should you take away from this?
- It’s difficult to acquire new donors. Even fundraising machines with a captive audience like NPR clearly have to work hard to achieve what seems like a modest success. But even though it’s challenging, acquiring new members can be crucial to future-proof your nonprofit.
- Tactically, as simple as it sounds, you must keep politely reminding your audience that they can’t count on “the next guy” to do all the work. If they care about the cause, they need to personally take action.
- At the same time, you must create an easy path for non-donors to relieve their guilty consciences – a red carpet experience – specifically for first time donors.
- Finally, remember that there must be a first time before an action has any chance of becoming a habit.
As part of their recent appeal to new members, KUT implicitly admitted that they’d veered so far away from using the words “donor” and “fund drive,” that the uninitiated were becoming confused. Apparently people thought that by becoming “a member,” they’d be contractually committing to NPR the way they commit to Netflix or their cable provider (not that this wouldn’t be a good thing). As a result, the station hosts frequently took breaks from active solicitation to explain the difference between a member and a donor (“there’s no difference”), and to explain what a “recurring gift” was. Note to all other fundraisers out there – don’t forget that you likely have a wide range of potential givers and you’ll need to tailor your communications such that you resonate effectively with the sub-groups that are most important to you. Words matter. As does look and feel and imagery. By the way, if you’re interested in what kind of imagery to use, and how recurring gifts can fit into your fundraising strategy, check out CDS Global’s latest white paper “The Nonprofit vs. For-Profit Marketing Approach,” based off a presentation I gave at the 2014 Bridge Conference.
Your spokespeople also matter, which brings me to Alec Baldwin. If you haven’t heard any of the several pledge drive clips he’s recorded for NPR’s fall fundraising efforts, you should check them out. Like Alec Baldwin himself, his segments are funny and irreverent and smart, and I suspect they’re working. In this one, where he facetiously implores listeners NOT to pledge NPR, he manages to poke fun at just about everyone, including himself. And that, I think, is what works. Appealing to reason and logic and even emotion can only take an organization so far. Look at the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge as a loose parallel, which as you know, recently generated over $100M (!) by cleverly incorporating some fun into efforts to raise money to combat a decidedly un-fun disease. As serious as your cause is, taking yourself too seriously won’t always work.
So that’s it. The latest wisdom gleaned by this NPR junkie and nonprofit fundraising fan. Stay tuned for the KUT spring fund drive, when I’m sure there will be even more insight and inspiration to share. And if you’re looking for some more fundraising and marketing tips for your own nonprofit organization, be sure to download our latest white paper, “The Nonprofit vs. For-Profit Marketing Approach: Ten Techniques You Should Consider.”
Check out Jamey’s other two blog posts on NPR fundraising:
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