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Why is fundraising so "ugly"?

Personally, I find it hard to call activities that power so many of the world's good deeds ugly -- but I understand the question. Most effective fundraising has a clunky, out-dated, not-so-pretty look.

Some people who come to our field without experience think it's because we're just kind of clumsy and don't know how to make it nicer-looking. That's not it, at least not most of the time.

Here's a good explanation from Seth Godin, at Pretty websites:

...the worldview of people who are likely to sign up, 'like,' share, click, act and generally take action instantly is not the same worldview of people that convert into long-term, loyal customers over time.

Unattractive high-response sites aren't usually the result of a lack of taste or talent on the part of the designer, they're optimized for one worldview.

On the web or in the mail, fundraising is in that "unattractive high-response" category. I know people who spend their entire careers pounding their head against that wall, trying again and again to get response by making it "pretty."

It doesn't work. And I can't imagine how soul-crushingly frustrating it must be.

(This post first appeared on May 19, 2015.)



from Future Fundraising Now https://ift.tt/2Nj41Ql

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