A lot of fundraisers are asking. Because nobody wants to be seen as creepy. I know I don't.
I can think of a few clearly creepy (or worse) fundraising activities that are surely happening right now:
- Claiming donations will do COVID-19-related good works when that is not going to happen. That's lying. It's more than just creepy.
- Making claims about what giving will do for donors: Donate now, and you will be miraculously spared from getting the virus. The law of karma -- that when you do good things, good things tend to happen to you -- is real in a general sort of way. But claiming that a specific good deed will profit you in a specific form of good fortune? Creepy.
- Fear-based fundraising: Give now, our you might get sick! Creepy.
- Hate (Give to stop those foreigners, homeless people, viola players -- or whatever "others" one might choose to scapegoat).
- Greed (Give and you'll get rich) andr most fundraising that depends on negative emotions. All creepy.
But if your fundraising is telling the truth about the situation and what their giving can do about it, and you are appealing to the better angels of their natures, that is not creepy.
Go forth and fundraise!
In fact, if your organization is doing something to help people in the face of the virus -- and you are not letting your donors be your partners in that -- that's a little bit creepy in my book.
Because remember this: Your donors love to donate. They need to donate. And that's especially important in a time of crisis. You are not taking away from them when they give to you. They get so much back that you might argue they're getting the better deal. That's anti-creepy. It's beautiful and blessed.
There can be fundraising that's not creepy -- but could seem to be creepy because of the COVID-19 context.
I've racked brain and have found only one good example of creepy-seeming fundraising. If you have any other examples, please tell me about them.
Say you have prepared a message to donors asking them to consider putting your organization in their wills. Bequest fundraising is a wonderful, life-affirming, and very important thing to do. But now? Your bequest message will likely be focused on older donors ... at a time when they face a real possibility of life-threatening illness. It could easily come across as, Hey, real quick, before you die from COVID-19, could you write us into your will?
That sounds creepy. It really does. I would postpone that project until this crisis is well behind us.
But here's what I hope you take away from this discussion:
If you are scrupulously telling the truth (as we always must), and you are treating your donors with respect (as we always must) and you are not trying to foster destructive impulses they might have ...
...your COVID-19 fundraising is not creepy.
I hope you are giving these issues good and clear thought. And if your organization is helping make the world a better place in the face of this frightening situation, I hope you are bringing donors as empowered people who are tackling the crisis and making a difference. That's what we're here to do!
This crisis raises a lot of questions for a lot of us. Want some practical and experience-based help?
Sean Triner is presenting a webinar on Wednesday called COVID-19: 5 Steps to Keep Your Fundraising Strong Through the Crisis.
The webinar is free.
If you want help with what you should do next in this crisis -- how to avoid the pitfalls, how to connect with donors in positive and helpful ways ... check this out.
I've seen the material, and it's amazing. It can help you put together a crisis or emergency campaign that will thrill your donors with the opportunity to make a difference. You'll find how to recover from income lost because of cancelled events. It will give you the confidence to take solid (and non-creepy) action. You'll get real confidence for facing these hard times ... knowing you are on a good path.
COVID-19: 5 Steps to Keep Your Fundraising Strong Through the Crisis is offered in two sessions:
- Wednesday March 25 at 12:30 pm (Eastern US time -- that's 7:30 pm London time)
- Wednesday March 25 at 7 pm (Eastern, which is 10 am on the 26th in Sydney and 8:30 am in New Zealand)
It will be live on Facebook. And it's free.
from Future Fundraising Now https://ift.tt/2J9XPqQ
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