With all that’s gone on this year, if you’re still sending generic, organization-centered communication, you’re doing a huge disservice. There has been some conflict about donor-centered vs community-centered, and Ann Green thinks we can have both. What you don’t want is to be organization-centered. You can’t communicate with your donors without focusing on them. This … Continue reading On the Road to Better Donor Communication
As a fundraiser, how can I bring up the question of legacies?
Ilana Jackman worked with Kingston University to talk to 6000 alumni over 60 years old about their legacies and the results have transformed their legacy fundraising. Here is a practical case study how we did it: https://blog.thebiggive.org.uk/advice/as-a-fundraiser-how-can-i-bring-up-the-question-of-legacies/
Cat People and Dog People
Are you a cat person or a dog person? The answer to that might impact your choice of a (potential) mate. The experiment on an online dating site randomized the same male in two different photos, one holding a cat, one not. Women then “swiped” to show interest. The guy with the cat was considered … Continue reading Cat People and Dog People
Inclusive communications in the fundraising and philanthropy sectors
Generations of fundraisers and NGOs have been conditioned to a very insidious formula for the way we fundraise. This formula has evolved, it has mutated, but it is still very much alive. Essentially, this formula rests on humanising the donor, and then predominantly the white donor, and on dehumanising the predominantly non-white beneficiaries and more … Continue reading Inclusive communications in the fundraising and philanthropy sectors
Nonprofits are the engines of change
Nonprofits operate in an increasingly volatile world -- and a rapidly evolving digital landscape. This was true before the pandemic and even more so now. According to a 2020 nonprofit trends report, the demand for more nonprofit programs and services is rising. So what can non-profits do now to be successful? Vala Afshar looks for … Continue reading Nonprofits are the engines of change
“Othering” Language akin to Poverty Porn: Is Your Nonprofit Guilty?
“Poverty porn” refers to the use of pictures, video, the written word, and other forms of communication to present participant stories through a victimizing lens. These elicit feelings of pity and motivate donors to give. These media show helpless, passive victims just waiting for someone to rescue them. While dehumanizing language may bring in funding, … Continue reading “Othering” Language akin to Poverty Porn: Is Your Nonprofit Guilty?
People who have more money can give more away
That’s a truism. You obviously have to have some spare cash if you are going to support a charity, but what makes this a particularly interesting point is the recent report from the Governor of the Bank of England, where he explains that saving deposits have increased in value by over £125 billion during the … Continue reading People who have more money can give more away
10 Ways Your Brain Reacts to Uncertain Times
Volatility. Uncertainty. Complexity. Ambiguity. These four words (shorthanded to “VUCA”) describe the type of high-stress, high-demand scenarios that can rapidly degrade one of our most powerful and influential brain systems: our attention. During uncertain times, we are all living in VUCA conditions. Compounding the constant health and economic concerns, we are facing unprecedented levels of … Continue reading 10 Ways Your Brain Reacts to Uncertain Times
A Mental Trick to Help with Challenging Conversations
Imagine the colleague with whom you have a very challenging relationship, the person who makes the most innocuous conversation tense and uncomfortable. Now imagine the following scenario: You’re sitting at your desk working away when a message from that person pops up on your screen. You open the message and it reads: “I got the … Continue reading A Mental Trick to Help with Challenging Conversations
Five For-Profit Practices That Philanthropy Should Avoid
Judy Park, Kavya Shankar and a group of Stanford MBA students interviewed millennial donors from the Silicon Valley startup world and these conservations showed a pattern of overreliance on certain for-profit principles in the nonprofit realm, despite potential flaws. One young tech executive in San Francisco said she wanted to maximize return on investment. The … Continue reading Five For-Profit Practices That Philanthropy Should Avoid
Propper Fundraising 