Three Quick Fundraising Points

Last night, I was listening to a podcast which was, in passing, discussing Apple’s marketing brilliance. The host pointed out a universal truth about which Apple is keenly aware (and smartly utilizes): People are moved to action by three basic elements…

1) A sense of Anticipation
2) A sense of Urgency
3) A sense of Exclusivity

It occurred to me that as we think about fundraising campaigns, these three elements should be kept top of mind.

1) Talk about upcoming events on air (and in direct mail, email, etc.), building a sense of anticipation. If there’s a special announcement coming at the end of the program, talk about that at the start. If it’s later in the month, talk about it early in the month. Makes sense for a number of reasons, none the least of which is increasing the reach of that message.

2) Then, when on air, communicate the urgency of the situation. These days, it’ll be no surprise to any listener. My concern is that if we don’t express our own sense of urgency, the “din” of others doing so will drown out our own appeals.

3) As we think about what package of materials might be available to donors, express the exclusive nature of this group of materials. It could be that exclusivity is related to the audience (“ministry friends”) or medium (special email offer). There are always items which are unique to a ministry which should be a part of that package.

Apple's proven the success of this thinking. Time to implement on the ministry side too!