Johnny Carson’s Philanthropy Is a Class Act
Johnny has done something more: He has contributed over $156 million dollars from his estate to a variety of charitable groups.
Say Thank-You Right… And You’ll be Saying It More Often
“I don’t need to be recognized,” the donor commented, “but a sense of individual appreciation such as a personal thank-you goes a long way.”
New Survey Terms iPad Owners “Selfish Elites”
Is Altruism an Endangered Attribute? What if the “I” in “iPad” turned out to be Gordon “Greed is good” Gekko from the movie WALL STREET? While we don’t know if Gordon really has an iPad, we’re sure he’s out there, at least in spirit, because results from a recent survey of iPad owners by MyType seem to show that his real-world confreres make up a hefty proportion of those who have purchased this trendy new tech toy. Specifically, as reported by Eliot Van Buskirk in the 7/27/2010 edition of Wired.Com, the survey conducted this spring by MyType (a consumer research firm specializing in personality inventories) indicated that: “iPad owners tend to be wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated and disproportionately interested in business and finance, while they scored terribly in the areas of altruism and kindness. In other words, ‘selfish elites.’” The Opposite of a Donor Presumably individuals who self-report in such a way as to generate these results don’t worry much about being “jerks” (to use one popular technical term). And also presumably Apple doesn’t care how altruistic their customers are just as long as they pay for their iPad. But these conclusions about iPad owners might be of some concern to fundraisers. Why? Because altruism is our business – you might even say it’s our bread and butter, not to mention the mainspring of endowment growth and organizational success. So any spike in the Scrooge population is bad medicine. Also, consider some of the other descriptors of iPad owners: Wealthy, sophisticated, highly-educated; and right on the cutting edge of information technology. So you might think of them as a good prospect for charitable giving, especially when solicited via e-marketing vectors. But only if you ignore the fact that they are selfish and unkind! Those Who Wait Get More of the Same? If we are starting to make you feel a little gloomy, brace yourself for another depressing factoid: The age range for these “selfish elite” respondents in the MyType survey was 30 to 50 years old. That means they represent the tail end of the Boomers plus Generation X plus the beginning of Generation Y. So fundraisers can look forward to these individuals passing through the charitable landscape clutching their iPads for the next 30 to 40 years. And that’s not a pretty picture. So is our world coming to an end…again? Going Forward with Plenty of Lemonade The good news is: Not only is it never too late, but strategizing for the future can begin right now. The MyType survey may be unwelcome news for fundraisers, but it’s also news we can use. Do we really have to give up on this unkind iPad cohort? Not yet. Consider: These people are highly educated; they went to school somewhere, and those institutions will have some special leverage in reaching them. Perhaps some selfish alumn would cherish having a big portrait of himself painted on the side of a new business school building he has endowed. Similarly, their enthusiasm for technology, business and finance, and wealth in general represents a chink in their armor. Suggest, for example, that they support state-of-the-art information technology for your hospital’s billing department. Also, they have professional affiliations, so they might smile on funding an accountancy internship with a Wall Street firm. The fact that they are tech-savvy means you can access them with smart messaging via whatever new techie medium happens to be hot. If you meet them on the cutting edge, you may catch them with their egos down. Individuals who are ostentatiously selfish and unkind at age 35 may find themselves experiencing a change of heart as they mature. You can help them make that change. Remember, only one night’s worth of powerful messaging turned Mr. Scrooge around completely! The results of the MyType survey only really support one conclusion: that some people are a lot harder to market to than others. And we knew that already. So the challenge to fundraisers hasn’t really changed, it’s just been brought into sharper focus. The nonprofit organizations that will grow their endowment and accomplish their missions in the future will be those with creative and energetic fundraising professionals on staff who use their talent and drive to succeed in closing gifts regardless of resistance among their prospects… and whether or not they’re iPad owners. Category: Planned Giving Marketing
“We’re Not Sending a Year End Appeal This Year.”
The economy in 2008 was challenging. But what’s scarier than your 401k statement? Writing a year-end appeal to your donors and supporters in this economic climate, that’s what. Some of my non profit friends are telling me that they’re not putting a year-end letter in this year’s budget. They know donors are experiencing a cash crunch, and they don’t want to make them feel even more jittery. So, in my own very gentle, tactful way, I’ve been trying to soothe my friends’ fears by saying: “Whoa! Are you nuts?” That’s right. It’s crazy not to send a year-end letter. During tough times, nonprofits should be thinking bigger, not smaller. A year-end letter is a must, especially one with a planned giving twist. There are creative ways to give at the end of the year and many are through planned gifts. Don’t forget, bequests make up at least 75% of planned gifts, too. And always, always remember this: all you need is one planned gift to make it worth your while to launch an appeal. Smart nonprofit people know that this year, it’s nearly impossible to sing that old song, “Give by year-end and get a big tax break!” because donor portfolios are suffering. That’s why this year, it’s important to think smart, think new, and send a better letter. What’s a smart (and tough) nonprofit person to do? We’ve already written a tried and true, must-have letter you can purchase right now. And here are several free downloads and tools you can put to use immediately. Just because they are free does not mean they are not of value. Use them! Remember; tough times do not last. But tough (and smart) nonprofits do. Category: Planned Giving Marketing
Cutting Back on Marketing?
Do you cut back on food when times are tough? If that were the case, everyone would be slim and trim right about now. Marketing is the meat and potatoes (sorry, bad pun) of any fundraising operation, and cutting back, especially in a tight economy, is a recipe (sorry again) for problems down the road.
Recognize Your Donors in Print
We recently heard of a non profit mailing out its annual report with a notice inside that read “In an effort to keep our costs low and use our resources to provide more food, we have reduced the size of our Annual Report. Please go to our website for a list of donors, volunteers and community partners.”
Practice Thinking Like Your Prospect
Practice thinking like your prospect. Who are they? What do they care about? What are their hopes, fears, dreams? What are their deepest desires?
Your Enemy is an Overstuffed Mailbox
Have you ever wondered why your planned giving newsletters are not getting a good response? Because chances are they are not even getting read.
There’s No Secret. It’s Common Sense Planned Giving
“People commonly use statistics like a drunk uses a lamp post; for support rather than illumination.” (Mark Twain)
Age-Based Marketing: Rest in Peace
After a long and fruitful life, Age-Based Marketing is dead. Cause of death? The New Economy, youthful Baby Boomers and just plain old age. Once upon a time, Americans marched a predictable path: From high school to college to career to marriage to family to retirement and then the golf course in Florida. That’s all changed. Today, many 50- and 60-year-olds are launching businesses, reinventing their careers and some are even starting new families. It used to be we could market products and services based on the age of our target audience, but that strategy, like your Filofax, rotary phone and pager, is old school. It’s time to retire Age-Based Marketing from your planned giving program and promote a savvier, much more energetic strategy. It’s called … Segmentation. Segmentation and message-to-segment marketing is crucial in planned giving, the most personal type of giving. Smart segmentation involves sending a specific message to younger donors, specific messages to single donors, both young and older, a specific message to widows … You get the idea. It might take some research and elbow grease on your part to segment your prospect list, but identifying your audience and targeting your messages appropriately is the best way to get results. If you’re still just mailing only to your most loyal donors (premium PG prospects, by the way) over 70 … take a look at these numbers: By the time a prospect is 60, the chance of them leaving you in their will is less than 15%. 43% of bequests are created by those 55 and younger. 34% of all CRTs are created by those 54 and younger. 15% of all planned gifts are created by those 45 and younger. The moral of this story? Make segmentation part of your planned giving action plan. Do your market (donor) research, use it to segment your marketing efforts, and then reach out to everyone, creatively! Category: Planned Giving Marketing
