Updated: February 2025
There I was, enjoying a beautiful fall afternoon in Southeastern Pennsylvania, when I heard what sounded like a man losing a custody battle in public.
He was standing alone. But not really—he had his trusty cell phone. And he was laying into it like it had personally betrayed him.
He wasn’t whispering. He wasn’t even talking. He was shouting, complete with flailing arms and theatrical pacing, in what could only be described as a one-man off-Broadway tragedy.
Now, the person on the other end of the line—assuming they hadn’t thrown the phone across the room by that point—might’ve caught 10% of it. Maybe.
But the rest of us? The 30 or so people in earshot?
We were the peanut gallery. Unwilling spectators. And the general consensus was: “Sir, no one cares.”
The Communication Illusion
This little sidewalk opera reminded me of something important.
We live in the age of “convenient communication.” Zoom calls. Texts. Emails. DMs. Slack pings. And the trusty, ever-depersonalized phone call.
All these tools give us the illusion that we’re connecting.
But if you’re in fundraising—especially planned giving—you’re not in the business of just “connecting.”
You’re in the business of influencing. Persuading. Closing.
And you can’t do that by yelling into a device and hoping something sticks. You need to do face-to-face fundraising.
You’re Not Miniature. So Why Is Your Message?
Take a look at your phone. Small, impersonal, mass-produced. Somebody else’s logo on it.
Is that really the medium that’s going to carry the nuance, authority, and emotional gravity of your legacy gift pitch?
Is that the hill you want your marketing to die on?
Face it—your message, your body language, your eye contact, your tone, your timing—all the stuff that actually persuades people—is being shrunk, filtered, and flattened.
Stop Playing to the Cheap Seats
Many today are guilty of shouting at the peanut gallery. They send emails, leave voicemails, post LinkedIn updates, but never do any face-to-face fundraising—and then they wonder why no one gives.
They’re broadcasting to audiences that aren’t listening and blaming the medium when the message falls flat.
But real influence? Real persuasion?
That still happens the old-fashioned way:
One person. One conversation. One commitment.
You don’t close six-figure legacy gifts by playing it small. And you don’t build trust by hiding behind a screen.
Bottom Line:
If your message actually matters, stop shrinking it to fit a screen. Get in the room. Shake a hand. Lock eyes. Woody Allen said, “80% of success is just showing up.” He was being generous. Most people don’t even bother. That’s your unfair advantage—so use it.
Because shouting at nobody—no matter how passionate you are—isn’t communication.
It’s just noise.
Shouting at the Peanut Gallery?
Maybe I’m showing my age, but the phrase “shouting at the peanut gallery” is an old idiom packed with sarcasm and truth.
Back in vaudeville days, the “peanut gallery” was the cheap seats—the rowdy crowd in the back who heckled and tossed peanuts when they didn’t like what they saw.
So, when you’re “shouting at the peanut gallery,” you’re wasting your best material on people with no power, no interest, and no intention of taking action—just opinions and noise.
In modern terms?
It’s posting your smartest ideas on LinkedIn and getting 40 likes from people who will never buy a thing. It’s writing brilliant fundraising appeals that impress your colleagues … but never reach a real donor. It’s pitching to the loudest person in the room—not the one with the checkbook.
Regarding LinkedIn … remember, “no one can deposit likes.”
Translation for fundraisers:
If you’re spending your best pitch on the least likely givers, you’re shouting at the peanut gallery—and leaving real money on the table.
