Give, or the dog gets shot!
Marketer Seth Godin tells a story about the early days of Mad magazine. Subscriptions had stalled and the publication’s future was in danger. In an attempt to boost revenue, the magazine’s editors made a provocative appeal: “If you don’t buy this magazine, we’ll kill this dog!”
The Pitfalls of Fear-Based Appeals
Whether intentional or not, at some point most fundraisers adopt this same approach to soliciting gifts, though usually couched in more sanguine language such as “Keep the lights on!,” “Cover the gap!,” or “Save on taxes!” At the heart of campaign copy there is an implied negative consequence for not giving. While this can be effective for a time, in the long run it is not a truly compelling reason for why someone should support your charity.
In this article, I’d like to point out what causes fundraisers to adopt fear based appeals and to highlight the value of building a culture of generosity using positive campaign messaging.
Building from the Ground Up
When a school begins, it often does so with a giving program focused on big ticket items such as land purchases, buildings, books, and equipment, conspicuous goods that allow the school to open its doors and leap into its work. Giving at this stage is public, flush, and exciting. Donors are proud to support the undertaking in order to see the vision for the school become a reality.
Over time, however, the need for large physical items diminishes. There are only so many buildings the land can support or books the bookshelves can hold. And yet, the need for funding continues apace.
Enter the annual fund
As all seasoned school fundraisers are aware, most private schools supplement tuition revenue with voluntary annual giving.
The purpose of this model is to enrich school offerings as much as possible while raising the price of tuition as little as possible from year to year, relying on voluntary community support to equitably bridge the gap between the price of tuition and the full cost of educating each student.
This is important funding. But annual giving can also lose its luster in the eyes of the community because it is asked for every year while appearing like there is little to show for it. Without an appeal to mission, the reason for the school’s existence, gift officers can be tempted to deploy gimmicky or bombastic messaging to rouse support. Of course these threats are rarely real, and proven so by their yearly repetition, but they are far from cultivating the same enthusiasm for giving that families felt when the school began.
The Shift Toward a Culture of Generosity
Ideally, gifts to the annual fund should be enthusiastic affirmations of why parents chose your school for their child and the impact of the school in the life of its alumni. Donors should be excited to continue their support and to participate in growing an already excellent community.
Here are a few annual fund appeal lines that positively emphasize community support:
“With your support, we will define [school] as we head into the next century and beyond.”
“When you support [school], you transform lives and strengthen the power of a girls’ school education.”
“While tuition covers the foundational cost of educating our students, the annual fund provides the resources that make the [school] experience truly exceptional.”
Crafting a compelling annual fund statement is tough work. But taking the time to stress the opportunity available in supporting your work is worth the effort, and of far greater value than time sensitive supplications.
Building a Sustainable Fundraising Model
When community members are engaged and grateful it is natural for them to ask, what can I do to help? Providing them with an attractive opportunity each year to support the school they care about, even in a way that doesn’t always result in a new building, is an investment in growing a generous and thankful community. And this is a model that will necessarily grow in the long run along with an increasing number of donors.
New books will be needed eventually, and perhaps new classrooms as well to hold all your growing numbers of happy students. But these gifts will come most readily from a fundraising program filled with people who are excited and proud to give every year. And then the enthusiasm that started the school is rekindled again.
So, please, don’t threaten violence if you can help it.
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