The new A-Z of creative fundraising: a semi-rant in three parts
Howard Lake | 12 March 2009 | Blogs
I admit, I promised to send you reports from Borneo. But I’m not quite there yet. So as those lovely people at Singapore Airlines ply me with unsolicited snacks, I’m taking this opportunity for a bit of a mental detox. If it’s a bit ranty I blame lack of oxygen up here… This is all prompted by a recent conversation with someone who asked me what I thought was the best book on creative fundraising. It took me a mere nano-second to name George Smith’s Asking Properly. And then I struggled. Loads of good fundraising books out there, but not much that’s strong on creativity. So, with a desperate lack of humility, I offer some thoughts that might help. And I hope they can help no matter what form of not-for-profit communications your are in.
A is for archaeology: good creativity is more archaeology than alchemy. As anyone who has been confronted with a lorry-load of briefing material will know, you sometimes have to wade through heaps of crap to find the nugget of inspiration that will make a donor’s heart beat faster. And you also need to dig deep within yourself. Put yourself in difficult situations. Ask tough questions. Don’t accept that your first creative idea is good enough.
B is for Brand-literate Direct Marketing: Aren’tcha just sick of those arguments between fundraisers and the brand police?! I write as someone who has crafted many a brand model in my time. I believe most causes fail to understand fully their own brand, and so never reap the benefits of a well-defined, deeply-rooted brand. But let’s stop this superficial nonsense about direct marketing and brand marketing being different things. Isn’t brand-literate direct marketing what you need (call it brand-literate communications if you prefer). Understand your cause in depth, wear your values on your sleeve, then make them live and breathe through all of your communications (fundraising and campaigning). Be true to yourself and truly distinctive and you’ll stand out in the crowd while winning hearts and minds.
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C is for constructive challenge: invite it (I hope you’ll send me some comments on where you agree and disagree with me on this stuff). Listen to it. And give it in spadefulls. To people’s faces. Politely.
D is for Donor Abuse: donors get abused in so many ways. And some of the worst abuse is in the form of communication so dull and formulaic it ought to be illegal. When I ran an agency I used to fear the death of direct mail, yet now I regard its decline as a cause for celebration. Reject donor abuse. Identify where you can truly delight your donors. Starting simply, how can you put a smile on their face (don’t so many life-long friendships start with a smile?).
E is for Everywhere: creativity can come from anywhere in your organization. So develop bureaucracy-lite systems to enable people from all parts of your organization (and outside of it) to chip in. NB ‘creativity can come from anywhere’ is not the same as ‘everyone is creative’. The latter statement is a myth rooted in political correctness. Some people are not creative and never will be. But this doesn’t make them bad people. Indeed, their non-creative skills can be a vital part of the teamwork required to turn creativity into true innovation.
F is for Facemail: I almost sent an email to someone sitting three desks away from me at a client’s office the other day. Shame on me. I walked a few steps instead and had a very useful conversation. James Brown had it spot on: ‘Get up now, get on up!’ (although I should clarify that I was in no way feeling like a sex machine.)
G is for Guruphobia: some elder statesmen of our world have had the word guru thrust upon them. Some shuffle awkwardly; others enjoy it. Fair enough. Yet somehow, I find that rather different to when blokes who run agencies and speak at conferences actively encourage others to view them as gurus. That’s shameless. And a bit sad. And it’s always blokes. So I recommend we all become guruphobics. If you must have a guru, become your own. In today’s volatile, scary and exhilarating world, the fundraisers worthy of gurudom haven’t time to court public adulation; they are just too busy getting on with connecting donors to their cause in exciting new ways. (I do feel better for getting that off my chest).
H is for Honour: I’d wager we are pretty much the luckiest people who have ever lived. Despite the historical blip of the current credit crunch we remain ridiculously affluent compared to the vast majority of people who ever trod this Earth. What’s more, we have the privilege of being paid to do something that often has me leaping out of bed in the morning. People we have often never met, donors, entrust us with their money, their hopes, their dreams, their heartfelt values. Honour hardly does it justice.
… ok, I’m off to the galley for another packet of wine gums. I’ve got no idea what I-Z will be. If you have suggestions, let me know and I’ll be sure to credit you if they are used.
Cheers.
Include Creative Commons licensing…???
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.