The Little Words Mean the Most

DRAFT #2

 

You have your:

 

• Internal case for support. Its top job? To break the "curse of knowledge," to help you see your mission or vision as an outsider might.

         This will be your case for support's core "reference library." It can sometimes be vast database of potential messages. It's called "internal" because it's for insiders only. It's too sprawling and raw to impose on outsiders. You'll distill (derive, extract) all your other cases from this uncensored, ever-expanding internal case. I've written a feasibility case of 1,200 words for a specific target audience from an internal case that's 15,000 words deep.

 

• General case for ongoing support. Its top job? To repeatedly, concisely, and with emotional intelligence answer a stranger's most basic question: "Why do you need my hard-earned money NOW?"

         Expressions of this general case for ongoing support include appeals for annual operating; your "elevator speech"; your themes for fundraising events; and your annual report. Suggestion: Call your next "annual" report a "gratitude" report instead, à la Toronto's Agents of Good. You'll like what happens next.

 

• Feasibility case for campaign support. Its top job? To test messaging and "the waters."

         Major gifts officers and campaign consultants deploy the feasibility case, as they speak one-on-one with prospects to ask: "What do you think personally? Good idea or not?" As the immortal Jerry Panas observed, "Ask for money, you'll get advice. Ask for advice, you'll get money." The feasibility case asks for advice.

         Conventionally, feasibility testing occurs before you publicly announce your capital campaign. Capital campaigns (especially big-ticket ones) often don't announce their very existence until 60-70% of the goal has been banked (or at least firmly pledged). It's probably an "exclusivity" thing as well as a "we don't want to be embarrassed if the worst happens..." thing.

 

• Public case for a capital campaign. Its top job? To close the gap, to bridge the final mile.

         As campaign goals get closer, this psychological phenomenon predictably occurs: people rush to jump in. Is it FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)? I don't know. I just know it happens.

         You might well raise 90% of your goal from 10% of your donors. But to make your final goal, you'll need a ton of smaller gifts, too. The University of Toronto's Boundless campaign, wrapping at the end of 2018, raised $2.64 billion from 104,059 unique donors living in 99 countries; 32% of whom were not alumni.

Chapter 12 ~ There are several kinds of cases. Each is a different tool, doing a different job.

 

[ very furry rough maybe even paleo DRAFT; 2nd edition of case-writing book ]

 

You have your:

 

• Internal case for support (its job: to break the "curse of knowledge," to help you see your mission or vision as an outsider might; this will be your case for support reference library, a (sometimes vast) database of potential messages; it's called "internal" because it's for insiders only; it's too sprawling and raw for outsiders; you'll distill [derive, extract] your other cases from this uncensored internal case)
• General case for ongoing support (its job: to swiftly, repeatedly, concisely, and with emotional intelligence answer a stranger's most basic question: "Why do you need my hard-earned money now?"; variants on the general case for ongoing support include appeals for annual operating; your "elevator speech"; your themes for fundraising events; and your annual report [please consider renaming your next one a "gratitude" report; it works])
• Feasibility case for campaign support (its job: to test messaging and "the waters"; useful when you speak one-on-one with major prospects for your capital campaign, to ask them: "Is this a good idea or not?"; conventionally, feasibility testing occurs before you publicly announce your capital campaign; capital campaigns [especially the big-ticket ones] often don't announce their existence publicly until 60-70% of the goal has been banked or at least firmly pledged; it's probably an "exclusivity" thing as well as a "we don't want to be embarrassed if the worst..." thing)
• Public case for a capital campaign (its job: to close the gap; as goals get closer, a psychological phenomenon predictably occurs: more and more people jump in; is it FOMO [Fear of Missing Out]? I don't know. It happens. You might raise 90% of your goal from 10% of your donors. But to make goal, you'll need a ton of smaller gifts, too. The University of Toronto's Boundless campaign, wrapping at the end of 2018, raised $2.64 billion from 104,059 unique donors living in 99 countries; 32% of whom were not alumni)

Simone and I present in Lansing, MI, next March 12

 

 

Loving Your Work in an Age of Change

Joint session: Simone Joyaux and Tom Ahern

 

For 30 years, Simone and Tom have earned a pretty good living doing fundraising work (there's that second home in France).

Years past the customary retirement age for the US, they still (most days, anyway) find fundraising to be thrilling, challenging, and uniquely purposeful.

Tom: "Change is a constant in every useful career. You adapt all the time." Simone: "You have to be a lifelong learner." Tom: "Every shiny new thing is just another tool. Is it right for your nonprofit?"

For one frank, revealing hour, Simone (an East Lansing native, MSU grad) and Tom will explore what gets them out of bed in the morning ... and what YOU can do (Dear Ambitious Career Fundraiser) to keep your inner fires roaring.

 

What I scratched into the stall wall, then to bed

 

        

That global NGO "industry" is an untidy skein of causes; thick, messy cable: a surging (unstoppable?) movement which (I believe) just MIGHT — in the end — save (no guarantees; it's up to you and me and billions more) our savagely suffering planet — as government and the so-called "adults" who "run" that part of our lives prove themselves inadequate, inept, shortsighted, self-absorbed, corrupt and emotionally-stunted cynical assholes no better than their 5th-grade selves.

         And since (I suspect) many FOR-profit corporations should simply be quarantined as infections ... as several Nobel-laureate economists will (MORE suspicion) demonstrate via research a half-century from now (that gargle you hear? me praying) ... when they prove that a benign-seeming modifier such as "industry interrupter" is in truth a synonym for "sociopath."

         Ear buds aren't what they seem. But, yeah, you knew that.

 

 

Mid-audit, had this to say

 

What is "donor identity"?

As a donor, I'm the sum of 6-10 identities. I have...

• My "today" identity (duality rules: we're all good and bad, caring yet too busy).
• My "ideal" identity (how I hope I and others will see me).
• My "species" identity (the software in my head, thanks to evolution; for instance, "adults take care of kids").
• My "social" identity (which groups I choose to bond with: "I'm a staunch XYZ person; been that way since the crisis.").
• My "emotional" identity (anger, fear, hope: "What refugees have to suffer really pisses me off! It's inhuman.").
• My "experiences" identity (what's happened to me during my own life so far, good and bad).

         The list goes on.

         Any charity I choose to support has, at least, something like 6-10 ways to connect with me ... if they bother.

         Most charities don't.

         Most charities, for instance, never survey their donors ... though that is fundamental to understanding them. Most charities just want easy money. And they get what they deserve.

 

 

John Haydon and I chant outside John Malkovich's Cambridge (MA) house

 

 

"Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich"

Your turn