In today’s world of giving and fundraising, like it or not, most people don’t give unless they’re asked. The most common reason people donate is because they are asked by a friend or family member. Research statistics aside, I can tell you from experience that if it’s donations you’re after, there’s no point in beating around the bush. You simply have to ask.
‘Great. I know lots of people!’ you say. ‘And asking is so much easier now with social media, this should be easy, right? I’ll just post to my networks on Facebook and Twitter and watch the money roll in.’
Nope. Have a look at the numbers. Social media might help you share your story more quickly and reach more people, but only 13% of donors give when asked through social media. Why? Because there’s a lot happening in our feeds and it’s easy to either miss your ask or ignore it among all the other asks (not to mention a deluge of other bits and bytes of distracting information).
‘What about email?’
A bit better. 1 out of 3 donors give when asked by email. It’s slightly more effective because recipients feel ‘chosen’ rather than ‘spammed’, but it’s still easy to scan and forget about, or just plain ignore.
‘Alright,’ you sigh. ‘So I have to, like, talk to people?’
Yep. 57% of donors give when asked in-person, in ‘real time. You’re far more likely to get what you ask for if you make eye contact, shake hands, share food, laugh, hug, smile and have an actual conversation. Turns out treating someone like a person instead of a donor is more likely to turn them into… a donor.
‘Okay,’ you ask. ‘So what’s the point of using social media and email for fundraising?’
The Web clearly isn’t going anywhere, and like it or not, fundraising will (and should) increasingly move online. The Web is an amazing tool for publishing inspiring stories and getting those stories in front of people we know and love, but don’t see or touch or speak with day-to-day. It’s great at telling, but the problem is that it’s not very good at asking. Take away the personal element of a direct and personal ask, and you have a hard, cold, indirect request by a robot, a screen. And as we all know, that’s easy to say ‘No’ to.
So for any fundraising effort, plan to get personal and focus at least two-thirds of your asking energy on the people closest to you.
Of course, you can’t get personal with everybody. Where distance and time are factors, sometimes an electronic ask is the only way to reach those outside your inner circle. For this group, 13% or 30% is a solid return for a quick (if impersonal) investment of your time and energy. Even here, you can increase likelihood of a positive response by getting as personal as possible. Forget the group blast or post and reach out one-by-one. Let each person know that you value them enough to communicate individually, and they will be more likely to give.
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Nate Lepp is People & Culture Lead at Peer Giving, Chimp Technology, Charity Express and Benefic Group. He’s cleaned toilets to raise funds for the Dalits of India, and spent 5 years as a director of Under the Reading Tree.
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