Your gut is more generous than your brain

The Science of Generosity has shared some interesting new research from Harvard that says our gut instinct is to be generous. 

The first instinct of humans is to contribute to the greater good at their own expense.  It’s only when we stop and reflect that we become greedy.

According the Boston Globe, which covered the research originally published in Nature, “The research lays bare a sort of tug-of-war that takes place in our minds between two cognitive systems: one that is quick and intuitive and spurs us to cooperate, and another that is slower, rational, and leads us to act self-interested.”

Researcher David Rand said people participating in a series of experiments were most generous when making snap decisions about how much to give or when they were asked beforehand to remember times when emotion had guided them to a good decision.

When people were given more time to think - and to reflect on times when emotional decisions weren’t good ones - they gave less.

This is just the latest research which shows the more you make people think, the less they give.

In fact, researchers have tried to figure out if you can strip emotion and parochialism from donation decision making and get people to think more objectively.  Michaela Huber, Leaf Van Boven and Peter McGraw have looked into whether you can get people to stop being ruled by impulse and stop identifying with individual victims.  After all, many people say they want to be objective and focus their help on the severity of suffering rather than emotional reactions.  But can they?  The researchers tried a bunch of things to shift giving from the heart to the head, including a “cooling off” period before donors give and asking people to be more mindful of the influence of their personal beliefs.  None had earth-shattering results – and these acts tended to lower giving.

As researcher Daniel Oppenheimer has told me before: “Crafting solicitations that appeal to human psychology can feel manipulative at times, which is why it’s important to remember people really do want to give.  They like giving; it makes them happy; it provides meaning.  When we help people give, we’re not just assisting charities and the causes that receive the money—we’re also helping the donors.”

So ask people to help.  And make it snappy!

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Coping with Sandy’s wrath and aftermath

As I write this, my family is fortunate enough to have weathered Sandy okay here in Washington, but so much of the East Coast has not been so fortunate.  I hope everyone reading this is safe.

If you’d like to help those who are coping with Sandy’s wrath and aftermath, visit Network for Good to help or text SANDY to 80888 to make a $10 donation to Network for Good’s Hurricane Relief Fund.

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Remember that you are an interruption

If you work in marketing or fundraising, like me, it’s really important to remember that we are interrupting people.

No one is sitting around with nothing to do, just waiting for our email or letter or ad.  They are busy.  Then along we come, asking them to pay attention to what we have to say.  We are doing the equivalent of tapping them on the shoulder and asking, “Do you have a second?”

So we had better have something valuable to say.  Look at what you were about to send out this week.  Is it worthy of interrupting someone?  Is it fascinating or does it provide some real value to others?  Does it make someone feel great or tie into their passions?  If not, go back and make it better.  Make it worthy of a shoulder-tap and a request for attention.  From the very first words.

We can’t forget that people have many options for how to spend the precious time given in this short life.  We should feel an obligation to have a very good reason for requesting their attention. If we don’t have one, then we should leave them alone.  Interruption should be reserved for things that other people - not ourselves -  deem important.


Cartoon by Tom Fishburne aka The Marketoonist

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7 steps to measuring what you’re doing with social media

I hosted a panel last night with Beth Kanter and KD Paine, authors of Measuring the Networked Nonprofit.  They offered seven important steps to creating a social media plan that drives results you can actually measure:

1. Set a goal.  What are you actually trying to do with social media to advance your mission? 

2. Define your stakeholders.  Who are the people you want to help or stand in the way of change?  Know who you need to engage.

Don’t skip #1 and #2!  How else can you measure your impact on the people that matter?

3. Decide the investment you have to make.

4. Define your benchmarks.  As you get results, what are you comparing them to?  Peer organizations?  Last year?  Direct mail results?

5. Pick a tool that makes sense to use.  Don’t skip to this step before you work through the first four.

6. Look at your results.

7. Figure out what is and is not working for you and adjust accordingly.

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Why 107 is a scary number - and what to do about it

There was a pretty incredible piece of news this week in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. 

Apparently, for every $100 charities raised last year, $100 was lost as donors stopped giving or donated less.  Analysis by the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Urban Institute also shows that for every 100 donors that nonprofits recruited in 2011, they lost 107.

Ouch.

Clearly, we have problem.  But do we know we have a problem?  How many nonprofits are paying attention to their donors in this way?  Do you know who donated – but also who stopped? 

The Agitator currently has an excellent series on donor acquisition – how much it costs you to get a donor and how you monitor that investment over time. 

The folks at Agitator encourage you to examine the lifetime value of a donor.  It’s relatively easy to compute:

[Gross income from donor over whatever period of years you choose MINUS the cost of Acquisition + the per donor costs of file maintenance, overhead, cultivation, appeals and renewal = Lifetime Value]

They note you can use Harvard University’s free calculator or the free spreadsheet from the Database Marketing Institute to do this for yourself.

Agitator rightly urges us to work smarter.  Know who is a steady donor and who has deserted you.  Focus on testing strategies to improve the lifetime value of a donor by tracking the benefits and costs of various strategies and see what it does to the formula.

For more, check out The Agitator and its in-depth analysis.  Because we can’t afford to keep gaining 100 only to lose 107!


Cartoon by The Dunvegan Group

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The out-of-body experience that all marketers need

To be truly effective marketers, we need to see the world not through our own eyes but rather those of our audience.  That is akin to an out of body experience - unusual and enlightening.

Today is Network for Good’s inaugural Be Your Donor Day, when we ask you to see the world through the eyes of your supporters. (Get free resources to do that here.)

If you do this, you will find your world looks different.  You will probably notice:

-You are using a mission megaphone, speaking about what you do more than why it matters.
-Making things harder than they should be.  Donating, calling or contacting you is probably not as easy as it should be.
-Less would be more.  You are trying to pack far too much information and way too many ideas into your outreach.

On that last point, I’m reminded of a Seth Godin post from this week - called “No one ever bought anything on an elevator.”  It’s a caution against trying to cram your whole story, pitch and ask into an exchange. 

He says:

“The best elevator pitch doesn’t pitch your project. It pitches the meeting about your project. The best elevator pitch is true, stunning, brief and it leaves the listener eager (no, desperate) to hear the rest of it. It’s not a practiced, polished turd of prose that pleases everyone on the board and your marketing team, it’s a little fractal of the entire story, something real.  ‘I quit my job as an Emmy-winning actress to do this because…’”

In other words, you don’t have to say everything to your donors.  You only have to say enough to get them to take the next step.  Don’t focus on what it’s like to be the person pitching in the elevator.  Imagine what it feels like to be on the other side of the car.

So go be your donor today and see how it feels!

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An open plea to hold better events

  • Tue, October 23 2012
  • Filed under: Events

I got the following email today from one of my blog readers, John Scott Foster of the Wesselman Nature Society.

I had an experience this weekend I thought you might be interested in.  I attended two “gala” type events.  One was the standard, at a conference center.  Held from 6 to 8:30.  Coat and tie.  Arrive at 6, cash bar, sit at a table at 7.  People say nice things.  You eat.  People say nice things.  Silent auction.  Then at the end of the silent auction, we are thanked for coming/supporting and told we can all stay and dance to the DJ selection.  3/4ths of the people run out the door, happy to have that obligation over.

The next day.  A beer tasting and restaurant sampling event at my nature center.  The only roof the spreading branches of 300 year old trees.  Jeans, sweaters, comfortable shoes.  Beautiful weather.  Among many options, a fire ring with a gourmet s’mores station. Acoustic guitarist who was amazingly talented. 3 microbreweries and then one distributor with a total of over 50 beers that could be sampled.  A wood fired brick pizza oven on wheels serving pizza.  Held from 3 pm to 6 pm.  We had to chase people out.  They didn’t want to leave.  They were having fun. 

Obligation (we need to support this important cultural institution) vs. fun (this important cultural institution is providing a great experience for us).

Great story.  As John adds, “People love being out in nature. It filled a need that they might not otherwise seek fulfill.” 

As John notes, we do amazing work in the world, but we nonprofits don’t always have great events that reflect the heart of our efforts.

Ask yourself: Is your event about dressing up and collecting money for you?  Or is it about the essence of your work for others?

Here’s another example of an event focused on the experience of those who participate: Strollers in the Front 5k.  As this post in Event360, a group of parents are running with strollers to support The Neighborhood Parents Network in Chicago. It celebrates the experience of parents jogging with kids in the name of building communities of parents and their families. 

The bottom line is, the event should be about the experience of the cause - not the experience of fundraising.  The more people feel the immediate joy of the larger mission, the better. 

 

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Be Your Donor Day is coming up October 24th!

Network for Good is launching its first ever Be Your Donor Day on October 24th to inspire nonprofits like yours to play the role of their donors and rate how they are performing from the perspective of those supporters. The goal is to help nonprofits find and fix problems for their online donors ahead of giving season.

A third of total online giving happens in December alone, so now is the time to improve online appeals and the digital donation experience.  In addition, the top reason donors cite for ceasing their giving to a charity is how they were treated by the organization.  Donors are frustrated by difficult donation forms, lack of receipts and a dearth of information on the impact of their gifts.  It’s the most important time of year to remedy these kinds of mistakes.

Nonprofits: Before you send your next appeal, before you drive donors to your website and before you launch your year-end plans, you absolutely must set aside time to put yourself in your donor’s shoes to guarantee that your fundraising strategy will inspire them to give more.  October 24th is that day.

On October 24th, call your organization’s phone numbers, try to make donations on your site and confirm what type of receipts and thank-yous donors receive.

Network for Good has everything you need to be your donor for the day:

• A checklist to review the donor experience
• Year-end fundraising guides
• Online fundraising tools

Participate by visiting the Be Your Donor Day site and spreading the word to other organizations!

 

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Do consumers still believe in pink? Only when it’s see-through.

Blistree
Image via Blisstree

With Breast Cancer Awareness month in full swing, I was interested to see a new survey from Cone Communications that shows just where consumers stand on the slew of pink-tinged marketing campaigns we see this time of year.

The Cone Communications Breast Cancer Trend Tracker measures consumer perceptions of breast cancer-related cause marketing during October – and reveals that going pink may require more transparency than ever.

While the poll finds nearly all Americans (92%) believe breast cancer is a critical cause for corporations to support, they’ve got their doubts about pink products:

• Just 26 percent feel companies have had a significant positive impact on the issue
• Only half of consumers (52%)  believe their individual breast cancer-related purchases make a difference
• Three-quarters (77%) think some companies support the breast cancer cause solely for corporate gain

Cone says, “Consumers want companies to support the cause in substantive ways. Although just 6 percent are content with corporate dollars going toward disease awareness and education, consumers would prefer to see contributions applied toward research for a cure (46%), screenings and prevention (26%) and support for women and families affected by breast cancer (22%).”

Perhaps this - along with the Susan G. Komen controversy of the past year - is why Cone has found companies are diversifying their nonprofit partners: “No longer do one or two large nonprofits rule the breast cancer space in October. As the breast cancer cause undergoes increased scrutiny, brands are turning to distinct partners for a unique approach and impact. Nonprofits shining through include: Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Young Survival Coalition, among other niche organizations.” And some brands, like Avon and Novartis, are providing more than just dollars toward the cause – they are creating opportunities for people affected by breast cancer to connect to critical emotional support through online communities and social networking.

If you’re a breast cancer cause that has struggled to get corporate support, keep these trends in mind.  Show what makes you unique, how companies can support the cause more deeply and insist they are transparent about your partnership.  Pink looks best when it’s see-through for consumers.  Make the partnership transparent, because people have never been so skeptical when it comes to this color.

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Five tectonic technology shifts changing our world, our work and our potential

The title of this post is the name of a speech I gave yesterday in Charlotte for the Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Leadership Program.  I want to share the trends I named and the takeaways for us.  Thanks to everyone who was there live!  Feel free to post any comments or questions.

1. The messenger shift

The idea: Technology has enabled people’s most trusted sources - those they perceive to be their peers - to become the most influential and amplified messengers in their lives. We are no longer the messengers in chief of our causes.

The takeaway:  You are not your most effective messenger, so use technology to amplify other voices.  You want at least three kinds of messengers:

- People on the front lines of your work (front lines staff, volunteers, beneficiaries) who can speak authentically about the change they see
- Fans who will champion your work within their circles of influence
- People with credibility and authority who can attest to the quality of you and your work (ratings agencies, thought leaders who offer endorsement)

2. The social action shift

The idea: Technology has made it easy for people to take small, easy actions in support of a cause.  This has been dubbed slacktivism by some, which sounds dismissive.  But so-called slacktivists often have large circles of influence and are more likely to spread the word, volunteer and donate down the road.

The takeaway:  Don’t write off slacktivists. 

- Enable and celebrate slacktivism through technology
- Lower the bar for engagement especially on social media
- Use the social proof of those collective actions to get momentum behind your cause
- Build off the baby steps of slacktivists by cultivating them specifically and encouraging more action over time

3. The message shift

The idea: The wealth of information and insights we have about people online is driving an increasing expectation of personalization of our outreach - and participation in our messages and cause.  We want to speak to our supporters based on their interests - without crossing the spooky line.

The takeaway: One message for everyone isn’t enough.

- Mine your data
- Segment your supporters
- Relate your cause to their values
- Use technology to put the donor at the center of your story

4. The medium shift

The idea: Just this week, we learned there are 1 BILLION smartphones on the planet.  One in seven people on the earth have the ability to do so many things at their fingertips.  This could be an unprecedented opportunity to unleash generosity through technology.

The takeaway: First, assess how you’re doing given how many people are reading your emails, visiting your site and learning about your organization on their phones.  Read your organization’s emails on your smartphone.  Visit your site from your smartphone.  Try to give.  Try to pledge.  See what happens when you try to move across devices as most people do - from desktop to tablet to phone.  Then…

- Recognize the opportunity (the chance to reach people more immediately) and the constraint (mobile experiences need to be simple and easy)
- Optimize for giving and pledging

5. The mind shift

The idea: Thanks to advances in technology and brain science, we know more than ever about what motivates people to give.  What you say and how you say it matters more than the technology itself.  To readers of this blog, you know the takeaways already!

The takeaway:  Base your appeals in emotion.  Make them personally relevant to supporters.  Speak to their values.  And show who else is taking action.

I think these trends are tremendously exciting to our work, but at the same time, remember the most important thing of all—HOW people use technology is more important than what is the hottest new device or social network.  Use technology to make what people want to do, easier and more compelling.  Technology doesn’t inspire people.  You do. 

 

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End of year fundraising resource center

The team here at Network for Good has a nifty end of year fundraising resource center.  Check it out here.  You can sign up for weekly tips, access free ebooks and check out training programs.

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The psychology of social networking

To follow on to yesterday’s post, here is an infographic via Scott Dunlap of PayPal.  He has a great Pinterest board of social media infographics here.  This is one of my favorite recent ones.  (Having trouble viewing it?  See it here.)

sd infographic

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Why social media can be addictive

I was recently invited to become one of LinkedIn’s inaugural bloggers as part of its new thought leader platform.  Here is one of my first posts.  There is some crossover with what I blog here, but in general I’m taking a different direction at LinkedIn, where my posts are more general interest when it comes to causes, marketing and social media.  You can follow me and others at LinkedIn here.

I’ve always said social media speaks to three fundamental human urges:

1. To be seen and heard

2. To connect to others

3. To feel part of something bigger than ourselves

Some work by Nir Eyal on the idea of a desire engine takes this to a deeper level.  He describes three rewards that we seek, and shows that social media fulfills each. When we get these rewards, they trigger the pleasure center of our brains and yield biologically programmed payback.

In other words, there is a good reason that you’re addicted to social media.  You get a dose of dopamine when you do it.

Here are the three rewards that make up the desire engine:

  Tribe - We seek to be connected to people, because we have specially-adapted neurons to help us feel what others feel.  Facebook anyone?
  Hunt - We have a need to acquire physical things, such as food and supplies, so we can survive as a species.  Of course we hunt for other things too - deals, information, funny videos.  Groupon, anyone?
  Self – We seek personal gratification and a feeling of stimulation and mastery.  Don’t we just love it when someone retweets that clever comment we made?

desire engine

No wonder we can’t stay away from our smartphones!

As someone focused on philanthropy, I also see why we get a “helper’s high” - that rush of dopamine when we donate money or volunteer.  We feel part of something bigger than ourselves (the tribe), we feel we’ve acquired something (the knowledge we made a difference), and we feel like we’re a good person (self).

Some desire engines lead to nobler pursuits than others!

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7 ways to improve your storytelling

This post is adapted from a webinar I hosted for Network for Good.  Thanks to my colleague Caryn for the content!.  And while we’re on the topic of storytelling, don’t forget next week’s free webinar on storytelling!  (Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 1 pm ET— Sign up even if you can’t make it, because we’ll send you a recording afterward.  You can listen to it any time you like.)

Storytelling is great for fundraising and creating awareness. People relate to other people and their stories. Remember these guidelines and you’ll soon be telling great stories about your impact, the people you help and your generous supporters.  Plus, you’ll be a big hit at the next dinner party, too.


Photo via Big Stock Photo

1. Everybody has a story to tell. So go find them. If you don’t have a great story, turn to your volunteers, turn to your coworkers, or turn to the people you help.

2.  Avoid the “kitchen sink.” Some people try to relay every single aspect and bit of minutia about their organization and their programs in a story. While that may seem like a good idea—the more information you put out the more convincing it is, right?—it actually creates information overload. Instead, find one small anecdote or facet of your work and show how it relates to everything else. Create a snapshot that people will remember.

3. Nice is not enough. You’re a nonprofit and so you are doing good work—it comes with the territory. That is not enough to pique somebody’s interest. You need to find a good backstory—something unique and something that can create emotion and interest.

4. Don’t be too close and don’t be too far. If you’re too close to your cause you may be numb to some of the interesting and amazing things that happen as a result of your work. If you’re too far removed from your cause, you may be stuck in policy planning and have lost touch with the emotion of it.

5. Share your senses. All five of them. The more you can make the reader feel like he or she is there, the better.

6. Always keep your audience in mind. Perhaps you have an industry specific newsletter or are trying to reach legislators. In that case, you may want to include the technical details, butin most other cases, you should avoid it.

7. Fit into a larger trend or story. You don’t have to try to match up with the biggest headline of the week, but try to find some sort of trend, whether local, regional or national. If there is no trend, then ask yourself if the story is important right now. Is there a policy decision to be made, other news stories about your cause at large, or any form of public polls taking place?

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Do something for girls today!

  • Thu, October 11 2012
  • Filed under: Fun stuff

It’s the International Day of the Girl, so if you work to advance the well-being and power of girls in any way, I want to thank you! 

Please take five minutes to support girls by taking one of these actions. I also encourage you to share in comments the ways you work on behalf of amazing young women the world over.  Especially in the wake of such sad news about Malala Yousafzai.

1. Share why you believe girls matter here, in this campaign by the inspiring Global Girl Media project.  Global Girl Media helps high school girls from poor communities around the world become citizen journalists.  Here is my youngest daughter with her thoughts (told her own way).  My older daughter took the photo.  Share yours here.

2. Raise your hand in support of girls here.  As Beth Kanter explains here, the goal of this campaign is to collect 4 million actions (photos of hands raised, likes on the Because I Am A Girl Facebook campaign page, etc.) and present the collective actions to the United Nations Secretary General and the world donor community urging them to put girls’ education as their priority. 

3. Join Together for Girls, a critically important cause to stop sexual violence against girls.

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