From time to time someone will tell me about a cool new website (usually trendy or social media-y) and when I go there I can’t tell what it is or why I should care about it. Sometimes, these sites don't even have an “About Us” page. Just to be clear, every website should have an “About Us” and a “Contact Us” page. Without them, the user is left to assume either (1) you are hiding something (like a scam or trying to look larger and more experienced than you are) or (2) you are talking to yourself (because you don’t know how to talk to strangers or you assume you are so cool everyone will already know about you).
This is just an extreme example of mistakes that most everyone makes with their website when they, for example, use jargon or assume a given level of subject matter knowledge. Your website should be interesting and understandable to those who know you best as well as those who have never heard of you before. Try to pretend you don’t know you and read your website. Can you easily tell who this is, what they do, and why you should care? Better yet, ask a stranger to read your website and then tell you who you are. You might be surprised.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
False Promises
The recent news about the failed merger (or should I say re-merger because they used to be one organization) between SmileTrain and Operation Smile reminded me of a blog post I’ve been meaning to write for some time. So, here it is.
One of the trickiest things for a fundraiser to figure out is how often to communicate with donors and prospects. Contact them too often and you risk losing money and alienating your supporters. Too few contacts could mean you’re leaving money on the table. Usually the decision criteria include things like dollars raised vs mailing costs or, for new donor acquisition (which frequently involves an initial loss), it may be average cost per new donor compared with lifetime value. Both of these approaches make sense from an ROI standpoint and both leave out the individual donor experience.
I know more than one person who has complained to me about being a long-time supporter of an organization and giving up because they saw all their donations return to them in the form of direct mail. So, that calendar or tote bag you just mailed may have netted you more income, but did it lose you some formerly loyal supporters? I believe that many people think twice before donating to a cause that interests them because they don’t want to get on the mailing list.
That’s why I was so intrigued when I first saw SmileTrain’s “donate to us and we’ll go away” pledge starting in early 2009. Once a quarter they would send me a letter that said this:
“…Smile Train only needs to ask our donors for just one gift. Now don’t get me wrong, we love to communicate with our many supporters. ... But we don’t want to be pushy. So, if you want to make just one gift to help us save one or more children, just check the box on the enclosed reply form when you send in a tax-deductible donation. We’ll honor your wishes and never ask you for a gift again.”
And here’s what the reply form looks like:
I was impressed when I first saw this. It’s a bold move. SmileTrain already has a compelling value proposition - $250 changes the life of a child forever. This approach could be seen as blackmail (give us your money or we’ll keep sending you mail) or it could be seen as giving people a chance to make a valuable contribution with the confidence that their funds will go toward the mission and they won’t be bombarded with requests for more money. It could entice many more people to make an initial donation and motivated donors have a chance to opt-in on future mailings. Even though it could save the organization from wasting money on future mailings that dont get results, it’s still awfully hard to give up on the idea of future solicitations. It’s a risky move.
I watched and waited for someone to study this bold experiment. Did this unique approach work for SmileTrain? I found nothing. So, I decided to do a little experiment of my own. In June 2010 I sent them $10 and I checked the box that said “Please don’t ask me for another donation.” I figured I would at least save them the expense (and the trees) of future mailings. In return they sent me a mailing that included a DVD of a documentary called “Smile Pinki” and a buck slip inviting me to order more DVDs and donate more money. There went a big chunk of my $10 and all of SmileTrain’s credibility with me.
I received two more letters from SmileTrain in September and December of 2010. The December letter acknowledged that “we promised that we would never ask for another donation again. And we won’t.” Technically, neither of these letters included the words “please donate.” But really - is that what you thought I meant – go ahead and send me as much mail as you like just don’t ask me for anything? This strikes me as really disingenuous. The good news is that I haven’t gotten any mail from them in 2011.
It turns out that I could have saved myself $10 if I had waited a little longer. This article from the August 2010 Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report from the American Institute of Philanthropy indicates that at least one other donor had a similar experience. They are clearly not fans of SmileTrain. Just to be clear, I am not writing this story to discourage anyone from supporting SmileTrain. If you feel motivated to help children with cleft palates, this might be a great way to do it. Just know what you’re getting into.
So what is the moral of this story? I’d still be fascinated to find out how well this approach works for them. I don’t have the magic answer of how often to mail what to whom. But consider this – no matter how many pieces you send, you’re not doing a mass mailing. You are sending one piece of mail to one person at a time. So, in addition to running the numbers, take into consideration the experience of individual donors. Remembering the basics of segmenting, testing, and listening doesn’t hurt either.
One of the trickiest things for a fundraiser to figure out is how often to communicate with donors and prospects. Contact them too often and you risk losing money and alienating your supporters. Too few contacts could mean you’re leaving money on the table. Usually the decision criteria include things like dollars raised vs mailing costs or, for new donor acquisition (which frequently involves an initial loss), it may be average cost per new donor compared with lifetime value. Both of these approaches make sense from an ROI standpoint and both leave out the individual donor experience.
I know more than one person who has complained to me about being a long-time supporter of an organization and giving up because they saw all their donations return to them in the form of direct mail. So, that calendar or tote bag you just mailed may have netted you more income, but did it lose you some formerly loyal supporters? I believe that many people think twice before donating to a cause that interests them because they don’t want to get on the mailing list.
That’s why I was so intrigued when I first saw SmileTrain’s “donate to us and we’ll go away” pledge starting in early 2009. Once a quarter they would send me a letter that said this:
“…Smile Train only needs to ask our donors for just one gift. Now don’t get me wrong, we love to communicate with our many supporters. ... But we don’t want to be pushy. So, if you want to make just one gift to help us save one or more children, just check the box on the enclosed reply form when you send in a tax-deductible donation. We’ll honor your wishes and never ask you for a gift again.”
And here’s what the reply form looks like:
I was impressed when I first saw this. It’s a bold move. SmileTrain already has a compelling value proposition - $250 changes the life of a child forever. This approach could be seen as blackmail (give us your money or we’ll keep sending you mail) or it could be seen as giving people a chance to make a valuable contribution with the confidence that their funds will go toward the mission and they won’t be bombarded with requests for more money. It could entice many more people to make an initial donation and motivated donors have a chance to opt-in on future mailings. Even though it could save the organization from wasting money on future mailings that dont get results, it’s still awfully hard to give up on the idea of future solicitations. It’s a risky move.
I watched and waited for someone to study this bold experiment. Did this unique approach work for SmileTrain? I found nothing. So, I decided to do a little experiment of my own. In June 2010 I sent them $10 and I checked the box that said “Please don’t ask me for another donation.” I figured I would at least save them the expense (and the trees) of future mailings. In return they sent me a mailing that included a DVD of a documentary called “Smile Pinki” and a buck slip inviting me to order more DVDs and donate more money. There went a big chunk of my $10 and all of SmileTrain’s credibility with me.
I received two more letters from SmileTrain in September and December of 2010. The December letter acknowledged that “we promised that we would never ask for another donation again. And we won’t.” Technically, neither of these letters included the words “please donate.” But really - is that what you thought I meant – go ahead and send me as much mail as you like just don’t ask me for anything? This strikes me as really disingenuous. The good news is that I haven’t gotten any mail from them in 2011.
It turns out that I could have saved myself $10 if I had waited a little longer. This article from the August 2010 Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report from the American Institute of Philanthropy indicates that at least one other donor had a similar experience. They are clearly not fans of SmileTrain. Just to be clear, I am not writing this story to discourage anyone from supporting SmileTrain. If you feel motivated to help children with cleft palates, this might be a great way to do it. Just know what you’re getting into.
So what is the moral of this story? I’d still be fascinated to find out how well this approach works for them. I don’t have the magic answer of how often to mail what to whom. But consider this – no matter how many pieces you send, you’re not doing a mass mailing. You are sending one piece of mail to one person at a time. So, in addition to running the numbers, take into consideration the experience of individual donors. Remembering the basics of segmenting, testing, and listening doesn’t hurt either.
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