Lessons in Fund Raising

From Tom Bandy

Many of you probably received the annual Christmas fundraising packet from UNICEF. Different countries may have done different things. My package is Canadian. And there are lessons to be learned from their fund raising strategy.

The first things you see upon opening the envelope are the free gifts. They already give you personalized address labels, gift labels, and notepads, and stickers. Remember the days when you had to order these things by mailing in your donation? Now the thank you comes before the request, and the reward comes before the check is written.

Now I’m motivated to read the cover letter. The first thing the cover letter communicates is celebration. It does not communicate alarm, desperation, or judgment. It is not announcing bad news. It is announcing good news. It says that the holidays are magical times … and that the magic is already happening now! I’m not being asked to get the train moving, but to join a moving train.

Next, my eye is drawn to the colored insert that explains how every donation to UNICEF is stretched as far as possible to reach real people. They’ve realized that I don’t need to know their overall budget. I won’t make any sense out of a zillion dollars spent for some line item that I don’t understand. Instead, they break down possible donations to understandable sums between $25 and $7,500. I learn that $55 will provide warm blankets for 8 children; and $90 will provide enough vitamin A to protect 1500 children from going blind; and $3,700 will equip 500 families with bednets to protect against mosquito carried malaria. Aha! You mean I’m supposed to give money to help people! Brilliant!

(By the way, that colored insert is a smaller size piece of paper than the rest of the enclosures. On the bottom is a three line quotation from the spiritual leader … in this case, Mahatma Gandhi. One fold, and it’s in my pocket or a great bookmark or inside the front cover of my Bible.)

The reply card is personalized, easy to read, and simple to use. While there is a box to write in a specific amount, they have provided four boxes to check instantly. None of them are overly ambitious … just $90 to $500. And just in case I am still confused, they have highlighted the box for $150 with a red asterisk and a note that this will supply education supplies for 40 children. Sounds like a bargain to me!

Finally, the tax receipt is already enclosed with the return card. I just need to tear it off and file it away until April.  If I’m a baby boomer (and I am) I appreciate that sensitivity. If I’m a buster or echo, I probably don’t care about the tax receipt and will lose it tomorrow anyway, but its nice to know that they are still thinking of me.

Oh, and did I mention they included a 2006 calendar? It’s got a great image of children, drawn by children, holding up a big heart. That’s their DNA, right? They made the calendar in extra bold ink, because those nice people at UNICEF already knew that I wear glasses and need all the help I can get.

All I ask is that you compare this method of fundraising to what is done in your church. Charitable giving is growing exponentially since 2001, but less and less of those charitable dollars are going to the church. There is plenty of money out there, and intelligent people are prepared to give it away if properly motivated.