Here’s my biggest pet peeve – organizations that act like I’ve never given when they ask me to give again. And I’m getting mighty tired of taking the high road.
There are at least a dozen organizations to which I give between $50 and $250 a year. As a fundraiser, I know not to expect much. I don’t want the organization spending time and money on what are modest gifts.
But they way they conduct business you’d think I don’t exist at all, and that certainly doesn’t make me want to contribute again. All I ask is this.
When you ask me for money, please acknowledge that I’ve given before, tell me what I gave, and when I gave it.
If you don’t, here’s what happens:
- I assume my last gift couldn’t have been too important or you would have been aware of it when you corresponded with me.
- I have no idea whether I gave already this year so you’re not respecting my right to give each organization I support ONE gift a year and it feels like you’re trying to trick me into giving twice.
- I have no idea whether this is my annual reminder or I’ve ended up in some random direct mail effort.
- I have to figure out what I gave last year and, if I don’t have the time to go back through my records, I’ll probably guess low because I’m so annoyed.
Correcting for this is easy. With databases as they are, how easy it is to mail merge solicitation letters that say?
Dear Brian,
Thank you so much for your gift last year of $100, which helped us transform the lives of more than 600 children by finding them loving, permanent adoptive families. With your help we changed the course of their lives. We gave them the solid, supportive, stable family environment every child needs in order to blossom into a happy and healthy adult.
Would you consider increasing your gift this year to $250? We’ve set ambitious goals…
So easy, right? So why don’t organizations take this step? Is some annual fund expert telling them it’s a better tactic to keep asking? Well, they might be finding numerous people are willing to make additional gifts, but do they have any idea how many of those who don’t give again are annoyed that they’ve been solicited blindly? And perhaps stop giving because they feel they’re being asked incessantly? I can tell you everyone I know complains to me about this since I’m the fundraising expert… and I’m embarrassed and I try to get them to have pity on these poor organizations, but underneath I know they’re right to be annoyed.
New Year’s Resolution
So, after 30+ years of charitable giving, I’ve decided this doesn’t work for me and I plan to be treated well as a donor. In 2017 I’m only going to give to charities that respect me enough to let me know what I’ve given them the last time around. If they solicit me blindly and repetitively, they’re out. If they don’t let me know what I gave, they’re out. I won’t decrease my overall philanthropy – in fact I’ll try to increase it as I always do – but I will be directing it to organizations that know I’m alive.
