Werth-It Fundraising Blog

I once had a boss, Rich Geske of MediAmerica, who taught me the following mantra, “Greed, Guilt, Fear and Exclusivity.”  (And if you’re out there, Rich, email me and say hi.) He said those were the four reasons why people gave money, and if you looked at most direct mail, you’d see those four things.

There are days I think he’s right (other days, I think there might actually be appeals to altruism out there).  Let’s go over the four.

GREED.  These include those appeals that say, “Buy a raffle ticket for $150 and you could win a house.”  Yes, they raise money for the organization, but they don’t educate people on the cause, and you don’t get actual donors, you get people hoping to win a prize.

GUILT.  Every Labor Day, you see the “Jerry’s Kids” telethon for Muscular Dystrophy.  Guilt works pretty well, but regrettably, it doesn’t educate people well.  For example, while you’re having a good cry over the poor kid with Duchene’s Dystrophy who is three years old and he’s not going to make it to age five, MDA hasn’t told you that most people who get muscular dystrophy are in their 30s and 40s or what symptoms to look for.  So, using guilt works, but you may miss an opportunity.  Oh, and did I mention that many people with muscular dystrophy hate the telethon because of the “poor, pitiful kids” tone it takes towards them?  They want some dignity.

FEAR: “The seven warning signs of cancer.”  Don’t you want to read this to see if you’re going to get cancer?  Or, “We keep kids off the streets so they don’t break into your home.”  (Not that anyone says that, but isn’t that the message of a lot of after-school programs?)

EXCLUSIVITY:  “You’ll be a charter member of the Society.”  “After December 31, we won’t take any more names.”  “As a member of the President’s Circle…”  All of these pitches make you feel that you’re a member of an exclusive club.  Never mind that there are dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people like you, they still want you to feel that you’re in rarified circles.

So, what’s the answer to all this?  How about appeals that talk about solutions to problems?  How about using real people who have agreed to let their names be used?  How about real pictures of clients served, not the anonymous “shot over the shoulder” where you see the staff member’s face, but not the person served?

I welcome your feedback at katherine@werth-it.com.