What’s the secret to fundraising success?
Ice cream!
That’s right. Ice cream can help you achieve greater fundraising results. Really. I’m not just saying that because it’s August, and we’re setting new records for summer heat in Philadelphia. I know ice cream can help you because I saw first-hand what it has achieved for Smith College.
Let me explain.
This past Spring, my wife and I attended her class reunion at Smith. I enjoyed being with Lisa, and exploring the beautiful campus and the fun town of Northampton, Massachusetts. One of the highlights for me was seeing the College’s Gift Planning staff in action. Yes, I’m a bon-a-fide fundraising nerd, but you probably knew that already.
Sam Samuels, Christine Carr Hill, and Jeanette Wintjen staff the Smith College ice-cream stand during Reunion Weekend.
I’m not talking about seeing the staff in action at the mildly stuffy, but well presented, Grécourt Society reception for legacy donors. Instead, I’m referring to the ice-cream stand that the Gift Planning staff operated in the Smith College Campus Center one warm mid-day. As the staff served up the free tasty treats, they had a chance to interact with alumnae. When appropriate, the staff, wearing aprons and serving up the ice cream themselves, was able to casually explain what The Grécourt Society is, why legacy giving is important to Smith, and how alumnae can support the College with a planned gift. At the ice-cream stand, there was also a table of gift planning promotional material.
This was a great way to showcase gift planning in a friendly, pressure-free, guilt-free, fun environment. Sam Samuels, Director of Gift Planning, told me that the ice-cream stand not only allowed the staff to educate, cultivate, and thank people, it actually led to a number of planned-gift commitments during the reunion weekend.
Now, I’m not suggesting you go out and set up an ice-cream stand. However, if we examine why the ice-cream stand worked, there are some things you can learn that will help you reach your fundraising goals.
Here are five things you need to know:
1. KISS. In 1960, the US Navy noted the design principle “Keep it simple, Stupid!” That’s what we see with the ice-cream stand. The Smith staff did not over think it; however, they certainly did the planning necessary to make it work. But, the concept itself was simple. It wasn’t a fancy dinner or a posh reception to educate and cultivate prospects, though such events have their place. And Smith did some of those as well. However, this simple activity allowed the staff to reach a broader audience in a low-key fashion.
2. Lifestyle Enabling. The Smith staff put themselves in the shoes of their prospects and donors. In other words, they were donor centered when thinking about how to attract the attention of potential planned gift donors. Instead of trying to get donors to attend an estate-planning seminar (yawn), the staff thought about how to meet the needs and desires of the alumnae. Most folks like ice cream. So, the staff chose to do something that would meet alumnae where they were (in or near the Campus Center), and give them something they would likely want (a cool lunchtime treat on a warm day). The ice cream stand also harkened back to the days when, as students, they would meet up with friends for ice cream at the student center. In short, Smith helped the alumnae live the life they want. That’s what drew in the alumnae.
3. Reciprocity. By giving the alumnae something they wanted and would enjoy, Smith leveraged the principle of reciprocity: When you do something for someone else, they’ll be more willing to do something for you. In the case of Smith, giving people free ice cream made them more willing to have a conversation to learn more about philanthropic planning. Incidentally, researchers Adrian Sargeant and Jen Shang have found that reciprocity is the leading generic-giving motivator as well as the leading motivation behind planned giving. For example, if your charity has helped someone (e.g., a hospital that saves the person’s life), that person will be more motivated to support the charity out of a sense of reciprocity.
4. Dopamine. Normally, I wouldn’t suggest drugging your prospects and donors. But, the fact that Smith served free ice cream seems innocent enough to me even though it triggered the production of dopamine and other pleasure chemicals in the brains of those who ate it. By giving someone something one finds pleasurable, he or she will be in a better mindset to listen to your presentation, and more likely to associate you and your presentation with that pleasant feeling. What could be better for a fundraiser than linking general fundraising or gift planning with pleasure?
5. Engagement. One reason for the success of the Smith ice-cream stand was that it gave staff the opportunity to engage with alumnae; the alumnae who care passionately enough about the College to return for a reunion weekend. And that engagement was warm, informal, fun, donor centered, and informative.
Smith College has shown that not all fundraising activities need to be serious and institutional. Planned Giving does not have to be funereal; you’re not an undertaker, for goodness sake. Fundraising should be fun, for you and the prospect/donor.
So, if you want to be a more successful fundraising professional, remember ice cream. Then, whatever you do to promote giving, remember to keep it simple, consider how you can enable the lifestyle of those you’re cultivating, think of what you can give to or do for people to engender a spirit of reciprocity, bring pleasure to folks so they associate you and your cause with a positive feeling, and get out from behind your desk or pick up the phone and engage prospects and donors.
Fundraising is not begging. It’s a sophisticated process that inspires people and helps them meet their philanthropic aspirations by matching them with a need of your organization and the people it serves.
Sometimes, that means putting on an apron instead of a suit. The Gift Planning staff at Smith College gets it. Do you? What fun things does your organization do to engage prospects and donors?
For additional reading about engagement and putting the fun in fundraising, checkout:
- Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing (my best-selling book that won the AFP-Skystone Prize)
- “If You Want More Donors, Stop Being So Serious“
- “I’m Sorry, But Mother Theresa was Wrong“
- “Stop Showering All of Your Donors with Love“
- “The Greatest Idea for Retaining and Upgrading Donors“
- “Want to Know the Secret to Raising More Money?“
That’s what Michael Rosen says… What do you say?
Michael Rosen Says... 