From Katya’s Nonprofit Marketing Blog, Message isn’t working? Here’s a three-point diagnosis. Some typical ways fundraising goes wrong:
- Falsely assuming that information results in action.
- Forgetting that we’re not the audience.
- Treating marketing as an afterthought.
In my experience, #2 is the most common and most destructive of the three. People at nonprofit organizations become obsessed with creating messages they think would motivate them — and thus radically mis-communicate with their donors.
It’s difficult to get outside of your own head. It’s even harder when there’s a group-think in the organization that’s seeking self-pleasing messages.
Effective fundraisers are the ones who talk to donors, not themselves.
Filed under Future Fund Raising Now by on Mar 23rd, 2013. Comment. 
Neuromarketing reports on a study of how stories persuade juries, at Six Characteristics of Highly Persuasive Stories. (The study itself is available here.)
Attorneys working to persuade jurors through narrative need to take these things into account:
- Delivery Counts. A well-written story is stronger than a weak one.
- Vivid Imagery.
- Realism and Understandability.
- Structure. Stories should have a beginning, middle, and end and an unconfusing structure.
- Context and Surroundings. Annoying, noisy design may make a story less effective
- Audience. Know them. Make sure you’re aiming at them.
Fundraising is easy compared to jury trials. But they’re not that different.
Filed under Future Fund Raising Now by on Aug 2nd, 2012. Comment.