Mark Kordic
Advocace' Media

 
My mailbox and e-mailbox contained appeals for 50 different non-profit organizations this week alone. Whew...this must be end of year time!

Our family supports about twenty ministries on an annual basis including our local church, U.S. based and worldwide missions among others. We keep up with these organizations and read their appeals. I also spent time reading other appeals this week and I found the most compelling were both honest with their financial picture and motivating concerning their potential impact. So I reviewed veteran direct mail expert Mal Warwick's insights into donor motivation - good reminders:

1. Individual give emotionally to dreams and dazzling visions of impact
2. Do not sell the needs of the institution because people give to opportunities
3. People give people it makes them feel good not out of a sense of guilt
4. People do not give to a losing cause or a campaign that is faltering but look to join others in supporting success
5. Your mission is of paramount importance, much more than any particular program so emphasize your clear mission.

One more important thought regarding the way you craft your financial appeal that provides insight into donor motivation. Development consultant John Frank summarizes an article  from Stanford Social Innovation Review titled, The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle. It is written by Ann Goggins Gregory and Don Howard. Frank zeroes in on a major problem with the appeal content of many non-profit organizations:

"A vicious cycle is leaving nonprofits so hungry for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations - let alone serve their beneficiaries. The cycle starts with funders' unrealistic expectations about how much running a nonprofit costs, and results in nonprofits' misrepresenting their costs while skimping on vital systems - acts that feed funders' skewed beliefs. To break the nonprofit starvation cycle, funders must take the lead."

Frank uses the terms of Front Line Ministry and Support Ministry to demonstrate the balance needed in an organization. He says that Support Ministry, comprised of finance, marketing, development, administration, operations, and facilities are truly a vital service to donors, clients, and beneficiaries. Without these Support Ministries, there would not be a Front Lines Ministry.

Therefore...as you craft your appeals, don't apologize for the good work performed by all members of your organization. And keep the dreams for a better tomorrow front and center. What are you learning from the many appeals you are receiving?