IFC Roundup: New Challenges Facing Direct-marketing Fundraisers

[Stephen Pidgeon is chairman of Target Direct, a direct-mail fundraising agency in Gloucestershire, England. At the 27th International Fundraising Congress, which was held in the Netherlands last week, he presented a session titled New Challenges Facing Direct-marketing Fundraisers. Here, he offers a synopsis of the session.]

It’s not getting any easier, but there’s still a pile of things you can do that will radically improve your direct-marketing fundraising.

However, fundraisers of the future will have to put in considerably more effort to achieve the same and better results — and that means improving the supporter experience in much the same way that commercial companies invest in the customer experience. Unfortunately, direct-marketing fundraisers (let alone the rest of their organisations) don’t seem to grasp the importance of this investment.

Fundraisers consistently fail to get the right information from their databases. They mass-mail most of their databases most of the time. Why? Because they are driven by short-term finances and don’t have the influence in the organisation to insist on proper investment in supporter research and development. Most are blind to the recruitment of supporters other than through traditional means — cold lists, inserts, door-drops and so on. Very few have programmes that are designed truly to delight the supporter, remove unwelcome pressure to donate and make the supporter feel part of the great enterprise that is the work of the charity.

Among the ideas for improving the supporter experience that we discussed in the New Challenges Facing Direct-marketing Fundraisers:

* offering choice to supporters and allowing them to control when or how often the charity contacts them;

* genuinely asking for their views, not with the rubbish questionnaires used in recruitment but actively seeking to involve them in key issues that affect the charity; and

* inviting even “ordinary” direct-marketing supporters to join a group of influencers such as a CEO’s Panel or a Chairman’s Forum.

In the session I also discussed my “5 Percent” and “1 Percent” principles: Five percent of a fundraiser’s time (that’s only one day a month) should be spent with the charity’s client group or the people who service them. Fundraisers need to be out talking to service delivery staff, sourcing case studies, being passionate about the charity’s work. Only then will they ever match the passion of their supporters! And 1 percent of their time must be spent talking to those supporters, inspiring them and being inspired.

Twenty years ago, charities led the commercial world in their use of direct marketing. That’s gone! While consumers have become more marketing savvy, most charities still are using the techniques from the 1980s — the 1980s! Nearly 30 years ago! That simply no longer will work; the commitment and affection of good supporters is being frittered away. And that must stop!

You can reach Stephen at spidgeon@targetdirect.co.uk or through the Target Direct Web site at www.targetdirect.co.uk. For information on the International Fundraising Congress, go to www.resource-alliance.org/ifc.