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What lies beneath
the exterior of the intricacies of the human mind in emotional
impulses that causes an individual to share a portion of their hard
earned capitol with a not-for-profit organization? After all,
around one-third of income has a charitable application through
taxes to supply for the elderly, education for children, sustenance
for the underprivileged and the institutions for social order. We
could argue that our taxes meet the Biblical directive found in
James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religious before the God and the
Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble.” To
consider why our donors give can provide insight into having a
deeper and more stable supply of funds for growth and future
outreach.
My daughter Amy
earned a double masters in family counseling from John Brown
University and now has letters after her name of which her father is
very proud, Amy Hughes Beene, MS, LAC, LAMFT. My son-in-law,
Jeremiah, had his educational endeavors interrupted by a tour of
duty in Iraq, but has now resumed his studies in psychology at the
University of Arkansas. I have requested of both of them that they
engage in clinical studies of reasons for charitable giving for
their doctoral dissertation as it sure would be helpful to dear ole
Dad in assisting me in being more effective in my efforts for Great
Plains Christian Radio. However, I must admit if given the choice
of the performance of research or a second grandchild I think all
that would benefit from such studies on charitable giving would be
waiting a few years longer.
So, at this point
you will have to settle for some observations from someone who, over
a period of more than forty years, has prepared hundreds of
fundraising campaigns and observed how people respond. Galileo was
the father of observational astronomy maybe I can lay claim to at
least The Father of the Observational Psychology of Fundraising;
however I don’t think I will put it in my resume. I get plenty of
fundraising appeals in the mail myself. Instead of absorbing the
information being shared I find myself critiquing their appeal.
When going through the mail I have a throw away pile and items that
need my attention. My wife, Polly, when going through the “keeper”
stack came across an appeal letter and asked if she was to send a
donation and how much. I told her, “No, it was a great appeal and I
wanted to steal it, ahhhh, no, excuse me….I would use it as a
vehicle of research for insight into a future fundraising letter.
Maybe I will send them a donation if their appeal letter works for
us.”
For my proffer on
the “Psychology of Charitable Giving” let us journey to a college
football game to peruse the assemblage of fans as this seems to
resemble the primordial pool which fostered the basic building
blocks of life as the evolutionists claim. This gives you a visual
image of those that support your organization. You will notice the
collection of individuals close to the front sporting a unique
assortment of costuming and hats and also in many cases facial and
body paint. This represents your rabid constituency for whom you
can do no wrong. They are with you no matter what. They will call
and pledge support even when you are not having a fundraising
event. If the team effort begins to fail they will develop excuses
for you, i.e., “The refs need glasses!” However, as you look around
the stadium you realize there are many more attending without the
colorful temperament and regalia. Your survival will need more than
this first group of individuals we examined.
Our examination of
the capacity crowd at this college football game reveals those that
not only buy the expensive tickets, but also will make an annual
donation for the privilege of being able to buy the most expensive
seats. The previous group we examined showed great enthusiasm and
also perhaps the desire to give sacrificially, but they may be
lacking the ability to give significant gifts. However, this second
group represents not only a devoted constituency, but also one with
significant financial ability to make larger contributions. The
fans located in the end zone would represent supporters, but they
are more conservative, perhaps out of necessity, in how much they
pay for the tickets. They would represent those that are consistent
in support, endorse the organization, but they are involved in other
things as well. The upper deck fans would represent those that are
keen observers. Personally, I have always felt that if you really
want to watch the plays develop, defense and offensive strategy and
the skills of the players that the best place to do this is the
upper deck. The support of these individuals is consistent, but
also academic. You can expect some constructive criticism from the
group. In addition to these four groups there would be those at
home that perhaps listen to game on the radio or catch the final
score, fans none the less, but perhaps would never attend a game.
It would also be difficult to get these individuals to initiate a
contact with you.
You can divide your
listening audience or constituency for your ministry the same way.
View the patterns of giving for each individual, family or
businesses and design your fundraising appeals based on the giving
personality profile. Yes, it is a little more work, but you will
increase giving and become more efficient in use of funds for
postage and printing. There can be those occasions when a
“one-size-fits-all” newsletter is appropriate; however there should
be those mailings during the year that appeal to people as
individuals and not as a group. You can have an ongoing effort to
contact your donors by phone, not to ask for a donation, but just to
say “thank you” and ask them if they have a prayer request. Make
the effort to send donors mail that has a different look, i.e. hand
addressing the envelope and use a stamp. There are bulk rate stamps
that can create a different impression than the printed bulk rate
insignia.
Allow me for a
moment to be a critic of one of the most used or maybe I should say
abused forms of fundraising for Christian radio, “Sharathon.” Your
understanding of this criticism can be the gateway to meeting the
funding needs for your broadcast ministry. I illustrated through
the football game of the variety of approaches to the same
situation. Through a “Sharathon” you appeal to only one personality
type. My observation is that “Sharathon” leaves out perhaps as much
of two-thirds of your potential donors. You need to understand
there are personality types that are not going to call and make a
commitment on the phone. You need to ask yourself what you can do
to make listeners more comfortable in making a contact with your
ministry. Can you instead offer a gift for them to be able to
receive free? In doing this you identify a listener by name and
address and can include them in future mailings. In this
technological age there are those that feel very comfortable with an
on-line gift or electronic fund transfer. Attracting such a person
to your web site would be the way to appeal to this type person.
Work on development of communication with potential donors as it is
rare that trust and the family feeling needed to make a donation is
developed quickly. What steps can be provided to draw people into
taking personal ownership of the ministry and follow with a
donation.
One interesting
thing I hear often on Christian radio is, “We are non-commercial.
You will never hear advertising on this station.” Oh, really, what
is wrong with advertising? Selling needed items and services to
people is honorable work which is pleasing to the Lord. With such
activity you provide for your family, create jobs for others which
further creates economic interaction and provides funds that can be
given to your organization, churches and other mission endeavors.
If you don’t want to air commercials because you perceive some
negative impact that is fine, but don’t create the image that there
is something wrong with making money. I can tell you that saying
you air no advertising is offensive to many people who have the
ability to make donations. If you are a commercial station - sell
advertising. If you are a NCE station engage businesses in
underwriting. If you don’t, I feel you are harming the body of
believers as a whole. If you attract Christians to your station,
but do not allow Christian business people to access that audience
you force them to go to the non-Christian stations to advertise
their products. This harms the exchange of funds within the body of
believers. Even if your ministry does not involve broadcasting,
develop business partnerships and publicize businesses that support
the work with a newsletter or internet acknowledgment.
Very often when
presenting the gospel to someone we make an effort to reason with
the person through a mutual point of interest. We work to answer a
heart felt question. It is somewhat like Paul’s message in Athens,
found in Acts 17, when he told them to consider the statue they had
“To the Unknown God.” The next time you are at a sporting event,
out shopping or driving in traffic look around you at the people and
ask yourself what style donor they might be and how you might issue
an appeal that makes them feel comfortable in making a gift. What
can you communicate that would involve that individual as part of
the family where they take personal ownership of the ministry? What
can you do to have them be a cheerful giver in not just writing a
number on a check, but becoming involved personally?
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Don observed
forty years in broadcasting in 2009. Great Plains Christian
Radio consists of seven full power stations and thirty-six
translators. The flagship station, KJIL, has been named Station of
the Year most recently by NRB and in the past they have received
that honor from GMA, NAB (Marconi), Focus on The Family and the
Kansas Association of Broadcasters. Don Hughes and his wife
Polly have been married for thirty-one years and they have six
children.
Don Hughes can be reached at
don@kjil.com |
