October 31, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Can you duplicate Barack Obama’s fund-raising success?
While there may be tactics that charities can learn from the way the Obama campaign has garnered an unprecedented amount of money, the main reason behind the windfall is the “ultra-compelling ‘offer,’” writes Jeff Brooks, a fund-raising consultant, on his Donor Power blog.
“It’s about an historic candidate who’s running during a time of national crisis, whose message is utterly compelling (to his audience), and who delivers the goods whenever he speaks. Without that, all the cool techniques in the world can only make an incremental impact on revenue,” he writes.
To figure out if your organization has a compelling appeal like the candidate, he asks:
“Are you unlike all the others, or are you one of several similar organizations — distinguishable only by experts and insiders? Is there urgency built in to everything you say? Do you have the ability to reach out, grab people by the heart and actually make them feel differently from how they felt before they encountered you? Are you fighting an enemy? (It needn’t be a person or people.)”
What do you think? Can charities duplicate Mr. Obama’s ability to raise money?
(Read The Chronicle’s article on what charities can learn from the election campaign fund raising.)
