November 28, 2010 | Read Time: 2 minutes
As charities gear up for the third holiday fund-raising season in a down economy, nonprofits are searching for ways to unlock the Grinch-like spirit gripping many donors. But finding new approaches that produce strong results remains elusive for many groups.
Many Americans continue to hold back on their donations because of financial woes. Only 8 percent of Americans say they plan to give more this year, according to a new study by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund. Fifty-five percent of donors say they will give the same amount they gave in 2009, and more than a third plan to give less, mostly because of money problems and concern about increased taxes.
Among the organizations seeking a new way to solicit is the Nature Conservancy. To make up for the difficulty it has had attracting new donors during the downturn, it is starting its online year-end campaign 15 days earlier than in 2009. But the organization is avoiding asking for money right away. Instead, the first year-end e-mails and other digital communications spotlight what scientists say about environmental issues and other topics. “We are very successful when we ask for money in cultivation mode rather than hard-giving mode,” says Begoña Vázquez-Santos, the Conservancy’s director of membership.
Avoid Excessive Pressure
Many charities are taking a similar tack and avoiding aggressive pitches as they seek to elevate donors’ holiday giving mood.
As hard economic times wear on, donors are increasingly impatient with frequent requests for money, says Penelope Burk, a Chicago fund-raising consultant. Her company, Cygnus Applied Research, has conducted annual surveys with thousands of American donors since 2003. In this year’s survey, for the first time, over-solicitation was the most frequently cited reason among donors who were asked why they had stopped giving to a charity they had supported in the past. That sentiment was also reflected by affluent donors in a study released in November by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. A key reason wealthy people said they had stopped giving to an organization was that they were tired of getting so many appeals. (See article.)
“It doesn’t seem like donors are open to anything that would appear to be extra pressure. It is not welcome in this environment,” says Dan Busby, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which represents religious groups.
In such a tricky fund-raising environment, many charities are putting new twists on technology and adding a personal touch to campaigns. To see some of the most innovative efforts, click on the articles under Related Content, on the left side of this page.
