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Whatever happened to text to give in AUS?

jeans-for-genesWhy is it that Australian charities still cannot offer text to give? A popular channel of giving throughout Europe, it is astonishing we are well behind many other countries in offering this convenient way for our donors to support our charitable organisations.

I was recently at a theatre event and noticed a promotion for Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI). The postcard encourages us to text “jeans” to 1997 6484 to instantly donate $5 and help Jeans for Genes. It was terrific to see this promotion for CMRI. When will the telcos catch up with the rest of the world and work with Australian charities to get this channel off the ground?

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It’s a Christmas appeal? No, it is simply a thank you

It’s that time of year when charities across Australia ask you and I for a donation. It’s the last hoorah of the calendar year. If you think Australian charities are aggressive this time of the year, you should live in the US and experience not just the season of giving, but also end of tax year all at once.

I have received many Christmas appeals this year from Australian charitable organisations. I wrote about the first to arrive, from Salvation Army, back in October when we were still wishing for warmer weather. Some appeals arrived as late as last week. One envelope, which I thought was going to be the final appeal of the season. turned out to not be a Christmas. Instead, it turned out to simply be a Christmas card and note of thanks from the Burnet Institute.

The simple message caught me by surprise. I am not used to charitable organisations sending simplyburnett-institute-2 a thank you. Amongst all the pieces of mail and eDMs I have received from Australian charitable organisations throughout the years of conducting a mystery shopping study of the Australian, New Zealand, and Asian non-profit sector, I could count on one hand the number of times a charity simply wrote to say thank you.

The thank you from Burnet Institute will go a long way – with this donor and others. Merry Christmas. And, thank you.

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Another difference between US and AUS fundraising

fsuLast week, I blogged about a few differences between US and AUS fundraising. In the blog post, I discussed some key areas where the US hospital was far more aggressive than Australian non-profit organisations.

Yesterday, I received an eMail from Florida State University (FSU) asking me to donate long-term appreciated stocks. Appreciated stocks are securities which are worth more than their original purchase price. Gifts of securities are quite common amongst donors to charities in the US. Donors are encouraged to donate because of the tax benefit to the donor. Donor’s may gain a tax benefit equal to the full market value of the securities.

It is rare I hear about gifts of securities amongst even the largest of non-profit organisations in Australia.

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Dine Out – Give $2

snip20161124_12Americans are labelled as “aggressive”, especially when we share our fundraising ideas. Perhaps this is a term of endearment. Perhaps it is meant as a label and some are truly turned off by campaign tactics shared out of the US. Nonetheless, I was surprised to see one tactic employed last week when I was dining in Newtown with some friends.

When the check arrived, we were asked by the server if we wanted to make a $2 donation to help the homeless (StreetSmart Australia). $2 is nothing – especially after enjoying a wonderful meal of wine and good food! I agreed and the server informed me the $2 had already been added to the bill.

I was surprised. In fact, I was shocked.

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Why was I surprised/shocked?

This type of fundraising tactic works and is rarely employed in Australia. I was surprised and shocked in a good way!

Why does it work so well and resonate with an audience? Rarely will someone ask that the $2 be taken off the bill. Also, rarely will people remember, at the end of the evening, to add the $2 to the bill. So, by adding it in, proactively, the charity is likely to raise more money. This is not misleading to the consumer, either, because the consumer is fully informed of the charge and has the ability to opt out should he or she desire.

Each of us were given a small pocket-size brochure on the charity so we could read more about the charity and about the campaign. #Success.

I have only one criticism of this campaign and, perhaps, this brings out the “aggressive American” in me. I would like to see the charitable organisation collect my contact details to have the ability to engage me as a true supporter rather than receive just a one time $2 gift. Without my contact details, this type of campaign mimics the gold coin collections in a theatre or at a street fair.

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Appeal from US hospital shows differences with AUS fundraising methods

People always ask me about the differences between fundraising in the US vs the UK vs AUS. It’s a very common question and not a difficult one to answer.

US fundraising is not very focused on regular giving and is more focused on standard direct marketing, as well as major gifts and other high value fundraising. UK and AUS fundraising is very focused on regular giving and not nearly as much on major gifts and other high value fundraising. It’s that simple.

There are also a few more differences as demonstrated by this appeal I received from Mt Sinai Hospital in New York City this last Friday:mt-sinai-2

  • Mt Sinai asks me for a very large gift through the mail. Interesting. I am a lapsed donor. I think the first and only gift I gave Mt Sinai was years ago and I also believe it was not a significant gift – perhaps $100 or less.
  • Next the hospital reminds me I can give a gift through stock and securities. I would venture to bet you would never see this on a direct marketing appeal in AUS.
  • Finally, Mt Sinai asks if my employer will match my gift. This is a rare find on any AUS direct marketing appeal.

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Has #GivingTuesday™ not taken off in Australia?

Australia – by nature of where we are located across the international date line, we are first in the world for the New Year; first in the world for the super moon; and, first in the world for other matters. So, why is it that we are not first in the world for #GivingTuesday™? The campaign does not seem to have taken off with the traction I would expect given our robust non-profit sector.

It is #GivingTuesday™ today – a simple concept. #GivingTuesday™ is a movement to create a national day of giving to kick off the giving season. This is the fourth annual GivingTuesday™. In the same way that retail stores take part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday, charitable organisations want the giving community to come together for #GivingTuesday™. Partners create and commit to a project for/on #GivingTuesday and then help spread the word to their networks.

I am making a personal contribution today to any charity who asks me for a donation on #GivingTuesday™ in hopes that one day we can be first in the world in this worldwide campaign. I hope you will join me in doing something for charitable organisations today.

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Thanksgiving – a day for charities to thank donors

childrensIt’s Thanksgiving Day in the USA. A day when family and friends gather to offer thanks for what they have and to acknowledge those present in their lives. It’s a non-religious holiday and it often times has more meaning to people as a result.

Thanksgiving Day is also an opportunity for charitable organisations to recognise donors who have supported them throughout the year. Causevox recently published a blog post offering 7 ways to thank donors during Thanksgiving. Several charitable organisations have sent me Thanksgiving greetings over the last week and I thought I would share them with you in hopes it will offer some ideas for donor care and stewardship for your non-profit organisation

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Why are BPay and PostPay not widely used by charity?

careflightYou and I have the opportunity to use BPay and PostPay™ daily to pay our mortgages, rent, utilities, and credit cards. Yet, why are BPay and PostPay not widely used by charitable organisations across Australia?

I received the Christmas Appeal from CareFlight recently and noted an ability to give a donation by BPay on their response device. I also received one from Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, which contained BPay.  Their biller code and my reference number are printed prominently on the response device. Easy, convenient, and part of a menu of options to give quickly. But, this is not the norm. Most non-profit organisations lack this convenience payment facility for their constituents.ridbc

What are the reasons BPay and PostPay™ are not widely offered?

  • Lack of internal knowledge to create a BPay and PostPay™ process.
  • Organisation’s CRM is not capable of producing a BPay or PostPay™ number for each constituent.
  • It goes in the “too hard” basket.

Let’s take them in order:

  • Creating a BPay number for your organisation is as easy as contacting your bank to find out the required makeup of the BPay sequence to match your bank.
  • While at it, acquire the configuration makeup for PostPay™ from Australia Post.
  • Once you have the required makeup, the next step is contacting your CRM supplier to find out if they have written a customisation to do the following:
    • Create a BPay and PostPay™ number for every constituent in your current database (using a batch or bulk facility).
    • Create the same for new constituents upon saving the new record in the CRM.
  • If your CRM supplier has created such a customisation, acquire it for your organisation and ask that it be configured to meet your bank’s required standards.
    • Remember, charitable organisations utilise a variety of financial institutions and your bank will not necessarily have the same BPay configuration as another organisation. Thus, the supplier needs to configure the customisation to meet your bank’s requirements.

Action BPay and, if appropriate for your organisation’s supporter base, PostPay™ for your next appeal. At a minimum, BPay ought to be part of the menu of options a donor or prospective donor has to support your charity.

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GivingTuesday is one week away

snip20161120_8#GivingTuesday is here already. It is just one week away. What is your non-profit organisation, school, hospital, university, or cultural institution doing to mark the special day?

This year, on 29 November 2016, Australian businesses, not-for-profits, charities, community groups, families and individuals are strongly encouraged to join a global movement and celebrate a day of giving to kick off the giving season.

New York’s 92nd Street Y was the catalyst and incubator for #GivingTuesday, bringing the expertise of 139 years of community-management to the project and providing #GivingTuesday a home. The United Nations Foundation joined as partners, bringing their strategic and communications clout to the project. An amazing team of influencers then offered their ideas, contacts and wisdom to help shape and improve the concept. A powerful list of corporations and non-profits agreed to be founding partners, helping spread the word and committing to their own #GivingTuesday initiatives. Since then, countless organisations, friends and leaders have all added their support and talents to make #GivingTuesday a reality.

Blackbaud, one of the founding partners of #GivingTuesday through the #GivingTuesday Trends report, reported the following key findings:

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It’s not too late to get a campaign together for #GivingTuesday. But, do not delay. The big event is one week away. Join the campaign!

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Technology in the NFP space

While attending Sculpture By the Sea in Bondi Beach this last Friday, I was pleased to see the organisation asking for donations. The annual event, free to the public, is a showcase of artistic talent. When I have attended the event in past years, I have often wondered why people are not asked to donate to support the non-profit organisation which coordinates the event. The organisation has information tents along the walk and sells various merchandise, including commemorative books and water bottles. Yet, there has never been an ask for donation…until now.

I was pleased to see a donation station (Tap n Go Donation) set up in the main tent where various sculptures are on display and for sale. The organisation did not draw attention to the donation station and there was only one on the entire grounds. However, at least one station was available for those of us inclined to support this terrific event. Sculptures by the Sea called their campaign 20for20, which symbolised the encouragement of donors to give $20 in honour of the event’s 20th anniversary.

donate-1The technology is produced by Square, a US-based technology company.

This type of technology is perfect for hospitals, medical research centres, universities, museums, and other organisations where there is a public location with foot traffic. It is easy to use. I simply selected the dollar value I wanted to donate, I touched my credit card to make the donation, and I entered a few details, including my email address and mobile number. I was pleased the organisation collected my details and not simply my credit card number.

While conducting a little research to write this blog post, I noticed the Melanoma Institute Australia has implemented a test of some similar technology using JCDecaux public advertising spaces. Likewise Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has deployed a similar campaign.

I am inspired by this technology over gold coin donations. Why? The charitable organisation captures contact details rather than simply the cash and, thus, is allowed to re-solicit these same people in upcoming campaigns and engage the audience in a regular donation. With gold coin donations, you simply reap the cash on the spot.doante-2

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