It’s a rough time for everyone now — and for most, it’s tough both personally and professionally. For anyone involved in nonprofits, it’s especially scary, and it’s easy to not be as clear-headed as you usually are.
I understand all that.
But this time also brings opportunity. As I’ve written in previous articles (here, here, and here), there are a number of ways that nonprofits can “seize the day” to do things that will reap rewards in the future (even in the near future). Of all of the many things you can do now (since you might have been stopped short with your “usual course of business” stuff), the most important is to exhibit empathy and kindness and responsiveness towards your constituents. In fact, as a fundraiser/nonprofit leader — even in normal times — you can’t achieve much unless you understand your audience. Whether it’s your donors, your customers, your volunteers, your beneficiaries — you need to have a keen sense of what “your people” are all about.
This sounds like basic stuff, right?
Imagine my surprise when I received three different solicitations in the last few days — one on the phone, and two via snail mail — asking me for a money, with absolutely nothing in the pitch acknowledging that this period in time is, uh, unusual.
No “how are you doing during this time?”. No “we know it’s a tough time, but since you’re part of our extended family….”. Nada.
Yesterday I received a regular snail mail piece (and an expensive one, at that) from an organization that I haven’t given to for many years. There was a great deal of copy about the wonderful things the organization does, and why I should donate — but zero acknowledgment about the time that we’re in. I understand that this piece was probably sitting at the mail house a month ago and just had to go out now, but it was so incredibly tone-deaf that I ripped it up more aggressively than usual as I leaned over the wastebasket.
Why didn’t the organization just tell the mailing house to hold off on sending the piece for now? Why is that organization spending donors’ money on something that’s so off-putting? Is that mailing really likely to yield results?
Beyond all of that, the fact that that mailing was sent — and that I received other “tone deaf” solicitations, tells me that those organizations just don’t have any interest in knowing the people they’re soliciting. Even if they don’t know me personally, it doesn’t take a genius to know that most people, during a pandemic, won’t take the time to even read a solicitation like that — much less donate to that cause.
By the way, we did know about this pandemic back in January, and there was most likely enough time to hold the mailings. If not, there certainly was time to add a note onto the mailing (I’ve done this before) before it was sent, acknowledging the current state of the world.
If the issue was that fundraisers had to let the mailing go out despite their better judgment, well, that’s an issue for another newsletter.
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- Lisa
Tone Deaf During a Pandemic
Well done. You have it right.