Welcome!
+65s
8.493million in 2010
13.823 million in 2033
5,330,000 more potential donors!
•What
Lots more
people.
doesolder
an ageing
•society
Older people
more
meangive
for lots
charity
money.
fundraising?
Two reasons why an ageing society has to be
brilliant, for fundraisers and fundraising…
© Ken Burnett 2014
Bingo! – we’re about to
enter fundraising’s Golden
Age.
Why not? Many more donors, all living longer,
the only sector other than the mega-rich to
flourish in this recession, with 80 per cent of
disposable income and now, time to change
the world.
‘Good ideas, lifelong experiences and the
wealth of spare time are assets we cannot
afford to ignore. ...it is time to invent a
new stage in life – after career and before
retirement – in which older people give
back to future generations, utilising a
‘windfall of talent’.’
The Observer comment column,
22nd December 2013
Great – and it doesn’t even mention the money!
• Nearing or into retirement • Well heeled and comfy.
Meet Beryl and Clive
• Preparing for a life of busy active fulfilment.
• Want to be useful and to make a difference.
• A bit cynical and demanding/ hard to please.
• Looking for the meaning of life.
Fundamental truth
Fundraising is all
about donors…
Acquisition
Retention
Development
But…
• People are not rushing to join us.
• … too often they don’t enjoy the
experience while they’re with us.
• …and too many don’t hang around
long enough/ repay their acquisition
costs.
A perhaps unacceptable truth
Donors such as Beryl and
Clive don’t want to be
acquired, retained
or developed.
At least, not the way
we do it.
An unsustainable equation
Costs of acquiring
one donor: the accepted norms
• F2F regular donor
£160
• £5 ask via mobile phone
£90
• Two-step regular gift conversion £164
• £3 regular donor via radio or press £72 to £140
• Tests that don’t work
£ a lot more.
From viewpoint of a donor giving an average £5 per month:
Time to recover acquisition cost:
2 years +
This is not attrition. This is us, failing to keep donors.
What might Beryl and Clive say to this?
Issues for fundraisers
around an ageing population.
Issues for fundraisers
for the next 20 years,
whatever the donor’s
age.
Cracking donor retention
• Engage with the right donors in the first place, in the right way.
• Find what matters most to your donors.
• Make sure all donors are emotionally happy.
• Switch the focus from past transactions to ongoing commitment.
• Remove all the retention barriers – attitudes, dull communications,
crap service, silos, improper attribution, not being distinctive/different,
distractions (premiums etc), etc.
• Identify committed donors. Delight them regularly.
• Do everything much more quickly.
• Give great feedback.
• Invest in retention, communication and donor service.
The formula for fundraising magic is simple:
leadership, emotion and inspiration + astute acquisition + great service and
experience for donors = retention + commitment = increased lifetime value.
Mystery shopping tests show this isn’t happening.
‘Charities
consistently
failing to get
even the basics
right.’
Kids playing
at
fundraising.
Shouldn’t be
too hard to
do.
Change is
possible.
A brilliant
emotional
appeal.
More
frequent fabulous
feedback
showing the
difference donors
make.
Consistent
creative
communications
that respect
the donor’s
preferences.
Donorballs
© Ken Burnett 2014
Some basics
of donor
retention
An
appropriate,
tailor-made
donor journey.
Really
rapid
reassurance for
responders:
‘You’ve done
something
great’.
Frequent
fast, fabulous
feedback.
HOW DO WE INJECT A
RIGHT THROUGHOUT OUR SECTOR?
Time for a
paradigm
shift.
The two major influences on whether or
not we’ll attract and keep donors
• The experiences our donors get,
particularly in the early stages of the
relationship.
• The influence of the people who
deliver those experiences.
Back to Beryl and Clive
How can we get them
to share our dreams?
Some facts about the well-intentioned,
affable, still-active elderly
• They are living longer.
• There are many more of them.
• They have an extra active
decade.
• They’ll be eager to get involved
with
something great.
• They want to belong.
• They don’t expect to be paid.
• They want to enjoy doing good.
• They demand to make a real difference.
• Their first priority is ‘legacy’.
So, how do we convert
well-intentioned, affable,
still-active elderly people to be
Agincourt
25 October, 1415
The message
young, hot-blooded,
determined patriots
simply couldn’t
resist.
• You will most probably die…
• …or at least, be scarred for life.
• If you live, you’ll get to sit with your
grandchildren and proudly show them
those scars…
…and say, ‘that was us. We did that!’
We need something similar.
A new, ambitious resolve.
A new, ambitious offer.
You too can be a
A message older,
wiser, wealthy
change makers with
time and money to
spare simply can’t
resist.
…and say, ‘I was there, I did that!’
What would it take, for Beryl and
Clive to become Change
Warriors?
• Time and money.
• Useful activity. A job that really needs doing.
• Sharing the dream. The difference we will make,
together.
• Good companions. Opportunities for socialising.
• Good environment.
• Milestones along the way.
• Recognition.
• Evidence that they’re making a difference.
• Emotional engagement: regular reminders and brilliant
emotional feedback.
• Need and reward, with style and speed.
What will our sector look like, to potential donors, in 5-10 years
time?
A few organisations will stand
out, and do things differently.
A few organisations will stand out, and
do things differently.
Some of them may
even get it right.
Most will fail,
unless we change four things
(and all involve investment).
Four things that must change
Investment in
• People: leadership and
development.
• Retention strategies.
• Communications.
• The donor experience
(ie, excellent service).
© Ken Burnett 2014
Thank you.
‘Evolution is about the
survival of those who adapt
best to change, rather than
those who are fittest.’
Charles Darwin
© Ken Burnett 2014