Here's the easy test that could save you a kajillion dollars (that's a one followed by a bazillion zeroes). I'm willing to share it with you because I like you.
If your belief, or theory, or intuition about fundraising is based on your own personal experience, you are wrong.
That's right: Your own experience, preference, and wishes always lead you astray. Same with your boss, your consultant, your spouse, and pretty much everyone else who has an opinion about how fundraising ought to be.
That's because your conscious opinions have nothing whatsoever to do with the way real people interact with your message. Add to that the fact that you are not your donor (you're probably very, very different from her) -- and you have a situation where not only are your guesses wrong, they're very often diametrically opposed to what happens in the real world.
Get used to it. Form your beliefs from testing and learning, not personal experience.
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Hey, it's been awhile since you've posted anything. I hope you're okay!
Posted by: Janice | 20 October 2009 at 09:44
even funnier i had to add, my sissy, she did a tele fundrasing fro some bunk non profit, then after she said well if this is my commission which is alot, then the boss man has to take something to pay himself cuz theres not much left, then how much actually goe to these poor ass people? yeah, i agree, if its not from missionaries or the military,then whatever,people hate religion but they do alot of work
Posted by: Hugh G. Rection | 14 October 2009 at 19:09
this is hella funny, my friend is all dedicated to his non profit work, the thing is, he hates minorities, hes a so full of himself, he hates religion, he even proclaimed that he is a hedonist, he slams everyone for their morals but he himself is rampant in his pursuit of casual sex yet he labels everyone else in a dive bar doing the same as douche bags but not himself although be it he is parked at the same dive bars for the same activity.
the funniest part, the real reason he participates feverishly in this non profit is so he can drool at the girls and try to find a wife from the country the non profit is operating in
Posted by: Hugh G. Rection | 14 October 2009 at 19:06
wow, my friends from school, thier father ispresident of united way in which those 2 guys now work for, they told me they "don't do shit" i have worked for NGO's (non governemental organizations)and have loads of non profit work, froma professional experience spanning more than a decade, the only real help ever comes from missionary work and the US military in times of relief efforts, most non profit workers are so blind to how in efficiently they are working for they do not even reside in the country the believe they are helping,sum forensic accounting into some large non profits will result in alarming surprises, unless you are hands on distributing relief goods, helping with harvests sewing and planting in fields yourself, don;t fall for it, coming from an accountant and various other positions within non profits through the years, there are valid ones like ricky martins that they put thier own money into their own non profit and administer it, then there shitty ones like bill gates where the city of Seattle's taxpayers foot the bill for the construction of his non profits relocation building
Posted by: United Way | 14 October 2009 at 18:49
If by personal experience you are meaning anecdotal then you are most likely correct. If the personal experience is based on years of studying returns, trends and donor behavior as so many have in our industry, you may be mistaken.
Your statement could be very misleading. I have relied on many consultants and supervisors for their "personal" experience last 3 decades.
Posted by: Jim McLachlan | 14 October 2009 at 17:54
The main two things I got from this is "testing and learning". Thanks.
Posted by: Dentists Spring Hill | 09 October 2009 at 03:21
All I can say is, Amen.
Posted by: Ted Grigg | 07 October 2009 at 23:18
I'm trying to find more ways to test so that I have substantial data to use in those types of conversations. What have been the best mailing "tests" you all have done?
Posted by: Christine | 02 October 2009 at 18:21
It is amazing how many people think their opinion counts as equal to your years of experience based on the 'I wouldn't respond to that' scenario.
Posted by: John B. | 27 September 2009 at 23:29
Thank you! If I had a dime for every "I wouldn't resond to that" comment, I wouldn't have to fundraise at all!
Posted by: NA | 25 September 2009 at 11:32