film/television fundraising
Give-aways to prospect for regular givers on TV When your cause is difficult to explain, sometimes the best way to seek a regular gift via television is to give something away. Derek Humphries and Alex Daniel reveal why.
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n the last issue we looked at the vital ingredients of direct response television (DRTV) success. This included the need for a simple, clear, emotionallycharged and need-driven proposition. But what if you haven’t got one? What if your cause is complex, and asking for a small, monthly gift seems insignificant in the context of your cause’s work? If this sounds like your organisation, must you simply forget fundraising through direct response television, and remove a potent form of fundraising from your armoury? A few years ago we might have said yes. But innovative DRTV for prospect-based fundraising has opened up the medium for causes that once saw their work as incompatible with DRTV.
What exactly do we mean by ’prospect-based’? Prospecting is not exclusive to DRTV. It involves initiating a connection with an individual about something they are interested in before you ask for money (or, better, offer them the opportunity to support something they care about). Typically, you will offer information so that you build up a list of people who are interested in your cause. Then, once people have demonstrated their interest, you offer them the opportunity to give financial support (normally via outbound telemarketing). Some causes find this indirect, two-stage approach can generate a great return on investment and improved lifetime value compared to a single-stage direct-to-regular-giving approach.
A different kind of need It is often rightly said that fundraising is not about money: it is about a need that must be met, it is about important work that needs to be done. Money is just one way we get the work done. Prospecting is about a different sort of need - a consumer need. Put simply, what do you have to offer a consumer that will inspire them to initiate contact with you? Too often we regard supporters merely as people who have
something that we need - namely money. It can be enlightening to stand in the shoes of a potential supporter and ask yourself: What do you have that they might need? To give you some real-life fundraising examples, here are snapshots of three DRTV prospecting campaigns that aired in the UK. Each one of these organisations would struggle to make DRTV work as a direct regular giving proposition, yet all have used DRTV as a recruitment channel by developing a two-stage prospecting offer. Of course, for each cause and each offer, it is vital to meticulously track response, percentage conversions and attrition rates. With careful testing, and an offer that generates prospects at high volume, there is strong potential for DRTV prospecting.
St John Ambulance generates a month’s prospect target in one morning Our initial reaction to a DRTV fundraising brief from St John Ambulance UK was that it wouldn’t work. Why would a viewer give a small monthly gift to help train people in first aid in case they happen to be in a situation where they can help someone who is taken ill? It seemed a little indirect, talking about a potential future problem rather than something that needs addressing right now. The solution was to think about how St John Ambulance could help the viewer. This meant offering the viewer the chance to request a free emergency first aid guide to tell them what to do when an everyday accident, like choking, threatens their child’s life. The creative features a heartwrenching story of a mother whose daughter choked to death because mum didn’t know how to help her. The only problem with this offer was that it was too successful! The first month’s target number of prospects were generated on the very first morning of the campaign.
Finding it hard to see how drtv can work for you?
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| F&P Magazine | October / November 2014
Insight, analysis and inspiration for nonprofit executives and leaders
“Some causes find this indirect, two-stage approach can generate a great return on investment and improved lifetime value compared to a single-stage direct-toregular-giving approach.” Stroke guide success for the Stroke Association
Seeds germinate interest in Friends of the Earth As you may know, the world’s bees are in danger. Populations are plummeting as a result of habitat loss and highly toxic pesticides. But this is quite a complicated story to tell in a short TV appeal, and - let’s be honest – it’s hard to get emotionally involved with a bee! The solution for the charity Friends of the Earth (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), as part of a campaign called The Bee Cause, was offering viewers a free packet of wildflower seeds so they could attract bees to their garden. This germinated almost 28,000 requests for seed packs in the first few weeks of the campaign alone. Of course this lifestyle offer appealed to people who have gardens, and it has been common knowledge since the early days of direct mail list-buying that having a garden means prospects are more likely to be at the right life-stage and disposable income level to be potential donors.
While some major killers, like cancer and heart attacks, are well recognised, few people really understand what a stroke is. Many would not even know that it is the same thing as a brain haemorrhage. It would be an impossible task to educate people about stroke, get them to care, and solicit a regular gift within a short DRTV appeal. So, instead, the appeal simply outlines the nature of the threat, makes it clear it can affect anyone (not just the stereotypical older person), and then offers the viewer a free Stroke: What You Should Know guide to protect themselves.
Derek Humphries and Alex Daniel Derek Humphries (left) is creative director at DTV Group, helping create television appeals for good causes in around 30 countries. Alex Daniel (right) is the Asia-Pacific managing director for DTV Group.
Then drop a line to plain talking, fluent in fundraising DTV. Email info@dtvgroup.asia to speak with Alex, Kerri, Angeline, Derek or Peter. Or find out more at www.dtvgroup.asia
Insight, analysis and inspiration for nonprofit executives and leaders
F&P Magazine | October / November 2014 |
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