# Improve or reinvent to overcome donor fatigue?

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2005/11/22/improve-or-reinvent-overcome-donor-fatigue/
- Published: 2005-11-22T00:00:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

In the second in a series of columns for UK Fundraising, Leo Rayman of Zalpha, looks
at two responses to combating donor fatigure.

In my previous column I suggested that charities concerned with apparent donor 
fatigue faced two possible courses of action – improvement or reinvention.

Improvement means sticking to the knitting – overhauling your current strategy to
ensure that you are maximising the use of media channels, creative execution, processes
and products.

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Reinvention is perhaps slightly more daunting. It involves going back to the drawing
board, overhauling your brand and the way you present your cause, how you connect
with donors, and what support means to you.

Before I go into detail about how to approach each broad course of action, you first
need to know when it’s time to pursue which course? Common sense might suggest that
smaller charities trying to grow should focus on improvement, whilst larger charities
should look towards reinvention, but this is not the case. Even the UK’s largest
charities have found that something as simple as a change in creative tone can open
up a floodgate of donations.

Broadly speaking, whilst you are still seeing growth as you test new messages, channels,
processes or products, it’s clear that you haven’t yet reached a point of saturation
and there’s still room for improvement. In contrast, when you find that you are 
putting more money into the same way of doing things and yet your overall efficiencies
are falling, it’s time to go back to the drawing boardroom and start the process
of reinvention.

An example of reinvention in process is WWF, which started as a charity that aimed
to protect endangered species. In recent times it has widened this remit to include
environmental issues to bring in new supporters. The new, broader remit represents
a smooth transition rather than a messy or complex relaunch as it is clear that 
without a sustainable environment, no species would survive.

As charities tend to be relatively conservative in response to change, reinvention
is certainly daunting. But remember, someone had to run the first regular giving
programme, someone had to make the first DRTV appeal, and once upon a time there
was no such thing as a charity fun run.

In reality, however, it is never a case where you have to choose one route exclusive
to the other. At any one time, charities should be focusing seventy per cent on 
improvement and thirty per cent on testing new ground.

But let the improvements commence. In the next column I will focus in detail on 
making the most of media channels.
**Leo Rayman is planning partner at marketing
communications consultancy Zalpha.**

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