# The new A-Z of creative fundraising: a semi-rant in three parts

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/03/12/new-az-creative-fundraising-semirant-three-parts/
- Published: 2009-03-12T09:10:06+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

 

I admit, I promised to send you reports from Borneo. But I’m not quite there yet.
So as those lovely people at Singapore Airlines ply me with unsolicited snacks, 
I’m taking this opportunity for a bit of a mental detox. If it’s a bit ranty I blame
lack of oxygen up here… This is all prompted by a recent conversation with someone
who asked me what I thought was the best book on creative fundraising. It took me
a mere nano-second to name George Smith’s Asking Properly. And then I struggled.
Loads of good fundraising books out there, but not much that’s strong on creativity.
So, with a desperate lack of humility, I offer some thoughts that might help. And
I hope they can help no matter what form of not-for-profit communications your are
in.

 

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**A is for archaeology:** good creativity is more archaeology than alchemy. As anyone
who has been confronted with a lorry-load of briefing material will know, you sometimes
have to wade through heaps of crap to find the nugget of inspiration that will make
a donor’s heart beat faster. And you also need to dig deep within yourself. Put 
yourself in difficult situations. Ask tough questions. Don’t accept that your first
creative idea is good enough.

 

 

**B is for Brand-literate Direct Marketing:** Aren’tcha just sick of those arguments
between fundraisers and the brand police?! I write as someone who has crafted many
a brand model in my time. I believe most causes fail to understand fully their own
brand, and so never reap the benefits of a well-defined, deeply-rooted brand. But
let’s stop this superficial nonsense about direct marketing and brand marketing 
being different things. Isn’t brand-literate direct marketing what you need (call
it brand-literate communications if you prefer). Understand your cause in depth,
wear your values on your sleeve, then make them live and breathe through all of 
your communications (fundraising and campaigning). Be true to yourself and truly
distinctive and you’ll stand out in the crowd while winning hearts and minds.

 

 

**C is for constructive challenge:** invite it (I hope you’ll send me some comments
on where you agree and disagree with me on this stuff). Listen to it. And give it
in spadefulls. To people’s faces. Politely.

 

 

**D is for Donor Abuse:** donors get abused in so many ways. And some of the worst
abuse is in the form of communication so dull and formulaic it ought to be illegal.
When I ran an agency I used to fear the death of direct mail, yet now I regard its
decline as a cause for celebration. Reject donor abuse. Identify where you can truly
delight your donors. Starting simply, how can you put a smile on their face (don’t
so many life-long friendships start with a smile?).

 

 

**E is for Everywhere:** creativity can come from anywhere in your organization.
So develop bureaucracy-lite systems to enable people from all parts of your organization(
and outside of it) to chip in. NB ‘creativity can come from anywhere’ is not the
same as ‘everyone is creative’. The latter statement is a myth rooted in political
correctness. Some people are not creative and never will be. But this doesn’t make
them bad people. Indeed, their non-creative skills can be a vital part of the teamwork
required to turn creativity into true innovation.

 

 

**F is for Facemail:** I almost sent an email to someone sitting three desks away
from me at a client’s office the other day. Shame on me. I walked a few steps instead
and had a very useful conversation. James Brown had it spot on: ‘Get up now, get
on up!’ (although I should clarify that I was in no way feeling like a sex machine.)

 

 

**G is for Guruphobia:** some elder statesmen of our world have had the word guru
thrust upon them. Some shuffle awkwardly; others enjoy it. Fair enough. Yet somehow,
I find that rather different to when blokes who run agencies and speak at conferences
actively encourage others to view them as gurus. That’s shameless. And a bit sad.
And it’s always blokes. So I recommend we all become guruphobics. If you must have
a guru, become your own. In today’s volatile, scary and exhilarating world, the 
fundraisers worthy of gurudom haven’t time to court public adulation; they are just
too busy getting on with connecting donors to their cause in exciting new ways. (
I do feel better for getting that off my chest).

 

 

**H is for Honour:** I’d wager we are pretty much the luckiest people who have ever
lived. Despite the historical blip of the current credit crunch we remain ridiculously
affluent compared to the vast majority of people who ever trod this Earth. What’s
more, we have the privilege of being paid to do something that often has me leaping
out of bed in the morning. People we have often never met, donors, entrust us with
their money, their hopes, their dreams, their heartfelt values. Honour hardly does
it justice.

 

 

 

 … ok, I’m off to the galley for another packet of wine gums. I’ve got no idea what
I-Z will be. If you have suggestions, let me know and I’ll be sure to credit you
if they are used.

 

 

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

**Include Creative Commons licensing…???**