# Charity fundraising and marketing truths (or not)

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/11/08/charity-fundraising-and-marketing-truths-or-not/
- Published: 2011-11-08T18:01:42+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

I was reading the tweets from the very useful @marketingdonut team and was pleased
to see them share  renowned marketing expert [Drayton Bird](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drayton_Bird)’
s “[35 things I have found to be almost always true](http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/blog/2010/05/35-things-i-have-found-to-be-almost-always-true?)”.
I was pleased to see it again as I didn’t get the chance to add to the list from
a not-for-profit perspective… something I aim to put right below for the most impactful
of Mr Bird’s points:

 1.  a.  Relevance matters more than originality – 100% agree but originality tends to
         get more cut-through than cliché
     b.  The most important element in any creative endeavour is the brief – ie; the robust
         thinking that went into it and how the organisation can articulate that to an
         outsider
     c.  The urgent takes precedence over the important – but a mixture of both is likely
         to be the right thing to do (if your plans are robust, that is)
     d.  The customer you want is like the customer you’ve got – so true… but as well 
         as the new types of donor, volunteer or supporter, not instead of!
     e.  The internet is just accelerated direct marketing – I think it’s more than DM
         these days.  Perhaps it’s just a hugely powerful means to achieving a whole raft
         of objectives (including traditional direct marketing)?
     f.  Emotion matters more than logic – it’s a fine balance but we do know that the
         two working in tandem are hugely powerful and nearly always more successful in
         the long run
     g.  The simple letter or email gives the best [ROI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rate_of_return)–
         happy to be proved wrong but I tend to agree… this doesn’t mean short or dumbed-
         down by the way
     h.  [Segmentation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_segmentation) is almost invariably
         worth it – anyone else tired of being sent freebie address labels or receiving
         phone calls well into the evening when these aren’t our preferences?
     i.  It pays to say thank you – don’t think any charity could disagree
     j.  Marketers are suckers for magic bullets – not just marketers; senior managers
         could be added to this!  There is no magic bullet, Foundations do not have lots
         of big cheques to write and corporate are not bottomless money pits

![Board teacher](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/u27871/complex%20marketing2.
jpg)

 * Marketing experts complicate things needlessly – agreed!  Marketing is a set 
   of tools to be used to reach your objectives, not an end in itself.  That said,
   it does require some thinking and expertise to get the best value out of it! 
   Just not a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.
 * Few marketers use enough testimonials – charity much better than the commercial
   world at this.  It’s all about the outcomes and less about the process so testimonials
   are rightly used – but it has to be the right testimonial.  It needs to tell **
   the** story most relevant to the audience, not just a good story
 * Almost all meetings waste time – oh dear, I wish this weren’t as true as I fear
   it is
 * Flattery and greed are the two biggest draws – I think the charity world needs
   to add guilt and empathy ie; heartstrings  (whether we like it or not, they are
   hugely powerful emotional triggers)
 * Sincerity always pays – something charity communications have been on top of 
   for a while.  But we do need to take note of audiences’ cultural differences 
   as sincerity is not the same thing to every group.
 * Few messages ask forcefully enough for action – fundraising messages generally
   do but not so many brand or awareness campaigns follow suit.  Every message should
   incorporate an ‘ask’ for an action
 * The more you communicate, the better you do – which is why [charity marketing and communications](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/12/12/charity-marketing-strategy-lottery-raffle/)
   should be coordinated, consistent and frequent; regardless of which team or department
   is responsible
 * Research rarely predicts results accurately – this means charities need to stop
   running scared of calculated risk!

 

The full 35 can be found over on the [Market Donut blog](http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/blog/2010/05/35-things-i-have-found-to-be-almost-always-true?).
What do you think?

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