Retention Song – the fundraiser’s anthem
Howard Lake | 20 November 2012 | Blogs
I heard Gangnam Style just a few too many times in sessions at this year’s International Fundraising Congress. However, next year’s event, and other fundraising conferences, could be dominated by a Bob Marley song, focusing on the importance of donor retention.
Of course, Marley’s appreciation of donor attrition rates has not been noted before, but Reinier Spruit, co-founder of 101fundraising, the fundraising crowdblog, hasn’t let that get in the way of a good idea.
He has rewritten the lyrics to Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ to make it ‘Retention Song’, and he is encouraging fundraisers and fundraising teams to perform it and video their performance.
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SEE ALSO: Fundraising Tune of the Day for fundraisers under lockdown (14 April 2020)
This new anthem for fundraisers (did we ever have an anthem before?) includes lyrics such as:
“Oh man they stay with us for gentle reasons;
None but ourselves are there to blame.
Shed a tear for inactive supporters,
‘Cause none of you can stop them leave.”
and the refrain:
‘Cause all we ever have:
Retention songs;
Retention songs”.
Here is a reminder of the original, but visit 101fundraising for the reworked lyrics.
So, lively up yourself, stir it up, and make that video. Who knows, this could be the party piece of fundraising conferences around the world in 2013.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.