Pandemic Fundraising & Communications

Where to even start with this one... As a nation, as a race we seem to be running out of words to describe the indescribable. But let’s pause for a moment (yes, a luxury right now) to consider, what is that that we want to say to our cherished donors at a time like this? 

In my article about Donor Loyalty during a Pandemic, I mentioned the current flurry of emails being issued to consumers, many administrative in nature, by companies across a myriad of sectors they interact with. As people transverse the spectrum from panic to fear to grim acceptance, what if it were possible to penetrate the ‘COVID 19’ clutter and extend a glimmer of light to our treasured supporters?

I have received emails this week that have moved me close to tears – some of these were conveying administrative or logistical details, but delivered with empathy and emotion with the power to remind me of our shared humanity.

A Glimmer of Light

So you don’t need a reminder from me that life is crazy right now, or that donors are in fact, people too... But something I do think that we often lose sight of in the sector is that not all the population are donors. Our donors are people who have chosen to be charitable givers. More now than ever these are the people that may find themselves uncertain if they will have the means to continue this giving.

And they will feel horrible about it.

We will find ourselves having to issue communications to highlight the ongoing need and live campaigns. We will need to remind them that we are still here and/or pre-empt their direct debit cancellations. But at this early stage in the crisis with everyone’s heads still spinning, the ever-critical balance between the ask and the thank-you is more important than ever. What if instead of layering the guilt onto already over-burdened shoulders, you are the organisation that can offer understanding, empathy and an arm around those shoulders?

Campaigns highlighting cancellation of our campaigns will drum up some much needed support. However, given the breadth of the crisis and donors giving across several causes, a cynic can’t help but notice a certain early mover advantage to such communications. While there will be a necessity for some of these campaigns, it should be assumed that their effectiveness will unfortunately wane over the summer. 

Fundraising campaigns with hard hitting asks will be plentiful in the year ahead. Many of them are relevant right now, particularly campaigns raising vital funds to tackle the current pandemic. But if other organisations can use communications to connect with donors on a more human level, this could be an opportunity to deepen donor relationships. Sure we are always seeking this connection – but how often do we do it in a situation where everyone is experiencing similar personal trials? Right now people are crying out for a glimpse of positivity, or at least a little warmth in the tone of our interactions.

Accentuate the Positive

Dear Friend...

Well, what would you like to say to a ‘Friend’? 

Here's some common and sound advice you may have heard before: there are two kinds of people in your life – drains and radiators. Hence the route to happiness is to get rid of the drains in your life and surround yourself with the radiators. Could this advice be any more relevant than right now, during a period of global crisis? I am no copywriter, but in briefing your creative team or agency, I would currently be an advocate of accentuating the positive when communicating with existing supporters.

Sound cheesy? An alternative route is to remind people that although they think they have it hard, it is way harder for our beneficiaries or service users. Some organisations have approached this sensitively. Others have already taken a pretty tough line on this, with a delivery that makes me question whether they really like their donors at all. There is course an element of truth in this and it will be important to highlight going forward. However, right now, there is an opportunity to deliver our message through a lense of shared humanity and empathy. Acclaimed Italian novelist Francesca Melandri put it well in this week’s article in the Irish Times:

“Some will take refuge in rationalisations which will be so totally lacking in empathy that people will stop listening to them. People whom you had overlooked, instead, will turn out to be reassuring, generous, reliable, pragmatic and clairvoyant”.

Which of these two personifications would you rather your organisation embodied?

But what is there to celebrate right now?

There is a human instinct to search for a life lesson in every crisis, to seek meaning and inspiration in otherwise senseless suffering. There have been early rumblings of the positive outcomes of our current situation, even as we still approach the worst of it. As fundraisers, we can seek to harness the genuine sentiment of these positive messages, in an authentic way that is relevant to our supporters.

We can borrow from the tone of our leaders which, while stark, have focused on encouragement and a sense of togetherness, in sharp contrast with some of our closest neighbours.

We can extend the challenge of traditional hero stereotypes, as we have applauded the hauliers and supermarket workers, without whom we would be unable to care for our families.

We can draw attention to the positive environmental impact and harness this constructively (not smugly) for future campaigns.

We can remind people who have learnt that we can survive when our consumerism is forced to slow. We have experienced deferred gratification and we are learning to make more small sacrifices for the greater good.

We can relate to a return to the true meaning of community and pride in a nation that has proven itself willing to make personal sacrifice to protect the most vulnerable. Sure, we don’t want to leave it too long to remember what this means in the wider sense, but can we step back a little now to appreciate what people have achieved during such a difficult time?

We can share an appreciation of how seemingly small actions can make an enormous difference. Stacking shelves, delivering post, a kind text message... Perhaps we can finally really see how small gestures (or contributions) can make a meaningful difference in peoples’ lives. We can feel a newfound empathy, having glimpsed even a fraction of what others less fortunate have experienced.

True Empathy

Ok it’s true, the silver lining surrounds a great dark storm cloud. But this storm cloud has created brand new experiences – ones whereby many have had to deal with challenges for the first time that were already faced by others every day. As fundraisers, we will need to ask donors for their support as the nation steadies itself. When crafting our asks, we should seek to maintain the nation’s empathy, to guide people back to how they felt in those moments where true empathy struck.

The challenges faced by relatively affluent citizens of a developed stable country in a pandemic may pale in comparison to those living in a slum or a refugee camp. But that doesn’t mean they should be dismissed, particularly not in a fundraising context if they can support more relatable messaging. What if a miniscule glimpse of previously unknown emotions could prise open the door enough for the general population to understand what others endure? The global breadth of such experiences will make this empathy extremely powerful in acquisition campaigns. And for existing donors, more than ever we should be creating emotional ‘switching costs’ through relatable compassion.

How many of us found ourselves in quarantine, rationing a two week supply of groceries to feed our families, delivered to us by an incredible support network that we would have been completely lost without? Do we now have understanding of a fraction of the worry that the most isolated or poverty-stricken people in our society face every day?

How many of us made a stressful and frightening journey from abroad, unsure about whether we could get home to our families? How many families in Ireland were sick with worry about loved ones in countries under lockdown with armed police as borders closed down? Do we now have a vaguest semblance of the plight of refugees and their families?

Who among us for the first time projected or experienced just the tiniest taste of racism and suspicion as citizens of countries further along ‘the curve’ were avoided or berated, despite the possibility they could well have been a long term resident?

How many of us were deeply affected by the isolation and stigma of our illness when we were at our most vulnerable? Has this given an insight into the anguish faced by, for instance, HIV positive or people living with disabilities in countries that lack the understanding or resources to support them?

Who, perhaps for the first time, felt the weight of depression and mental illness take their toll during a time of high anxiety and stress? Can we finally relate to the importance of the support extended to those in need?

How many of us felt the desperation of lack of access to healthcare for ourselves or our loved ones? Who has felt for the first time the pinch of an unavailable GP, of ‘minor’ procedures being postponed, of essential treatment at risk... What if this wasn’t an unusual set of circumstances for your family, but the norm?

In short, if one positive outcome of this crisis is a greater sense of human empathy, what sector is in a better position to celebrate, maintain and benefit from it? By adopting the appropriate tone and timing, charities have the power to relate to people where they are and continue to nurture the nation’s compassion. 

Fundraising in Flux

So much has happened over the past month to disrupt our lives, expectations and also our sense of appreciation and entitlement. Professionally, it raises questions for future fundraising strategy and recovery during a time of recession. As everything continues to be in flux, time will tell how much of this change is irrevocable, and how much of is for the better.

Will the biggest take-out from a pandemic be how we erected borders to secure our own flank, or how meaningless borders can be when so many nations face a shared enemy?  Could what we have witnessed mean a seismic shift in our approach to emergency fundraising in an international context? 

What lessons can we glean from the truly inspiring corporate cooperation and philanthropic giving that we have witnessed this month, and how we can we maintain the relationships and positive ways of working going forward?

Can the fundraisers and accountants agree on the long term value of a regular giving stream in an environment of high attrition? As a sector can we avoid knee-jerk reactions that undercut investment in this area and cripple its recovery?

With much of the sector as yet only dipping our toes into the realm of contactless payments, could current events be the push on areas that we need to rethink and invest smartly?

The gradual migration of traditional community fundraising to online methods will no doubt see an exponential growth curve of its own this year.  With necessity being the mother of invention, this could be a really exciting time for real and lasting innovation in the sector.

Sometimes only a crisis of magnitude can triggers an overdue reassessment of both personal and professional priorities. In times like these, sometimes these two sets of priorities are not all that distant. And when we make it through the chaos to the other side, let’s not lose momentum on some positive changes that have the potential to emerge from this impossibly difficult situation.