A Nonprofit Arts Leader's Christmas Carol

To the tune of “Here We Go A-Wassailing,” to kick off your nonprofit holiday?season

Here we go soliciting

To everyone we?see!

Give a hundred thousand,

You’ll get a tote bag?free!

Give and?give

Unto us;

Give again

Before Christmas!

Be a donor and when you?do,

We’ll ask you once?again.

Every day, we’ll just ask you once?again.

Now it is December?and

It’s time to ask once?more!

Here’s an urgent?email

With words you’ve seen?before:

Give and?give

Give again,

To our?year-end

Big campaign,

If you don’t?give,

We’ll close our?doors,

And it will be your?fault.

Out of business and it’s just all your?fault.

Every day until year’s?end,

We text you every?hour!

Just reply with YES?and

They won’t shut off the?power.

Give and?give,

Give today,

Give tomorrow,

Come what?may!

We solicit until we?drop,

Even though it?fails.

Every year, all this über-nagging fails.

Welcome to the holiday over-solicitation season!

Now stop singing, get back on the phone, and start dialing for?dollars!

I’m going to take some time off for the holidays because I get to do that. Don't worry, I'll be back on January 6, 2023. In the meantime, please don’t over-solicit your donors; it’s the number one reason they give for not donating a second time. I don't know if you've noticed, they've already unsubscribed to your newsletter. Just do the work, follow up with information, and enjoy a relationship with a person instead of begging for money from an ATM.

Oh, and happy new year!

As always, if you need me (or just want to say “hi”), just email me at [email protected]. No, really. Go ahead. It'll be fun.

BIG NEWS: my new book, “Scene Change: Why Today's Nonprofit Arts Organization Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact” will be published in fall 2023 by Changemakers Books. Stay tuned for information on how you can buy a?copy.