Building a Fabulous Case for Support Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation June 2017 Tom Ahern 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 1
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Why us? 1 What are we doing that s so uniquely wonderful that the world should want more of it and support our plans? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 3
So, what do you folks do? We re a little, mission-driven place that wants to be recognized for providing the best care for the poorest people. Susan Kelly, president Charles Drew U. of Medicine and Science, 2008 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 4
So, what do you folks do? 2017 Tom AHERN 5
So, what do you folks do? 2017 Tom AHERN 6
1 and Why us? What are we doing that s so uniquely wonderful that the world should want more of it support our new plans? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 7
2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com Writer: Maggie Cohn, designer: Andrea Hopkins 8
Dramatize your solution using before/after stories 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 9
2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com Writer: Maggie Cohn, designer: Andrea Hopkins 10
[BEFORE] Fixing a single gene gave bubble boy back the immune system he d lacked at birth, [AFTER] allowing him within a year to function normally in a dirty world. 2017 Tom AHERN 11
Little stories are easy to remember... When she entered our 3rd grade, she couldn t spell cat. At the end of the year, she could spell Tchaikovsky. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 12
Insiders suffer from the curse of knowledge. Grant language is different than normalpeople language. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 13
JARGON KILLS 18 bits of jargon to eschew 1. Capacity 2. Empower 3. Enhance 4. Indigenous 5. Partnership 6. Development 7. Systemic 8. Community 9. Innovation 10. Superlative 11. Outcomes 12. Support 13. Sustainable 14. Resources 15. Dignity 16. Facilitate 17. Diversity 18. Fostering Source: Katya Andresen, Nonprofit Marketing Blog, Network for Good 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 14
JARGON KILLS 18 bits of jargon to eschew 1. Capacity 2. Empower 3. Enhance 4. Indigenous 5. Partnership 6. Development 7. Systemic 8. Community 9. empathy! Innovation So what? Jargon prevents 10. Superlative 11. Outcomes 12. Support 13. Sustainable 14. Resources 15. Dignity 16. Facilitate 17. Diversity 18. Fostering Food-insecure? At-risk kid? Insider, abstract, DOA language... Source: Katya Andresen, Nonprofit Marketing Blog, Network for Good 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 15
You re trying to grow new eyes. Not easy. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 16
How committees write... University Medicine is leading the biomedical revolution by defining and developing the next generation of care that is proactive, predictive, and precise. We will achieve the best health outcomes for every individual by bridging the gap between basic and clinical research and by transforming patient care through new and compassionate delivery models. University is one of the only places in the world where this vision of Ultimate Health can be attained, and paramount to this vision are investments in new scientific paradigms and in the emerging leaders who will pioneer these changes in medicine and health. This campaign will catalyze the resources of University to solve major issues in children s health. And when healthy children become healthy adults, our community is stronger and healthier. Grade level: 12 (nothing higher) / Reading ease: 32 out of 100 Optimal grade level: 9 or lower / Reading ease: 55 or higher Case for Support 1249-2016 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 17
How committees write... University Medicine is leading the biomedical revolution by jargon and jargon the next generation of care that is jargon, jargon, and jargon. We will achieve the best health jargon for every individual by jargon between jargon and jargon research and by jargon patient care through new and compassionate jargon. University is one of the only places in the world where this vision of jargon can be attained, and pompous to this vision are pompous in new scientific jargon and in the emerging leaders who will pioneer these changes in medicine and health. This campaign will jargon of University to solve major issues in children s health. And when healthy children become healthy adults, our community is stronger and healthier. Grade level: 12 (nothing higher) / Reading ease: 32 out of 100 Optimal grade level: 9 or lower / Reading ease: 55 or higher Case for Support 1249-2016 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 18
All fundraising copy should sound like someone talking. -- George Smith, Tiny Essentials of Writing for Fundraising 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 19
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Ugly works. Tacky works. Corny, embarrassing, and messy all work. In print, or in digital. Source: Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, 2014 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 21
50,000 words of supporting info became 2,500 word case document became weeks of heated debate became Academic excellence? I m for that! 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 22
Is 22 pages enough? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 23
If you can t explain it in 50 words, you won t explain it in 500 either. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 24
30 words 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 25
Two words 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 26
Clean water 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 27
Patient satisfaction 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 28
End AIDS 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 29
Will you help it fly? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 30
STATS vs. STORIES 2017 Tom Ahern 31
Statistics: human beings with the tears dried off... Source: Dr. Paul Slovic, April 2007 2017 Tom Ahern 32
Source: Dan Ariely, Duke U., 2010 2017 Tom Ahern 33
YOU try it. TWO words. U have a minute. 2017 Tom AHERN 34
2 Why now? What s the big hurry? What changed? Why is this URGENT? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 35
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2 Why now? What s the big hurry? What changed? Why is this URGENT? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 39
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$50 million raised 2017 Tom AHERN 41
Client: PPSNE, designer: Andrea Hopkins 2017 Tom AHERN 42
You re at A. What s your B? 2017 Tom AHERN 43
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A campaign case talks about the vision, the destination, where you want to go next and soon. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 45
Make it bigger. 2017 Tom AHERN 46
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B 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 48
Can Community Colleges Save the Economy? Time magazine, 2009 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 49
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39% of community college students graduate on average, eventually At Bow Valley College, the graduation rate is 77% or better 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 51
Impact 2017 Tom AHERN 52
B This campaign is reaching goal way ahead of expectations 2017 Tom AHERN 53
B 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 54
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My dream is that 50 years from now, the childhood diseases that cause so much anguish will have disappeared. B LUCILE SALTER PACKARD, the hospital s founding benefactor
Designer: Andrea Hopkins, The Case Writers 2017 Tom AHERN 57
What s your B? One minute. 2017 Tom AHERN 58
3 Why you, the donor, might care? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 59
Success comes backwards 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 60
3 Why you, the donor, might care? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 61
How most nonprofits talk Donor-NEGLIGENT: We did this. We did that. We were amazing. Oh, by the way, thanks. 2017 Tom AHERN 62
This way raises more money faster Donor-CENTRIC: With your help, all these amazing things happened. And without your help, they won t. 2017 Tom AHERN 63
Mom was wrong. Research shows that even when people perceive that flattery is insincere, that flattery can still leave a lasting and positive impression of the flatterer. 2017 Tom AHERN 64
Our doors opened in 1991. By 2016, thanks to donors like you, Packard Children s ranked among America s Top 10 children s hospitals.
Corporate communications are about how great the organization is. Favorite pronoun: we 2017 Tom AHERN 66
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Donor communications are about how great the donor is. Favorite pronoun: you 2017 Tom AHERN 68
Thanks to you and other generous donors like you, we turned... 2017 Tom AHERN 69
The story s about the donor...every time someone donates to a good cause, they're buying a story, a story that's worth more than the amount they donated. It might be the story of doing the right thing, or fitting in, or pleasing a friend or honoring a memory, but the story has value. For many, it's the story of what it means to be part of a community. Source: Seth Godin 1066-2017 Tom Ahern 70
Give me a story to tell I save a polar bear every month! I sent thousands of dollars worth of medicine to sick people! I m a decent person. I m following the Scriptures. 1066-2017 Tom Ahern Source: Jeff Brooks and Mark Phillips 71
Make your donor the real hero of the story And shift the burden for achieving success to their shoulders 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 72
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the key motivator for giving is not need, but opportunity. A.k.a., offer and proposition. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 74
The Golden Mantra of marketing The right offer in front of the right person at the right time... 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 75
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ASK me to listen... 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 77
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SHOW me the worthy goal... 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 79
GIVE me a big job! 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 80
Tom Ahern is one of the country s most sought-after creators of fundraising messages. The New York Times, Nov. 2016 30K+ new donors 2017 Tom Ahern 81
Flesch-Kincaid: 5 th grade level Flesch reading ease: 82 < Why YOU? < Why NOW? < Why US? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 82
The following letter was written by a volunteer with zero experience. It raised $55,926 for a small-town library. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 83
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1 and Why us? What are we doing that s so uniquely wonderful that the world should want more of it support our new plans? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 85
Why us? Why us? Why us? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 86
Why us? Why us? Why us? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 87
2 Why now? What s the big hurry? What changed? Why is this URGENT? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 88
Why now? Why now? Why now? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 89
Why now? Why now? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 90
3 Why you, the donor, might care? 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 91
Why donor cares? I m needed. Why donor cares? I m needed. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 92
Why donor cares? I m needed. Why donor cares? I m needed. Why donor cares? It s mine. Why donor cares? I can honor someone. Greed. 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 93
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You re in my home, brain and face: Why are you here? Bad guest or good? 2017 Tom Ahern 95
To make ME Proud of myself! feel good!!! Pleased! Wanted! Happy! Surprised! Important! Needed! Entertained! 2017 Tom Ahern 96
My free I subscribe! how-to e-newsletter www.aherncomm.com 2017 Tom Ahern www.aherncomm.com 97