What is better?
So, direct mail gets File 13'd on receipt.
Phone calls are a nuisance.
There goes the two main tools of communication from ACU to alumni.
The Howard Dean campaign made a huge splash in fundraising and networking prior to Dean's self-immolation in Iowa, but the precedent was set. The Meet-Ups arranged through the Internet were as valuable as the donations to the Dean campaign, and also valuable to the people who showed up to network.
Unfortunately, getting to 80,000 alums through the Internet is going to be much trickier shot than appealing to Dean's target list, the 35% of the American populace that register as Democrats. By comparison, ACU alums are a few needles in a large haystack. We're kind of thin on the ground in places as well, so the business networking potential is less compared to the number of self-identified Democrats.
Our lives are so busy and complex that if ACU wants to be involved in more of our lives, it's going to have to find a way to sync with what we're already doing. For most of us, that's going to be through our kids. For the rest of us, well, everybody has to eat.
What can ACU offer to get people to participate, either in "fun-raiser" events or fundraiser events?
Phone calls are a nuisance.
There goes the two main tools of communication from ACU to alumni.
The Howard Dean campaign made a huge splash in fundraising and networking prior to Dean's self-immolation in Iowa, but the precedent was set. The Meet-Ups arranged through the Internet were as valuable as the donations to the Dean campaign, and also valuable to the people who showed up to network.
Unfortunately, getting to 80,000 alums through the Internet is going to be much trickier shot than appealing to Dean's target list, the 35% of the American populace that register as Democrats. By comparison, ACU alums are a few needles in a large haystack. We're kind of thin on the ground in places as well, so the business networking potential is less compared to the number of self-identified Democrats.
Our lives are so busy and complex that if ACU wants to be involved in more of our lives, it's going to have to find a way to sync with what we're already doing. For most of us, that's going to be through our kids. For the rest of us, well, everybody has to eat.
What can ACU offer to get people to participate, either in "fun-raiser" events or fundraiser events?
posted by Darren Duvall at 4:08 PM
5 Comments:
Excerpt from an article -
Generation mY: Not Seeing Your Xer Garden Grow?
By: Chase Moore, 06/27/03
"This generation as a whole can't see the need in making an annual fund gift while they are paying back a student loan, buying a house, or starting a family. Most development officers have picked up on this to some degree and have written Xers off- because hey, the development officer will probably be on to several more posts before it is a real issue for them. Wrong! Case in point using college and university trends: most schools are graduating larger classes of students, so if the institution hasn't already realized it- the young alumni crowd is quickly becoming the largest segment of the alumni body and alumni non-participation in giving is eating away at those participation rates we all like to tout so much.
Who is benefiting from the post-educational disenfranchisement of the Xers? Potentially the rest of the non-profit world. They are beginning to reach out to the Xers in meaningful ways- usually through the web. The web and more specifically email is our preferred avenue for communication. I receive any number of eVites or eNewsletters each month promoting a variety of organizational gatherings and causes. The email or eNewsletter provides me with a feeling of connectedness to the organization when I can't be there in person. (Hint: this is engagement, passive though it may be.)
As stated above in the demographic sketch, we Xers value control. I set the expectation in the beginning that I would give you some insight into our personal philanthropic motivators (kinda gives you chills, doesn't it?) Annual Fund drives are out for the most part. We demand ROI (return on investment). We want to see the immediate results or impacts of our gifts. We like to live our lives at a fast pace and we are used to putting out lots of fires. That's why we are more prone to give during times of crisis or immediate need, rather than to an annual fund that would appear to be a "perpetual" need and for some represents an inefficient use or mismanagement of current funds. We may not have a lot to give individually but combine our numbers and you have a generation with a great deal of disposable income. I predict that savvy development officers will begin to resurrect the idea of giving circles focused on specific short-term issues and goals.
Help us succeed in making gifts that impact the things we care about, show us in a tangible way what impact we had and you will own our loyalty and continued support."
I agree with the comment on fundraising efforts seem to be a "perpetual" need and just what is the money going to be used for anyway.
One idea is to use the diverse talents available to create something that any age, including our own, would be willing to purchase and redirect all proceeds to an ACU scholarship fund.
From the looks of the ACU-EX blogger list on the main page a music/praise/devotion CD wouldn't be too much of a stretch.
Thanks for the excerpt and post, Keith, that's exactly the situation as I see it.
Specific causes are more likely to draw participation.
And, tangible rewards (like the NPR coffee mug) seem to work as well. The praise/worship CD would be a great idea.
Perhaps we need to tell ACU Development HOW we want to contribute, rather than picking from a menu.
I have always wished that the federal government would post a list of its needs on the Internet, and we could direct our income taxes to specific things in the government we wanted. That way, I could know that I paid for a couple of hundred child vaccinations, a JDAM kit and healthcare insurance for a military family, or whatever.
We should, I suppose, give our sacrifices like they did in the Old Testament -- put it on the altar, burn it up and what happens with it is God's business. I think we'd get more participation if the cause was specific and we could achieve "victory" in a given year.
How about an ebay and paypal account that a graduation year, like '90, could share...post items to sell (shipping paid by seller)....and all auction earnings in the paypal account could be redirected to a specific fund. A little positive PR and this could be a good thing for our generational perception.
Maybe create a little competition between graduation years.
K...I'm done gotta work.
I've liked it when ACU came to me. Like the luncheon thing at River Oaks Country Club in Houston a couple of years ago. It was nice to see old friends and find out about what's going on at ACU without having to wait for Homecoming to come around.
I'm class of '93, btw.
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