This is a very personal view, but I hate mobile phone adverts. The current campaigns for Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone are quite similar; they all feature smug 20-something groups of friends getting together doing kooky things set to a folk music soundtrack. All of these elements are pretty annoying but for me, the worst thing is that they are trying to make out that mobiles are something they are not. They are dressing up what is essentially a piece of equipment used to call people and send texts as some sort of hippy lifestyle choice – when in actual fact, the product couldn’t be further from this. Of course this is nothing new, advertising has been doing this for years, but sometimes pretending your product is something it is not, can really wind people up.

At Whitewater, we’ve recently being carrying out various different focus groups for our clients. These have given us the chance to ask real people what they think about different marketing messages. One of the key things that kept on coming out was ‘be straight with me’. People don’t like to be conned. They don’t want their charity to ‘bullshit’ them. Instead they want to be given the facts so that they can come to a reasoned decision themselves. This doesn’t mean that we need to take the emotion or craft out of our communications, after all we do still need to be engaging. But it does mean anything that can be perceived as trying to trick or just not telling it like it is, will often be rejected by the public. In fact, we’ve found that our best campaigns are the ones that are direct, upfront and honest, like our September warm campaign for the MS Society to raise funds for an MRI Scanner, which Andrew blogged on in January.

It would be great to hear your feelings on the matter. Should we, as individuals, be treated like the marketing savvy, intelligent people we are? Are charities getting it right, or wrong in comparison to big commercial brands? Let us know your thoughts…

Alex Wordsworth

Posted by Whitewater Team at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last week, someone came to the door of my house. (Approximately 8pm, London, W12.)

Anna and I were having dinner. Chicken soup. Watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. The one with John MacEnroe. And the doorbell rings.

It's a charity guy asking for money.

My friends usually call before they come over.

Is turning up on people's doorsteps, uninvited, to ask for money a good or bad idea for a charity?
From a personal point of view, I find it immensely irritating. Discuss.

Brad Bell

Posted by Whitewater Team at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I would like to think that we all care for our fellow man in this world, but sadly, this is not true.

Charities rely on the support of kindhearted people, who want to make the world a better place. There are so many deserving causes, but not enough donors to ensure that no one has to go hungry, sleep rough, be denied basic services or be abused.

I’m reminded of an ongoing conversation I have with a friend, where he firmly believes that ‘charities waste money on people like me’ and ‘I will never give to charity as the money never goes to the people who actually need it’.

I have done my best to convince him otherwise: 1) you have to speculate to accumulate, and charities make far more money than they spend – without fundraising they would not be able to help as many people as they do; 2) charities do not spend lots of money on administration (normally under 10p per pound), and many are transparent with regards to how the money is used; 3) without charities to help those in need, there would be even more problems in the world.

Until we can convince people like my friend to care about someone other than themselves, and get them to start trusting charities to spend donations wisely, then charities will have to rely on that small minority of society, who care enough to part with their hard earned cash.

Charities have a part to play in this – more transparency, disclosure of how and where money is spent, honesty about their running costs and how much money they actually spend helping people. Any negative stories regarding a charity, and how they spend/misspend donations impacts the sector as a whole.

Things are only going to get harder in the future, with so many charities in the marketplace, there is increased competition to recruit and retain your supporters.

I therefore send out thanks, to all of those who support a charity – if only there were more people like you.

Fatima Talidi

Posted by Whitewater Team at 03:47 PM | Permalink

I have only been with Whitewater for a short time, but I have already been fortunate enough to work on a new and exciting project with one of our clients, the Brooke, a charity which helps working horses and donkeys in the world’s poorest countries.

Whitewater has helped Brooke launch a new initiative in the way of a cold mail sponsorship pack, where potential supporters will be given the opportunity to become a Founder Sponsor of a mobile vet team, situated in Baghpat India.

We see this as an innovative way of giving, as supporters will not only be giving to a charity, but will also be contributing towards a specific project which has a far more engaging and tangible feel to it. Once someone becomes a Founder Sponsor, they will be sent a fulfilment pack containing a thank you letter, information on the Baghpat team, a set of postcards and a certificate congratulating them on becoming a sponsor of their own mobile team.

Supporters will receive regular updates as well as new information about the project from Brooke, and there will also be a special section of the Brooke’s website just for sponsors. This will enable them to watch videos of the Baghpat team in action and read updates written by the team members. These extras are a way of involving and rewarding supporters for helping in such a worthwhile cause

The benefits of this feedback and involvement are that through regular interaction, supporters will grow with the programme and get the satisfaction of contributing to something specific and measurable It has been proven time and time again that supporters far prefer giving to an earmarked cause than to a generic pool of funds, and this is very evident in the success of the MS society’s recent September mailing campaign which was earmarked to raise money for a new MRI scanner.

The whole aim of Brooke’s new Febraury, cold pack is to focus on supporting a long term infrastructure, which has the ability to prosper through continuous and increasing support. Sponsoring a mobile team not only helps horses and donkeys in distress, but also concentrates on training their owners, from which both communities and animals will benefit.

Animals never complain about their suffering, they just wait patiently for something better to come along. So here’s to a different way of supporting a cause that means something to you where you see first hand how your contribution is making a huge difference.

Michael-John Van Vuuren

Posted by Whitewater Team at 12:37 PM | Permalink

Probably not. January 2008 saw consumer confidence dropping to its lowest level ever, according to Nationwide economists. It’s understandable, we’re all feeling a little shaken by the credit crunch, slowing housing market, rising bills and looming recession in the US. Downer.

So how will all this affect fundraising? Time will tell of course, but I think we’d do well to remember how our prospects and supporters are feeling about their finances when we construct our asks. And that’s particularly true when asking people to tie themselves into the financial commitment of a regular gift.

In these uncertain times, choice, flexibility, targeting and reassurance might be more important than ever.

Choice – so people can give at a level they’re comfortable with and have the option of giving a cash gift if they don’t feel able to commit at the moment.

Flexibility – let’s construct offers that allow people to be flexible in their support, to give when they want, to take payment holidays if they need them.

Targeting – so we don’t overstretch supporters with a low income by asking for more than they can afford. This will increase their likelihood to attrite, particularly when confidence is low.

Reassurance – let’s deal with their concerns about financial commitment right up front and offer them reassurance that they will have complete control over their gift to you.

The worst thing we can do is bury our heads in the sand and hope that all these threats to disposable income will go away and we can just carry on as we were. But if we adapt ourselves to suit the climate and our supporters' hopes and fears, I’m confident we can weather the storm.

Mark Cook

Posted by Whitewater Team at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This report garnered from a conference report in FundRaising Success magazine shows that our US cousins can think laterally about relationship fundraising!

In a session at the DMA Nonprofit Federation’s 2008 Washington Nonprofit Conference, ASPCA’s Steve Froehlich managed to get the audience going with a little risqué banter.

In the session titled, “Repeat After Me… I Will Give Again: Cementing Relationships that Garner a Second Gift,” that Steve co-presented with Margaret Carter from American Red Cross and Convio’s Brian Hauf, he started off with this provocative question:

“Before I begin, I’d like everyone who has ever had a one-night stand to think about how they felt the morning after.” (A collective sigh of relief when the audience realised he wasn’t asking anyone to raise their hands).

Some possible morning-after emotions:
* Maybe a little excited… but uncertain if it was a one-time thing.
* Confused… maybe a little scared.
* Regret, embarrassment, remorse.
* Used or cast aside.
* Uncertain about the future.

This was quickly followed with, “Now I’d like you to think about the last time a stranger asked you for money and you gave it to them… maybe with a credit card. How did it make you feel a couple of days later?”

No real surprises when Steve listed some possible post-donation emotions:
* Maybe a little excited… but uncertain if it was a one-time thing.
* Confused… maybe a little scared.
* Regret, embarrassment, remorse.
* Used or cast aside.
* Uncertain about the future.

A neat way of making a point that “It’s not a relationship unless it happens a second time.” Here are Steve’s tips for securing that second “time”:

* Say thank you quickly, communicate in the natural tone that reflects your organisation, and enclose a second ask with an envelope.
* Use a monthly donor invitation phone call within the first three or four months after the first gift.
* Suppress the donor’s name from list exchange for the first few months a donor is on the file.
* Try posting online leads in your mail stream and vice versa — an integrated donor is a valuable donor.

Steve didn’t own up to the “how about you?” question.

Kevin Kibble

Posted by Whitewater Team at 11:55 AM | Permalink

If you’re wondering why Whitewater’s Planning department is looking a bit wide-eyed and scratchy-headed at the moment, it might be because we’ve been in something of a research phase recently. We’ve been in places like Manchester, Leeds and Brighton, focus-grouping and talking to donors like mad. They have fascinated us, surprised us, inspired us and, at times, rendered us speechless.

We’re still in the midst of conducting all kinds of research - on behalf of the NSPCC, Brooke, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Christie’s, Mental Health Foundation and Fauna and Flora International. We’ve been testing strategic directions, brand positioning, alternative fundraising propositions and regular giving products. We’ve been understanding attitudes, motivations and prejudices. We’ve identified some significant barriers to giving and some very exciting fundraising opportunities.

Of course, some research topics are more challenging than others. The NSPCC’s legacy project saw me encouraging a roomful of women in their eighties to talk to me about death and money. Nervous? I was trying to remember everything I learned during my First Aid course! I needn’t have worried. One of the ladies was quite deaf, and another a little bit feisty, but they were all absolutely charming. Terry Wogan didn’t come out of the discussion too well though – accepting a fee for Children in Need was ‘scandalous!’ apparently. Poor old Tel.

I’m so pleased our clients are investing in their own primary research, because the depth and quality of insight you get from truly, carefully listening to real people is priceless.

And it’s priceless in more ways than one. As anyone who has ever sat on the darkened, ‘Big Brother’ side of a viewing mirror will know, giggles are practically guaranteed. And the good news is, our new office in Old Street has room for us to equip our own qualitative research facility later this year. So there will be plenty more opportunities for us to delve into the donor psyche – an enlightening but slightly scary place to spend a few hours… even with sandwiches.

Michelle Dennis

Posted by Whitewater Team at 04:47 PM | Permalink