Today I received emails from class representatives from both my high school and graduate school asking me to give as part of an annual campaign.
Both asks were identical: our participation rates are low, please give so we can increase that number (one of them said that if we got to 40% our class could get a free dinner…we were at 13% and have a few days to go. Good luck with that).
It’s such a dismal approach that I can’t dignify it by calling it fundraising. It feels like a bill collector aiming for the lowest level of shame (“give us something”) in the hopes that if you pester people enough with a safe, familiar approach you’ll create enough miniscule annuity streams that it will somehow pay off in the end (it doesn’t – the math doesn’t work).
It would take so little to tell one – just one – very short story:
Dear Sasha,
I know how busy you are and how many emails you receive. I also know how important [school] was to you, and I wanted to tell you one story that caught my attention last year, and I hope that reading this will encourage you to give as part of our annual campaign [LINK].
When we were students, only 15% of our class received scholarships. Now that number has jumped to 65%. Just last year, [name] who was on a full scholarship to [school] was accepted to a [great school], also on a full scholarship. She is aiming to be an engineer and is already part of an incredible research lab working on bioinformatics. [Name] was always a leader in the [school] community, and while we aren’t surprised at her success couldn’t be prouder – and it’s a success we can all share in.
We’re hoping you will join your classmates and give this year to support this kind of success. We all share the sense that the education we received was the foundation of so much we’ve accomplished in our lives. Let’s do what we can to share that success with others. Even just $10 to show your participation would mean a lot.
[nice big button – click to give]
– Class representative
This letter I’ve written isn’t even that good, but it’s a start. It shows respect to the recipient. It takes a stab at creating an emotional connection and allows the alumnus to ascribe meaning to the action you’re asking him to take. It reinforces the connection he already feels to the institution.
“That’s the way we’ve always done it” is no excuse for doing something without an ounce of heart, soul, or courage. Give all of us the respect of showing us why you’re asking, and (if you dare) take the added step of helping us understand that we already are part of something that was hugely important in our lives.
You’re contacting people anyway. Why not try to make it good? Lord knows it couldn’t be any worse.
