postmodern marketing

In our postmodern culture, nothing goes unexamined.

We are fish who notice water. We break apart the everyday and the conventional, and feel all the smarter for it. We deconstruct humor with a stern face, but we also laugh in the face of social norms. Case in point: someecards.

Here are a few apt cards that reveal truths about the marketing field:

So maybe it's time to follow the old adage: Laugh with them so they can't laugh at you.

My question: When will nonprofit marketing catch up to postmodernity?

We children of the postmodern age have learned to poke fun at our predecessors. But now that we're marketers, we're scared to use the techniques which are most effective on us. Instead, we set up rituals, appeal to nostalgia, and stick with age-old formulas.

When will we start making fun of ourselves? When will we dare to point out the fact that we're raising money? At it's core, what we're asking for is not an investment or a gift. It's a donation. It's giving up your money ... for something better.

No, we don't need to see a noble cause as a farce. Our organizations don't have to be subject to ridicule. But taking ourselves as fundraisers less seriously can help us relate to donors.

Let's rip off the masks.

What if we said: "We want your money. Here's why."

That would require a compelling reason to give, and a less tricky way to disguise the "ask."

Sounds a bit more ethical. Sounds a bit more like what the postmodern world is craving.

dinner time!

Tonight our development team is recognizing leaders in annual giving to the college. So before I head off to enjoy the music, the meal, and the mingling, let's look at why it's a good idea to host a tribute dinner:

1. Show off
When you host friends for dinner, you bring out your best recipes, serveware, and dishes. When you host donors for a tribute dinner, you have the opportunity to show them how their dollars are hard at work. In preparing for tonight, our events team has made sure we're using one of our most impressive venues at the college, featuring student speakers, and highlighting an amazing campus choir. Plus, donors are being seated with students so they see firsthand the lives they're affecting!

2. Remind them of the cause
You have a captive audience with happy stomachs. It's time to bring out your best speakers to drive home your messaging. Direct mailers, form letters, and e-mail campaigns can't match the influence you have at a live event.

3. The role of recognition
Philanthropists can be selfless, giving, altruistic. But like it or not, everyone's ego craves a boost now and then. At the very least, a recognition event shows donors in a tangible way that you value their support.

4. Sense of community
At a tribute dinner, donors see they're not pulling weight of the cause on their own. Their tablemates enforce the sense that we're all in this together, and donors are less likely to leave a community they feel connected to.


And one more thing... Consider leaving your guests with a physical reminder of your cause. Personalized favors like mint tins, mugs, or magnets advertise your cause long after donors finish dessert.

the gift and the gimmick

Leo Burnett is at it again. The creative powerhouse created a series of simple but interactive donation boxes for Dubai Cares. In my opinion, they top all the innovative giving contraptions we've seen.

Why? Because the gimmick connects with the gift. 

It's not just a fun way of giving to a good cause, it's a representation of how your gift works. Plus, it sparks a positive and immediate emotional response in the giver, which makes future giving more likely.

Watch how these boxes visually communicate the impact a donor's gift makes in the life of a child.

This example of marketing brilliance should challenge us to change the way we fundraise so that we can improve the giving experience for our donors.

Until next time, reach and rally, my friends.

reach and rally - an inaugural post

Let's get started.

I'm on a collaborative team that manages annual giving at a liberal arts college. And I love marketing for good.

It's the marketing treasures I find every day that make me want to blog, to converse with other marketers, to help nonprofits do more to serve their communities.

Marketing is not just about commodities and consumption. There's an overflow of potent ideas out there that just need a platform. That's where we as nonprofit marketers come in--not to trivialize but to concretize. Truth can be spoken, written, visualized. We're uniquely positioned to put well-intentioned notions into motion.

But how? We learn a little more every day.

Come along and see for yourself.