HOW TO: Avoid online donor fatigue
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I’d consider myself a member of the do-gooder and social good tribes. It makes me happy to help others and, perhaps, alleviate a bit of that old Catholic guilt. 
In the past year I’ve found myself saying no to causes. A day doesn’t go by (literally) where I’m asked to give time, money, join a group or fan page, tweet a hashtag, etc. I have a feeling that I’m not alone. It actually pains me to say no. Why do I do it? I know that by saying no to some, I can do more for those causes I support. Put simply, by helping all I help none.
So, where do I receive the majority of these requests? Online networks. Now anyone with an online profile can start a campaign or movement (and a lot of people are). Twibbon, a cause-sharing online application for Twitter, lists 21,937 causes as of today. That’s only one tool for one platform. When I type the word “foundation” in Facebook search I receive 148,000 results.
I’m among those who share cause- and movement-related information with online networks. However, there are reasons that campaigns like BlameDrewsCancer, Crisis Overnight and #beatcancer have been successful.
I don’t want to see online donor fatigue or worse, donor blindness because of too frequent asks.
Make a clear, concise ask
If your “ask” is to “change the world,” it’s too big for people to comprehend and won’t work. Seth Godin discusses the concept of enormity and I agree. People can help with something they can grasp, easily understand or see immediate results.
For Crisis Overnight, a campaign I led for Elgin’s Community Crisis Center, we had strong messaging, “We raise the money they stay open. We don’t, they close.” I asked for a $10 donation from networks where I had never asked for donations, time, resources, etc before. In three-weeks we raised $161,000.
I cannot duplicate those efforts again; they were unique to the situation.
Acknowledge and thank supporters and donors
Notice I didn’t say reward. A big motivator around those who like to help is GIVING. Acknowledge and thank supporters in a way that is appropriate to the campaign or movement. Not everyone wants to be publicly acknowledged, but they do want to see what their money, time or resources helped to do.
Combine forces, find the umbrella
If your goal is to raise awareness (but not money) for a disease, find others with the same goal and join forces. Instead of five similar requests, I might receive one, motivational message.
Additionally, if your cause fits nicely with an overarching cause or movement (i.e. umbrella), find a way to integrate. If your cause is on Twitter, it might be as simple as including additional hashtags with your movement.
Give before you ask (but not because you want to ask)
If you’re new to an online network, don’t let an ask be your first form of communication. Let’s say your organization wants to end world hunger. Find others with a similar passion and start a dialogue with them. Offer facts, statistics and articles from experts on important topics. Build your relationships without an agenda.
Give me somewhere to go for additional information
I want to confirm that a cause or movement is credible. During Crisis Overnight we put together a very simple Web site, no pictures, text only. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the message across. We were in crisis and didn’t have time to develop an intricate site with Twitter feed et al.
Just because it worked this time doesn’t mean it will work next time
Last year’s Thanksgiving season brought together the Tweetsgiving team. Their goal was to raise $10,000 in 48-hours to build a school house in Tanzania. They exceeded their goal and wanted to continue the tradition of Tweetsgiving. This year, they’re not making the same ask. Although you can still donate, this year they’re asking people to talk about what they’re grateful for. That’s it. UPDATE: They’re giving people three ways to participate: 1) Attend a gratitude party; 2) Spread gratitude on the web; 3) Host a house party.
Get my attention
#beatcancer was big right out of the gates. Why? Because the Everywhere team partnered with an existing audience with a large reach, Blog World (among others). It didn’t take long for #beatcancer to become a top trending topic on Twitter because of the background work and buy-in obtained before launching.
Make it shareable
If I like what you’re selling, I might decide to share with my friends, family, networks. Include ideas to help me share the information. It’s nice if you have links to Twitter, Facebook, etc, but help me think of other ways (i.e. specific tactics) to share the information.
In fact, you might want to develop specific tactics for those who are repeat do-gooders. (I have lots of ideas on this, but I can’t give away everything!)
Do something different
Maybe a Twitter hashtag isn’t the right tactic. What if you created an exclusive direct message campaign? Just sayin’. Just because everyone is doing it a certain way doesn’t mean you have to. As part of the Macy’s Path to Peace online outreach, the Blogrollers created an Ambassador Program with other bloggers. They created a hyper-targeted, sub-movement around a movement!
What’s next?
The campaign or movement has come to an end (even if its just for a particular phase). Now what? Spend as much time and energy engaging post-event as you did before and during. Make sure people know where there resources went and what is happening. Stay connected.
Alright, I’m just getting started. What are your ideas?
*DISCLAIMER: I work/worked on the Crisis Overnight, #beatcancer, Tweetsgiving and Macy’s campaigns.
37 Comments on this post
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@sue_anne said:
What I see happening a lot is people spending a lot of time trying to duplicate efforts vs. trying to be creative and find a way to engage their donors.
You also can’t forget about more traditional media in your efforts. If I remember correctly for your Elgin crisis shelter campaign, you were able to generate a good amount of buzz in the local press both because of the Cause and because of how you were using social media to talk about the cause.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:01 pm -
PRsarahevans said:
Thanks for pointing that out Sue Anne. Traditional is important and for the sake of this post I’m talking about online fundraising.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:23 pm -
cortney said:
I really believe in your point about the umbrella. It goes back to the concept “divided we fall” or the principle of large numbers. If you look to those fighting for the same aspirations “fatigue” will not be a concern of yours.
November 20th, 2009 at 10:22 am -
PSP Go said:
I don’t want to sound heartless, because that is not the case, but you can’t save everyone. You have to choose a couple of causes that mean something to you and stick with them.
November 20th, 2009 at 2:49 pm -
Kristin said:
Sarah, this was really insightful. It’s also why I heart the Holiday Gift Guide. We’re making pretty specific asks at a specific time. Instead of buying your dad socks, buy a blanket for a disaster victim in his honor. Otherwise, the Red Cross is REALLY selective about when we use social media for fundraising. I also think that I’d be more apt to give to my friends’ charity events (for their MS walks and cancer runs and AIDS rides) if I could see instantly the impact we (everyone giving to the cause) might be making, instead of just their $2,000 goal thermometer.
November 20th, 2009 at 6:54 pm -
nakliyat said:
kurtoglu nakliyat calisma temposundan pek vakit bulam?yor evden eve nakliyat zor bir i?, kat?l?yorum bu very good What I see happening a lot is people spending a lot of time trying to duplicate efforts vs. trying to be creative and find a way to engage their donors.
thanksNovember 21st, 2009 at 9:36 am -
video map said:
this was really insightful
November 26th, 2009 at 12:55 am -
nakliyat said:
thanks very good sharing
November 26th, 2009 at 4:25 pm -
Cartoon Bears said:
This question has no relevance to the topic of the forum and violates community guidelines.
December 1st, 2009 at 2:35 pm -
printing said:
It is really a great suggestion with have a good topic that how we can Avoid online donor fatigue?
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:51 am -
Catering said:
I m believe in Three thing which you mentioned here Making something Unique, Sharing with as much as people and Stay Connected than it may work like insightful.
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:26 am -
Christmas said:
Nice post! Thanks for a very good sharing………
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:34 am -
cash back with credit said:
Wow do you have some really good points. I know what you mean you has to be grasped and understood by people before they join with you in the actual support. I believe the only way to do this is through effective communication that clearly states your mission.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:02 pm -
Net Age Web Design said:
Charity starts at home, and never has this old saying been truer or more apt. I like to add quality vs qauntity into the mix and leave it at that. Rather than diluting one’s efforts, focusing on the ones most dear is guaranteed to ensure them some measure of success.
December 6th, 2009 at 4:57 am -
Hair Salons said:
I m newbie in social networking and i like to your suggestion, Give before you ask. Thanks for good information.
December 7th, 2009 at 4:49 am -
MAICLE said:
have a good topic you have. there are many suggestion log in forum.
December 9th, 2009 at 6:09 am -
MAICLE said:
keep your good topic and continue sharing you idea. you have a great idea.
December 9th, 2009 at 6:14 am -
hizlindir said:
good article and subject
December 9th, 2009 at 2:06 pm -
Saglik Sayfasi said:
I don’t want to sound heartless, because that is not the case, but you can’t save everyone.
December 10th, 2009 at 8:58 am -
canli video said:
thanks for post
December 10th, 2009 at 6:40 pm -
Teknoloji haberleri said:
I don’t want to sound heartless, because that is not the case, but you can’t save everyone.
December 11th, 2009 at 5:25 pm -
blue cross tonik said:
This question has no relevance to the topic of the forum and violates community guidelines.
December 24th, 2009 at 6:24 am -
avril lavigne said:
good article and subject
January 1st, 2010 at 7:38 am -
malatya haber said:
thanx for post
January 1st, 2010 at 8:40 am -
youtube gir said:
thank you for entery
January 1st, 2010 at 8:44 am -
çizgi film izle said:
I don’t want to sound heartless,
January 2nd, 2010 at 9:12 am -
free beats said:
good article and subject
January 2nd, 2010 at 11:23 am -
free beats said:
good article and subject
!!!January 2nd, 2010 at 11:24 am -
hamilelik hesaplama said:
Do you share a very useful article. learned thanks to you
January 3rd, 2010 at 6:10 am -
yemek tarifleri said:
nice and interesting
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:19 am -
sarki sozu said:
Sarah, this was really insightful.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:03 pm -
resimleri said:
You have to choose a couple of causes that mean something to you and stick with them.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:04 pm -
calivita said:
thanks your post
January 10th, 2010 at 1:32 pm -
Bidet said:
This is a great post, thanks for sharing it with us. Its always good to donate but doing a lot of it can be tiring.
January 24th, 2010 at 3:24 pm -
Selçuk Üniversitesi said:
I don’t want to sound heartless, because that is not the case, but you can’t save everyone. You have to choose a couple of causes that mean something to you and stick with them.
March 13th, 2010 at 8:38 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sarah Evans, jimprosser. jimprosser said: RT @PRsarahevans: HOW TO: Avoid online donor fatigue http://bit.ly/3k64v3 [...]
[...] Time and money continue to be limited resources, however; as you work to incorporate social media into your cause marketing efforts, consider the fact that you are not the only one using social media to reach out. Sarah Evans recently wrote a great post on this issue, “How to avoid online donor fatigue.” [...]