Sob Stories: An Unsustainable Short-Term Solution to Fundraising featuring guest Chris Baiocchi, Founder & CEO of Resolute Philanthropy
Everyone knows sob stories try to squeeze donations out of us. But do those sob stories even work? Are they actually effective marketing strategies for nonprofits and charities? Join Matt Barnes as he reflects on his conversation with Chris Baiocchi from the second episode of Nonprofit Connect!
We at Rogue Creatives have recorded the second episode of the #1 podcast in the world (don’t Google that)–Nonprofit Connect, hosted by me, Matt Barnes.
In this episode, I’m joined by Chris Baiocchi, the Founder & CEO of Resolute Philanthropy, someone who I’ve literally only just met and, as it turns out, have a lot of similarities with (I’m talking Star Trek, obscure bands, and our philosophy towards nonprofits).
Let’s go over some of the key takeaways from the episode and figure out what some nonprofits do exceedingly well and also clumsily wrong.
The Guilt-Ridden Advertisement
Picture this: you’re watching TV, maybe it’s reruns of Friends on Comedy Central, when the commercial breaks begin. After numerous salesy and superficial attempts of getting your attention, a very different type of ad turns up, stirring something up within you. It shows a dog; it’s skinny and wet, its fur all wiry, and its forlorn, black-holed eyes stare into the camera (more specifically, into your soul), surrounded by other dogs in cages. A narrator’s voice swells into the background, as this pitiful creature shivers; they plead with you to give whatever you have to save dogs like this.
They even give the dog a human-like name: Charlie.
Guilt-ridden, you donate to them; twenty dollars will do, and you’ll never have to think about it again! Done and dusted, you’ve temporarily remedied the feelings of guilt.
Now, let me ask you this: what the hell just happened there? Have you actually done a good deed, or did they deliberately pull at your heartstrings so you would give them money? You could argue it’s not emotional manipulation, that this nonprofit organization or charity is only trying to raise funds for these poor animals. But the reality is that they gave you an emotional sob story and got a one-time donation from you.
Is that what successful fundraising looks like?
Sob Stories: A Short-Term Solution to Fundraising
“Whenever I work with other nonprofits, I tend to notice that, on their marketing side, they’re very tempted to use sob stories – and they often give in to that temptation. Sob stories, in my experience, get people to maybe make a one-time donation to assuage or placate their guilt, to pat themselves on the back and walk away. ‘I helped, I helped," they'll say, but it's so much more effective, I think, to not only show the problem but also what you're doing to solve it.
When talking to Chris about this, he says, “It works, right!? But does it work long term? [...] Another thing to consider when you’re talking about those sad stories and the stories of the problem – especially when you’re dealing with people – is that sometimes it doesn’t really support the dignity of the person if that’s all you tell. We have to believe that we’re more than the worst thing that’s ever happened to us. And sometimes, nonprofits fall into a trap where that’s all they’re showing.”
It’s a fine line! People want to be a part of something, and if you can invite potential donors to join you in this exciting, and hopefully impactful thing that's happening, you can get them to come along for the ride. You're bound to get more than just the one-time, twenty-dollar donation that makes themselves feel better. You're going to get a partner in the long term.
Show people that what they do makes a difference; don’t insult their dignity by only showing them the problem. Show them solutions. Make them feel optimistic about the fact that your nonprofit or charity is actually going to make a difference in the world!
Listen to the Whole Episode!
Right then, dear reader, I’ve given you a valuable lesson when it comes to your nonprofit marketing. But do you know how you can learn even more lessons? By following the link below and listening to the full episode of Nonprofit Connect with Chris and me! Or better yet, connect with Rogue Creatives directly to see how we can improve your nonprofit’s story to raise more revenue.
It was honestly a brilliant episode, and I’m not just saying that. I mean, I could be. You have no way of knowing until you actually listen to it. But I’m not going to tell you it was a bad episode, am I?
What are you waiting for? Go, go, go. Listen to Nonprofit Connect!