Amidst all the recent financial gloom and doom, I thought it’s worthwhile to report a blip of good news on the fundraising front and relate the lessons that can be learned from it. The New York Times reported today that its Neediest Cases Fund has increased its contributions significantly over last year. The number of donors has jumped 53% from 2,955 to 4,518, and the fund is $500,000 ahead of where it was this time last year (a total of $3.7 million was raised so far). Apparently the heightened awareness of the needs of those living in poverty has touched the middle class, despite their own financial concerns.
Some comments from donors are telling:
“I lost a considerable amount of income this year, but I figure what I have will last me, and my situation is much better than that of many other people right now.”
“It’s one of the few funds where a New Yorker can feel they’re helping another New Yorker.”
“I can’t solve Wall Street, but maybe I can keep somebody off the street.”
WAKE-UP CALL: The lesson here is that people want to help, they just need to be shown the best way. The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund has been successful in creating a sense of community among New Yorkers. Here’s how:
1. Keep it close to home. People identify best with those in the areas they are familiar with – in this case New York. The “paper of record’ helped create a sense of community through the concept of a shared city (i.e., “helping your neighbor”).
2. Use case studies to personalize and dramatize the need. The editorial format provides the luxury for showcasing individual stories, as well as the journalistic context to provide credibility. Nonprofits can use their websites and newsletters to tell in depth stories, and can go a step further in using videos and other interactive media to evoke emotional responses.
3. Connect your donors with those in need by drawing parallels between the two groups. Donors to the Times’ cause are the working and middle-class who relate to the core needs of the poor. The Fund did a good job of showing how people share the same basic needs in housing, healthcare, education and the desire for the opportunity of advancement.
SOURCE: In a Time of Crisis, More Donors Decide to Give to the Needy
