Blueprint Fundraising

Proof that premiums work (for at least one person)

“Premiums” are the little gifts and trinkets that charities give donors before or after they make a donation. Think address labels, pens, notepads and stickers. People often ask me: Do they work? Answer: yes, depending. Are they a waste of money and an annoyance donors? Answer: yes, depending… Here’s at least one person who likes premiums, via PostSecret. I’ll talk more about premiums and when they are are a good idea in another posting later this week.

A to Z of Fundraising

I’ve just discovered another useful resource on the AFP website, especially for people who are new to fundraising. It’s a Fundraising Dictionary (download it as a PDF at the bottom of the page) covering absolutely every term, acronym and expression even remotely related to fundraising. Here are a few of the words that were new to me. What can I say, I’m a dictionary-reading nerd.

• Ademption – noun – the invalidation of a bequest in a will because the testator, before death, had already disposed of the property bequeathed.
• Eleemosynary – adjective – 1a of, for, or pertaining to charity, charitable. 1b provided by charity; free. 1c supported by or dependent upon charity.
• Hanger – noun informal – an additional appeal or personalized note enclosed in a direct-mail package. A hanger is usually smaller in format than the original, main letter and usually signed by someone other than the signer of the main letter. Also lift note.
• Reason code – the vehicle or technique that elicits a donation, such as a personal solicitation memorial, acquisition mailing, newsletter, annual appeal, or membership dues. Also campaign code.
• Soft credit – 1 the action of crediting a donor, who has a matching gift given by the donor’s employer, with the same amount as the matching gift, for determining the donor’s standing in a giving club.
• Syndicated gift – a gift composed of as few as two (although usually more) individual gifts bound by some shared attribute, such as members of the same family or a group of corporations.

By the way, the Z for zombie is from the very cute Politically Incorrect Alphabet.

Update: trading up

You might have heard the good news.. this week Kyle MacDonald made the final trade on his journey to trade one red paperclip for a house.

The town of Kipling Saskatchewan has given him a house in exchange for a movie role. It’s an amazing story! He’s going to paint the house red. And Kipling is going to build a giant red paper clip in his honour.