Comments on: Only “C” For This Fundraising Video

By: Marjorie Fine

Marjorie Fine — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:42:51 +0000

beautiful. But i was also fidgety and didn’t knwo what they do AND the donation page is cold water after the warm bath of the vieo. And also had no thank you. Thanks!

By: Raymond J. Mitchell

Raymond J. Mitchell — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:56:52 +0000

First, I would agree wholeheartedly with Rebekah that the video piece is really nicely done — creative (almost in a bit of an “edgy” fashion), emotional (as Tom pointed out), dignified, optimistic. The beginning of an effective fund-raising message is there — but only the beginning, so I’m afraid it falls way short on the last links of making the case and the “ask!”

I also have to agree with Tom and Adrian, therefore, that the heart and soul of a real appeal just is not there. Unfortunately!

In the “old” days, when all we had was direct-mail communication to raise funds from folks with whom we were not talking face-to-face, the rules were the same nonetheless.

Open the door and grab the reader with some emotion and real facts. Introduce the organization and its mission. Talk about the impact and benefits of current initiatives. Review how much more needs to be done. List the intended solutions. Level a call to action for the reader. Make the pitch for support. Present the “ask” and lay out the ways to give. Thanks the reader.

This was a lot to do in as few pages of letter text and other enclosures as possible, but it worked effectively in countless cases over many decades. It still works today, despite the claims of those who say the mail method is dead!

With all of today’s wondrous technologies and new channels of communication available for use in philanthropy, such as embedded video messages like this one, I cannot understand why people lose sight of the fundamental and time-tested rules that make any fund-raising method work. You still have to make the case and do the “ask” properly, or it falls short.

Of course, we all could be wrong. This little video gem might well have raised some funds for the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia. On the face of it, though, it impresses one as only the first few steps of the stairway!

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:44:13 +0000

I agree; as Gertrude Stein said of Oakland, there’s no there there. I’m reminded of certain thirty-second spots that, when finished, make you wonder, What are they advertising? A bunch of fluffy “feel-good” words and no substance, ending with a corporate logo.

By: Gail Meltzer

Gail Meltzer — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:25:48 +0000

I agree that though well-intended, it falls somewhat flat and could be so much more. I was fidgety almost immediately, waiting for it to get to the point. Also, it is so generic the viewer doesn’t know until the very end what organization this is about. Perhaps this was done intentionally so that many Federations could use it and just put their info at the end??

By: Daniella

Daniella — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:45:17 +0000

I am the manager of electronic communications at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. I found this discussion interesting.
A few comments:
1. This video was created by our umbrella org, the Federations of North America. Each individual federation has the opportunity to customize it for their purposes as we did here with our logo and url.
2. I get the point about the video not showing our programs, funding etc but that was not the purpose of this Rosh Hashana video. Videos made around Jewish holidays usually carry a holiday theme and include the importance of giving. See our Hanukkah video on our homepage for the latest presentation. We will soon be posting a different video used at our very successful campaign kick off event that featured President Bill Clinton (and from which we raised over $3.5 million) – this video does indeed show who we are, the programs we support and the great work that we do. I think there is room for different types of videos such as these .
3. I am a believer in taking the user directly to a donate page, not to an interim page with more information. If the donor viewed the video and clicked donate, it means they were ready to donate. They don’t want to get to a landing page with more details and have to click another link to get to the donation page. We might lose them in the interim.

Many thanks.

By: Donna

Donna — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:36:58 +0000

I rarely watch these kinds of clips through to the end (attention span of a very small gnat) This one got me. Rebakah’s description of “soothing, upbeat, clever” are bang on. Here’s the Big “but” – it’s like a great commericial that you love, but you can never recall the product it is advertising.

No doubt it will bring attention. Now, to figure out how to make a few changes that will grab that attention, focus it and make people open their wallets. That will turn a powerful message into a powerful fundraising initiative.

By: Rebekah

Rebekah — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:56:38 +0000

I really like this short video which I assume was prepared for “insider” donors — people who are already familiar with or donors to the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia. It’s a soothing, upbeat, clever piece, and it would make me proud to be a part of this cause.

By: Adrian Salmon

Adrian Salmon — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:00:19 +0000

Hi Tom – no disagreement here!

Whatever budget there was for this, I’m afraid I think it was a missed opportunity – with the concept of looking back to the old year and forward to the new, they could have talked so much more about what they’d done and still needed to do!

It is a nice concept, but it never gets further on from just being a concept…