It’s a summer Friday for most of our readers. Happy to share this lighthearted essay — and bit of advice — from Lisa Sargent, fundraising copywriter and donor communications specialist …
The Sunny Side of Mortality
It happened in June.
My husband came home and announced he was going to participate in a motorcycle ride for charity. His buddy invited him, so at first I didn’t think much of it.
Until he said this.
“It’s for a good cause.”
That was when my head spun around like a bad imitation of a Barn Owl. Because said spouse has never before given a hoot – pun intended – about anything to do with helping charities.
Later, when in the midst of one of those what-if-you-won-the-lottery talks (brought on by the boredom of really long car trip) he said, “I’d volunteer at a charity – you know, do something good in the world.”
At this point you should be thinking, Galloping donors, Batman! Find me about a hundred of these guys. No, find me a thousand!
The secret is by no means as simple as this, but I’m guessing it’s close: take a closer look at folks approaching or over 50.
Why?
Because about two or three years ago, we realized we are not immortal.
Up until then virtually every one of us thought we had escaped the real, visible signs of aging – chalking it up to good genes or a quasi-regular fitness routine or just old fashioned denial.
Then one day, after twelve hours at the woodpile, our hips hurt. We started talking about brands of orthonics. Young people no longer understood our references to Seinfeld episodes (no soup for you!).
We even – yes, even the most manly 50+ men around – were spotted wearing our wife’s rhinestone-encrusted cheaters with the zebra print frames in the garage.
Mortality ain’t pretty. But for fundraisers, there sure is a sunny side.
If you can find, engage – and care for – the nifty-fifties among us now, well, leapin’ legacies. You’ve got a bright future, young padawan. (For the record, that was a reference to Star Wars. Fifty-somethings saw the premier. Of the original.)
Lisa Sargent
P.S. Summer, for most fundraisers, is slower than molasses. The perfect time to ruminate on legacies and bequests – the ultimate act of donor loyalty. This week I wrote about how easy it is to start doing bequest marketing in the The Loyalty Letter, my not-yet-ready for prime time e-newsletter. Includes the story of a $10,000 legator who gave because of a donor newsletter. True.
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bequests and other planned gifts are still the best way to beat death and “live forever” and also lessen taxes – two things we’ve always been told we couldn’t do!
I’m always struck by the fact that in my many years of working along colleagues producing fundraising direct marketing, most, if not all, are far, far away from the “sunny” side of life and therefore often unable to relate to the intangibles as to why people give. As I’ve managed, mentored and taught these copywriters and designers I’ve counseled them to project forward, put themselves in 50+ shoes and remember that when there are fewer years in front of you than behind you, life takes on a very different perspective.
Totally true. One of the best posts on this is Jeff Brooks’ on not getting too excited about “millenials”. Define donors, he says, as people 50, 65, etc. It’s here, and well worth a read: http://www.futurefundraisingnow.com/future-fundraising/demographics/
Another thing: the motivations behind why we give as get older. The benefits aren’t the new NICU unit you funded, it’s the babies who will live to have their first sleepover, go to college, create a new future, the relieved families, that kind of thing.