Author : Ron Strand
I ran across an interesting article the other day
originally published in a newspaper in Danbury, CT and
posted on their online news feed at
http://news.newstimeslive.com/story.php?id=77951&category=Local.The article deals with the practice of including address
labels used by some charities as a part of their annual
appeals. The writer, Fred Lucas, found that there is more
criticism of the practice than there is support. Donors
may send in a small donation more because of a sense of
obligation than a genuine belief in the cause, only to find
that their name is then sold to other charities. He found
that most charities in his area do not use this form of
fundraising, something the charity watchdog Charity
Navigator calls, "phenomenally wasteful use of a charitable
resources". On the other hand, the representative of the
Easter Seals campaign is quoted as saying, "a lot of
testing has shown this to be a very successful program."What I found ironic, wasn't anything that was stated in the
article itself, but the fact that when I viewed the site it
was posted on, I was greeted by a banner across the top of
the page offering me free smiley faced icons. Grant it,
these banners are rotated and if the reader clicks on the
link I showed in the first paragraph, you may see smiley
faces or you may see another ad. (When I checked the last
time there was an offer to scan my computer for adware and
spyware free of charge.)The irony is that a legitimate news service sees nothing
wrong with advertising a free offer, presumably to generate
some pay per click income. I did not look into the free
icon offer but I know from past experience that the main
purpose of such offers is to get my email address so that I
can become a prospect for various marketing campaigns.I don't have any problem with this form of advertising.
Free sample offers are a tried and true way to generate
sales. They are a form of reciprocation, a powerful
psychological motivator. In his book "Influence: The
Psychology of Persuasion", social psychologist Dr. Robert
Cialdini, includes reciprocation as one of the seven main
ways that people are influenced. Reciprocation is a
powerful marketing technique because it is ingrained in our
culture, and in most cultures, as an acceptable form, even
expected form of behavior.What bothers me isn't the use of reciprocity as a marketing
technique. What bothers me is the double standard to which
charities are often subjected. Why is a tried and true
marketing technique accepted without question by the
private sector being questioned as a dubious practice by
the charitable sector? The principles used by business to
sell products and services should be available to the
charitable sector. After all, the people who make donations
are the same consumers who are expected to make intelligent
decisions in the market place.Ron Strand is a member of the faculty of the Centre for Communication Studies at Mount Royal College and President of Strateo Consulting Inc., a marketing and communications consulting firm. His website is http://www.strateo.ca.
Keyword : marketing, charities, persuasion, Cialdini, fundraising, direct mail
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