Obama (Mostly) Gets It

This week I donated a modest sum to Obama's candidacy. Earlier this month I started receiving email announcements from his campaign, a consequence of having joined his web community. I had already decided to contribute, so when I received a direct email solicitation, it was natural simply to click through and give.

The hook of this solicitation was the promise of a dollar-for-dollar match by another Obama supporter somewhere in the country, to whom I could subsequently send a personalized note. I entered my gift amount and card details, and learned on the confirmation screen that my matcher was "Norman." Using the form on the screen, I dropped Norman a line of thanks, declining to provide my email address because I wasn't keen to start a conversation with a stranger to whom my only connection was action politics. Once I'd submitted my note to Norman, I landed on another screen asking me to start recruiting other friends into the cause, using the site to reach out for additional support and donations. I decided to skip that step, too. I got an email confirmation of my gift a few minutes later, and left the site believing I'd done some tiny good in the world, and made a tiny connection to boot.

I also left believing the Obama camp gets it. They demonstrated by this experience that they know there's power in the emotional connection between the constituent and the candidate, but also among constituents themselves. They know that technology can facilitate that connection, and permit the constituent to make the connection as personal as she finds comfortable. They know that in marketing, there's always a next ask, and they know that on the web, there's always a next action.

But there's still some room for growth. I don't know, for example, whether my donation was tax-deductible, because neither the UI nor the email mentioned this. I don't know whether I'm going to receive a printed acknowledgment of my gift by postal mail, and whether this would be the official tax document. The net effect of this experience was more emotional than intellectual or programmatic, which is okay only to a point.

What's more, a few days after donating, I got another solicitation asking me to donate $15 or more to receive a groovy Obama car magnet. I'm not sure why I was asked again so soon; whether it was because the campaign has hasn't yet processed my gift, or because there's a policy of continual re-solicitation. (A less charitable donor might wonder whether they're disorganized or greedy.) And as a very recent donor of more than $15, shouldn't I get a car magnet, too? (Again, less charitably: shouldn't I have held my gift until I could get better swag?)

Since in my day job I design online fundraising websites, this experience has taught me a few things about designing a good fundraising web experience:

1. Ask for the sale, and always ask for the next action, but don't ask for the sale again too soon, or you'll risk alienating your loyal customers;
2. Support the donor's pragmatic requirements. Make it easy to find out the tax and financial consequences of their donation. Tell them whether to expect anything further in the mail;
3. If you offer a premium to new donors, send the premium to any new donor who's given in the last month, especially if the new premium is widely marketed;
4. If you offer a premium to new donors, offer one to repeat donors, too, and maybe even a better premium. Fundraisers know that repeat donors are more valuable than gold.

Comments

[Karlyn]

They just hadn't processed your gift yet. I have multiple email accounts set up with them to see all their mailings - one I've donated from and one I haven't. The non-donor account got the magnet email. The donor account got a groovy t-shirt offer and a higher ask.

[Doug]

It's a judgment call on sending the premium, I think. There's a danger of eliciting the reaction, "I didn't ask them to spend my money this way." Especially from small donors.

I remember once giving $20 to an organization. The next solicitation had unclear information in it, and I emailed for clarification. They mailed me a videotape which didn't answer my question. I felt they'd already spent my donation unwisely, and have never given again.

The essentially free ways of offering donors a sense of connection are good in themselves, and also as a demonstration that donations are being used effectively.