Pop Culture and Giving Presentation

Pop Culture
and Giving
AFP
Dallas, Texas
August 22, 2012
Presented by:
Align fund-raising approach
with your audience...
Silent Generation?
Baby Boomers?
GenXers?
Millennials/GenY?
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Generational populations:
Silent Generation = 42 million
Boomers = 76 million
GenXers= 48 million
Millennials/GenY= 80 million
HOWEVER...
According to a study by
Campbell & Company
at the
Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University...
donors across all generations
give roughly the same amount to charity...
when controlled for factors such as
income, education and religiosity.
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Align fund-raising approach
with your audience
Silent Generation:
(67-87 years old)
Soft-spoken
Conventional/Unadventurous
Basic expectations
Believe in fairness and inclusion
Believe sacrifice is a given
Respect authority
Align fund raising approach
with your audience
Silent Generation:
(67-87 years old)
Key Shaper:
The Great Depression
Tag Line:
We’ll muddle through somehow
Physical Characteristic:
The wistful sigh
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Silent Generation Poster Children
Clint
Eastwood
Jacqueline
Kennedy
Other Silent Generation Poster Children
Walter
Mondale
Pat
Nixon
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Pop Culture Role Model:
Mildred Pierce
I struggle and I strive and
I sacrifice...because that’s
just what you do for your
child...even if she is a
heartless shrew.”
Align fund-raising approach
with your audience
Baby Boomers:
(47-66 years old)
Individualistic
Status-conscious
Into climbing the ladder
Competitive
Happy/fun/forever young
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Align fund raising approach
with your audience
Baby Boomers:
(47-66 years old)
Key Shaper:
Sputnik/Man on the Moon
Tag Line:
I am the greatest!
Physical Characteristic:
The fist pump
Boomer Generation Poster Children
Bill
Clinton
Oprah
Winfrey
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Other Boomer Generation Poster Children
Madonna
George Lopez
Pop Culture Role Model:
Rocky Balboa
“Gonna fly NOW...and for
12 more sequels right up
to when I am in my 90s!!”
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Align fund-raising approach
with your audience
GenXers:
(33-46 years old)
Blase
Suspect of institutions/hierarchy
More impressed with performance than reputation
Highly self-reliant
Not very compromising
Find mockery/accidents humorous (negative irreverence)
Align fund raising approach
with your audience
GenXers:
(33-46 years old)
Key Shaper:
Watergate/Iran hostage mess
Tag Line:
You don’t REALLY expect me to believe that, do you?
Physical Characteristic:
The roll of the eyes
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Generation X Poster Children
Julian Assange
Angelina Jolie
(Founder of WikiLeaks)
(Oscar® Winning Actress)
Other GenX Poster Children
Charlie Sheen
Tiger Woods
Rachel Maddow
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Pop Culture Icon:
Jason Bourne
“I’m pretty much all alone
and I can’t really trust
anyone, but I am a survivor
and I will prove myself to
be incredibly resourceful
as I try to figure out just
what the hell is going on
here.”
Align fund-raising approach
with your audience
Millennials:
(13-32 years old)
Positive (overly?) optimistic
Mega-connected and group-oriented
Diversity is a fundamental
Believe they deserve the best
Happy to compromise
Into fun/inventive twists (positive irreverent)
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Align fund raising approach
with your audience
Millennials:
(13-32 years old)
Key Shaper:
PCs and Internet are ubiquitous
Tag Line:
Together, we can do ANYTHING!!!!
Physical Characteristic:
The fist bump
Millennial Generation Poster Children
Mark Zuckerburg
Gabby Douglas
(Founder of Facebook)
(Olympic Gold Medalist)
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Other Millennial Generation Poster Children
Justin Bieber
Pop Culture Icon:
Harry Potter, Hermione and Ron
“We did it, we bashed
them, wee Potter's the one,
And Voldy's gone moldy,
so now let's have fun!”
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So how do you
apply all this to
fund raising?
Are you using
the right
MEDIUM?
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Silent Generation:
(67-87 years old)
Mailing in a check is #1 choice
Donating at checkout is another popular option
Donating via Web site or email...very little
Donating via text or social media...not at all
Very premeditated in donations
and mostly interested in giving money
*from a study by Convio, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies
Baby Boomers:
(47-66 years old)
Mailing in a check is still common
Donating at checkout is another popular option
Donating via Web site or email...
a fair amount but less than by snail mail
Donating via text or social media...some but not a lot
Premeditated in donations and
interested in giving money and volunteering
*from a study by Convio, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies
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GenXers:
(33-46 years old)
As likely to mail in a check as donate via a Web site
Donating at checkout is another popular option
Donating via Web site as often as via the mail
Increasingly donating via text or social media...
A mix of premeditated and random in their giving
and interested in donating time, energy and money
*from a study by Convio, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies
Millennials/GenY:
(13-32 years old)
Mailing in checks far less than donating online
Donating at checkout is another popular option
Donating via Web site or email far more than by mail
Increasingly donating by text or email
Far more influenced by friends/family than the media
and willing to help on any and all fronts
*from a study by Convio, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies
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Are you using
the right
MESSAGING?
Silent Generation:
(67-87 years old)
Soft-spoken
Conventional/Unadventurous
Basic expectations
Believe in fairness and inclusion
Believe sacrifice is a given
Respect authority
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Silent Generation:
(67-87 years old)
Therefore...
Traditional/conservative approach to imagery
Use celebrities who look like the donor and project trustworthiness
Emphasize fairness, what is just, no one should be left out
Phrases like ‘challenge,’ ‘daunting’, ‘sacrifice’, are appealing
DO NOT use an activist call to arms...keep it low key
Investing in today’s volatile market is a real
challenge. But with 135 years of experience,
this is a challenge we can meet.
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Baby Boomers:
(46 -66 years old)
Individualistic
Status-conscious
Into climbing the ladder
Competitive
Happy/fun/forever young
Baby Boomers:
(46 -66 years old)
Therefore:
Emphasize any way they can express their individuality
Emphasize how their status might grow as a result of their donation
Make it competitive somehow (can your team beat that one?)
Emphasize an enduring legacy
Point out how it might keep them young/around those younger
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GenXers:
(33-46 years old)
Blase
Suspect of institutions/hierarchy
Don’t equate label/brand with quality
Highly self-reliant
Not very compromising
Find mockery/accidents humorous (negative irreverence)
GenXers:
(33-46 years old)
Therefore...
Play to their cynicism/doubt
Less marketing blah blah...more proof of performance
DON’T emphasize who you are, your track record...they don’t care
If you want them to volunteer, offer them autonomy
Appeal to their distaste for compromise
Negative contractions (don’t, shouldn’t, can’t) appeal to them
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Millennials:
(13-32 years old)
Positive (overly?) optimistic
Mega-connected and group-oriented
Diversity is a fundamental
Believe they deserve the best
Happy to compromise
Into fun/inventive twists (positive irreverent)
Millennials/GenY:
(13-32 years old)
Therefore:
Offer an optimistic, ‘we can change the planet’ tone
Emphasize ‘we’/’you, and your friends’, more than ‘you’
Ensure imagery/text reflect diversity to the max
Weave in mentions of technology where you can
Emphasize the fun they will provide others or have as a volunteer
Learning from mentors, being part of a team, be special, all appeal
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jeffherrington.com
jeff@jeffherrington.com
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