Hello, Lobsters!
Beate
Is this thing on?
Simon
Hi
Jen
First, and most important, how is everyone doing?
Beate
In pandemic-adjusted terms: yeah okay
John
you know…
trying to find the positive in every moment.
Jen
Same. We are healthy and the family is doing well and adjusting to new realities…
And a whole new language!
Beate
The good news: people have now learned to mute on video calls!
No more screaming kids in the audio
?
Or road work
Simon
I’m good thanks. Tired but good
John
Simon
you must be HELLA busy with your fundraising everywhere work
everyone wants to do virtual conferences now
rightly so
Simon
It is pretty busy. Everyone needs it now
You know I started my Fundraising YouTube channel 7 years ago?
Jen
For today’s topic, I thought we might extend on some of our covid19 conversations and talk about what is and is not “tone deaf” right now — and John might have just provided the perfect introduction…
John
I’m here to help.
Jen
Is it tone deaf to be talking about future conferences and events?
Do we really think we’re going back to the way things were?
Beate
Depends how future I think
As for after the summer, I’d say cautious optimism
John
not completely… without a doubt we are creating some new normals
Simon
I don’t think it’s necessarily tonedeaf to talk about future travel and plans. Cautiously. But yeh we’re not dead yet
Beate
Definitely! We’ve got to plan for life moving on at some point
Simon
The main tone deafness I’ve seen is people talking about a small percentage of humans being wiped out and why’s that ok
Jen
The MOST tone deaf of all the conversations…
Beate
And we shouldn’t wait for things to get back to normal before we move on, it’s going to be longer than that. Adapt to our now-situation as if this is life for the next 4 months
Jen
Example
John
is that a question?
Jen
A conference I was to speak at in May was postponed, but they have asked if we will come next year…that seems premature/tone deaf to me…
Simon
Do you think? I thought that was fair to invite next week
NExt year I mean
John
same.
Simon
Maybe we need to define tone deaf
Jen
IDK man, I read that and thought “I’m not committing to anything”
John
i mean olympics… now next year – 2021
the euro’s – 2021
Beate
We’re all goinng to be pretty busy in 2021
Though how will we afford all those tickets
?
Jen
Isn’t this a bit like a snake eating its own tail? How can we cram everything we were going to do in 2020 into 2021 and not expect major fallout…
Not to mention that investments are worth half what they were a month ago and lots of people will lose their jobs or be precariously employed
Simon
It’s delicate though because in some ways this is a big meme and in other ways people are dying. So it can be hard to strike the right tone
Beate
hahah!
That is the most accurate description I have seen!
Jen
THIS
Simon
Like I definitely adjust depending on who I’m talking to
But sometimes the same people are totally joking about it all and then the next time you talk about it they’re making guesses about who will die
Beate
I’m 50% joking about kids in the home office, 50% crying about not being able to be with my bereaved grandmother. It’s a fucking roller coaster.
Jen
So are we all just forever tone deaf now?
Simon
Maybe that’s the conclusion…we’re all always tone deaf, because our tone is different from everyone elses
Like how some people are always offensive
Beate
In a fundraising context though: i think it is tone deaf when we see emergency appeals now, that don’t explain why this is corona relevant
Like “help us, corona!!” okay, but what do you DO that’s affected by it?
Jen
yes
good segue Bea
John
? like an emergency without naming the emergency?
?
Simon
Yeh fair point
Which is silly because every cause could be doing a covid19 appeal
Beate
like a pigeon aid raising funds off an earthquake in a different part of the world
Simon
A pigeon fluttering his wings could cause an earthquake on the other side of the world
Beate
lol
Jen
what is and is not tone deaf in our fundraising now?
Simon
I guess it’s tone deaf to ignore COVID19 right now
John
i think jen will disagree
Jen
Yes and no, Simon
Simon
Hit me
Jen
Here’s my problem
Simon
ok
Yes
Jen
Yes, COVID19 is impacting you now and you need help
Simon
Yes
Jen
Let’s say you do after school programming for at-risk kids and you’re not running your program
Simon
Yes
Jen
You’re not running it for the forseaable future
You’re laying off staff
Simon
OK
Beate
some active listening there
John
very much. lol
Jen
How can you actually raise money for said program?
Simon
Well why are you laying off staff and not running programme?
Jen
Because lockdown and social distance
No programs, no need for staff
Simon
Do it virtually
Do it with megaphones
Stand behind a big sheet of plastic
Post books
Do videos
Jen
But are charities doing that yet?
Simon
Give the staff paid time off
John
virtual after school program?
?
Jen
I haven’t seen any of that…I’ve only seen programs postponed but not replaced
Simon
No theyre not…but why not?
Cost
Jen
why not is a good question – and if they WERE I would give with a full heart
Beate
So. In such an example, I wouldn’t think it’s tone deaf do fundraise. To say we need you to make sure we’re still here when the world opens back up.
I think it would be entirely appropriate.
Simon
Yeh or we need to close and sterilise the shit out of this place
Beate
hah
Jen
Agree on both counts. But that breaks the big rule of problem and solution
Simon
Now I’m not saying 100% everyone should be doing appeals…but I don’t agree with a blanket no appeal rule for anyone
Beate
I would think such a charity could still do a lot and showing that you’re repurposing and moving quickly will make people want to give
Jen
And people are giving to “keep us ready” which is a thin and shitty fundraising offer
Simon
Really? I feel like it’s total problem and solution
Beate
Problem: We have to keep closed because corona. Solution: You keep our doors open when the world opens
Simon
Problem is covid19 … which everyone has empathy and sympathy about
Jen
Ok yeah I see that Simon
Beate
Or you help pay for our staff to make calls to vulnerable people rather than do physical outreach
Simon
Yeh…”We’ll be waiting for when we can open our doors again”
Beate
I spoke to a charity who are now repurposing a lot of their staff to call their members to make sure they’re okay
Which I think is really great
Simon
I mean how did we survive *before* outside was invented?
Telephone, internet, email, post
Jen
We are still actively fundraising but with special messaging. Bluefrog provided excellent templates.
John
Here’s the link to the Bluefrog resources:
Jen
Goddess, I hope with more of us telling clients to call and talk to their donors there are wonderful and beautiful real conversations happening all over the world
Simon
This is just a much bigger problem than most charities have ever been up against before
This is the new cancer charity
Beate
I think the biggest problem is for those who have had massive events planned. There isn’t really a good way to move that online. You can’t break through the noise enough to replenish that offline activity with online activity. But for any other “regular” fundraisign, I think you can find ways to make it work
Simon
So people still respond to other appeals, but if you can bring in covid it’ll do better?
Like people used to donate to universities and colleges before this…and that’s dumb as shit
John
?
Jen
All those spring galas, runs walks etc… FUCKED
Beate
By the way, another cool example that I will forever put in my slides:
A Norwegian artist did a virtual concert with voluntary tickets (or, as we like to call it: fundraising). He had ten times bigger audience than he’s ever had, and made more money than he ever had. NOK 125.000 (about €12.500 normally). Which is also ten times what he’d normally make on a concert.
Which goes to show, you get SO MUCH MORE when you ask rather than sell
?
Let people help, let people show their appreciation and boom
John
must have a phenominal list
Beate
no list
John
also – i do not understand norwegian currency
Beate
all facebook
John
like – ads?
Beate
No, he just posted the live and then people share it and log on
1500 people attended
so not a huge crowd either
Simon
That’s really cool
John
that is cool.
Simon
People are making a mistake of seeing online as an inferior version of offline. And in some ways it is
But it also allows you to do so much more online that you couldnt do off
Beate
????
It’s usually just because they either aren’t investing or doing it right
Jen
Seeing a lot of artists doing PWYC (pay what you can) virtual events – would love to see charities do more
Beate
Yeah, I can see someone staging a live something from the office and raising money off it
Jen
OK, another tone deaf consideration… legacies
I’m doing a webinar tomorrow with CAGP and a HUGE question here in Canada is about how to fundraise for legacies right now
Simon
Oof…we need a legacy special with you and David Love
Jen
One of our clients, an environmental charity, had 5 calls in 2 days from people wanting to make sure they did what they needed to do to donate their property in their will
Beate
wow
John
bananas
Simon
It makes sense…we’re all thinking there’s like a 50/50 chance we’re going to die
John
and
can you believe charities are sTILL afraid to appear vulnerable?????
Beate
I think it is definitely the right time to look over your website, SEO and search marketing on legacies
Jen
anyone else have something to share about tone deaf in fundraising right now?
wait, is tone deaf tone deaf?
Beate
Careful with humour
She said, flippantly
Jen
Too soon to be funny about it Bea?
Beate
Anyone attempting humour in fundraising now, just for the love of [deity] check it with at least 50 people before letting it out on the public.
It’s like what Simon said, we’re at 50% meme and 50% death. That’s a knife’s edge..
Jen
Ok well that’s basically our time, folks
Beate
wow, that was fast
Jen
Be well, wash your hands… any other thoughts?
Beate
But then again last week was ten yers ago so
Jen
time has no meaning anymore Bea
Beate
did you bring a lobster fact?
or did you deem it done deaf to bring one?
Simon
Oh that was quick
Well nice to chat x
John
yah that went quick
Jen
yes i have a lobster facr
Lobsters would be excellent at physical distancing (hate the term social distance)
We need social intimacy and physical distance
anyway
Beate
because claws?
Jen
back to lobsters
John
is that a fact?
oh
Simon
What
Jen
they would be good at distance because they can swim forward and backwards
John
is THIS – THE FACT?
Beate
..is that unique to lobsters..?
Jen
And when alarmed, they scoot away in reverse by rapidly curling and uncurling their tails
Beate
I guess I’ve never seen a cod reverse
?
John
lol
fish don’t need to swim backwards Bea
Simon
They swim backwards?
Weird
Jen
They CAN
John
ive never seen a lobster swim at all
Beate
wow good to see the gong show still goes on
John
but they’d have a grteat backstroke
Jen
Like Simon
Beate
hahahah
John
hohohohoho
Beate
reverse joke
Simon
Weird
Beate
so until next week / year / decade?
Jen
Later lobsters
Simon
Bubye
John
stay well my friends. miss you.
❤
Beate
big hugs to all
?
Simon
❤
Jen
tap, tap, tap…