Marketing Misses with Megan McCaffery, Ep #41

Episode 41

With Benjamin Johnson and Megan McCaffery

Why can’t the charity world talk about its marketing misses and fundraising fails? It’s time to rip the bandaid off! On this episode, Ben is joined by Frontier Senior Marketing Strategist Megan McCaffery to discuss all things “whoops!” in the realm of non-profit communications and strategies. They’ll dive into common mistakes, the value of adaptability, and hard conversations charities can’t afford to shy away from.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

  • Twitch, competitive dodgeball, and getting to know Megan McCaffery [1:01]

  • Agile project management and neurodivergent friendly copy [5:41]

  • Pivoting your marketing strategy during an unexpected crisis [10:39]

  • The evolution of email marketing at Frontier and challenging antiquated best practices [14:42]

  • Fundraising fails, marketing misses, and hard conversations charities can’t afford to shy away from [24:05]

  • Ben and Megan share personal fails [34:03]

  • How ownership creates empathy and the upside of failure [40:02]

  • What’s next for LinkedIn and final thoughts [45:40]

Engaging ALL donors

A big miss for some charities is failing to engage both readers and skimmers with their copy. Readers are looking to soak up every ounce of content you can provide. Skimmers on the other hand are looking to get the point in 30 seconds or less or you’ve lost them. This presents a unique challenge for charities and marketing agencies to provide a path for both in the same letter. While all you need to make a reader happy is engaging and informative content, skimmers require a different approach. Organizations need to be comfortable with using bold and underlined text that caters to the skimmer's quick-moving eyes. They also need to make sure their content is easily digestible. Overly complicated and wordy copy is the fastest way to alienate a skimmer and drive down reader retention. As Mark Twain said, “Don’t use a $5 word when a fifty-cent word will do.”

Unite for the greater good

Saying the last few years have been a bit of a roller coaster is putting it lightly. Between natural disasters, political and social unrest, Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, and a global pandemic the world can’t seem to catch a break. So how should charities respond when current events demand a change in strategy? Typically, when a national or global crisis occurs, major for-profit corporations will take a generosity-centered approach to their marketing content. They may even donate some of their bottom line to help! Surprisingly, charities can take a similar approach by redirecting donations to other charities that are closer to the issue or are already making an impact. Like Ben said, “You may lose that short urgent giving, but there’s something to be said about charities that have the same boldness as commerce does.”

Don’t stop marketing

Another struggle for charities is knowing how to communicate with donors during difficult times. Some organizations wrestle with whether they should be asking for money at all. Megan put it perfectly: Keep marketing! But don’t be tone-deaf. Don’t get caught off guard! Develop a strategy that actively integrates the most up-to-date information into your copy. It doesn’t have to be complicated either. Sometimes adding a buck slip or a single line at the end of an email. You also want to stay away from virtue signaling. Authenticity is everything for charities. It’s part of what builds trust with your donors. If your organization doesn’t have an authentic connection to what is happening, point your donors to organizations that you believe in who do. Listen to this episode for more marketing misses and strategies to hit your fundraising goals!

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Megan McCaffery

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Ben Johnson