Choose Your Tuesday: Greed or Goodwill?

Confession: I’ve never been a fan of Greedy Tuesday.

There, I said it. And you can see how I’ve said it before in:

• The True Meaning of Giving Tuesday
• Giving Tuesday: Don’t Take the Money and Run
• #GivingTuesday or #GratitudeTuesday? Choose!

It’s time for a post-mortem, and some thinking about what you might do better moving forward.

Here’s my take.

So-called #givingtuesday is such a “made up holiday,” as are its greedy counterparts “Black Friday,” “Small Business Saturday” and “Cyber Monday.” All of them are designed to drive consumers into a FRENZY of purchasing.

This temporary emotionally agitated activity often leads to buyer’s remorse.

And that’s true even for nonprofits.

Especially since most GT campaigns I see are, sadly, not designed to make the donor feel good.

Here’s what I mean: As is his annual custom, my colleague Ephraim Gopen, 1832 Communications, reviewed all 627 GT emails that came to his inbox, looking at 23 elements of each. The lion’s share were focused on money, not love. On the organization, not the donor. I don’t know why people can’t seem to get donor-centered fundraising right, but here’s the upshot for this past GT:

• Only 5% of subject lines were personalized.
• Only 11% of email addresses (from and reply to) had a name of a person on at least one of them (inviting engagement from person to person).
• 14% had a from and reply to address of info@orgx (making conversation impossible).
• Only 7% included a story (the rest focused on “We want your money, now!”)
• 9% announced the donor’s status was “pending” (a transactional tactic making folks feel guilty right off the bat).

Let’s just say there were more yucky practices than good ones.

Why is this happening?

There’s too much pressure on nonprofits to generate huge numbers on this single day.

This leads inexorably to transactional, not transformational, fundraising.

The process becomes focused on money, money, money and hurry, hurry, hurry!

It’s all take and no give.

Yet the truth has always been if you want gifts, you must give them.

So, while receiving gifts is important, it’s also true that giving gifts matters.

Which is why this recent article by Sean D’Souza, Psychotactics, really spoke to me: Why You Should Pay Attention To Giving (And Why Receiving Is Just As Important).

Alas, treating giving as transactional merely scratches the surface. When your focus is on money and deadlines, you don’t get to the fundamentals that drive authentic human relationships and trust.

The acts of giving and receiving have deeply psychological and emotional meaning.

Both giving and receiving are important!

D’Souza narrates a compelling story about what a confused burglar would find were they to break into his home:

“As you get to the chest of drawers and open the first drawer, you find a hoard of chocolates. The drawer to the right of that one also contains bars of chocolate.

Both the ones under it have chocolate too. A burglar is looking for valuables to steal, and drawer after drawer seems to reveal yet another hoard of chocolate.

“Someone sure has a sweet tooth”, you’d think to yourself if you didn’t already know us
If you know us, you’d know that the chocolate isn’t for us. Instead, it’s for everyone else. Every year, and even in pandemic times, about 300-500 chocolates make their way to clients.

Members who join our membership site at 5000bc get a bar of chocolate, as do those who send feedback about glitches on the site. Those who attend courses also get chocolate, and yes, of course, those who come to workshops.”

One of Robert Cialdini’s original six principles of persuasion, reciprocity (when someone gives you something you’re naturally inclined to want to give back), is at work here. But, there’s more to it than that. D’Souza breaks it down thusly, and I’d like to take these one at a time. Because these principles apply absolutely to nonprofits.

1: Giving creates goodwill
2: Giving acknowledges the existence of another
3: Accepting gifts is crucial for society

1. The principle of goodwill

Your organization is a goodwill factory. Or it’s not. Yet very few nonprofits have a written goal to “create goodwill.”  They should. D’Souza notes:

“In many situations, gifting is done because we know the person, or in some cases, because we want something in return. Yet, you, me, all of us should constantly be working on goodwill.

Giving something to someone when you don’t need to do so is the most bizarre act of all

Giving—and even goodwill—sounds creepy because it seems like there’s an agenda in place. Yes, of course, there is an agenda. If you’re a hermit, living on an island all by yourself, you may be excused from dealing with society’s core values. However, if you’re a normal human being, giving becomes crucial, but goodwill is probably the most important thing you can do.

Even corporations realize the power of goodwill in their balance sheets. If you were to buy a company today, you’d probably look at assets and liabilities. Yet, right in the middle of it all, is something called “goodwill.” It’s considered to be an asset. Without the goodwill of your clients, family or community, you’d find the world to be a much more complicated place to live in. Giving—in most cases—creates reciprocation.”

Rather than asking only what your supporters can do for you, what about asking what you can do for them? Sometimes it pays to shower folks with a little love. And gratitude. This creates a values-based culture, one in which your organization becomes known as a force for goodness in the world.

Goodwill and philanthropy are inextricably linked.

2. Acknowledgement of the existence of another

People — donors included — want to be seen and known. Think about the shopkeepers who remember your name. Sometimes, they even give you a little gift.

I have a favorite café I go to almost every Friday. They know me. Every time I arrive they greet me with something like “I’ve put your beverage order in already” or “Today we have the biscuits you like.” Sometimes they even bring a few free items to the table. On our wedding anniversary, they not only brought us complimentary bubbly, but even sent us home with some sushi-grade salmon we could make for dinner. I reciprocate. Sometime I bring them home-baked cookies. Once I brought them some pillows in the shade of their décor. They know what I like, and vice-versa. It’s a relationship. D’Souza notes:

“Giving has the power of radiation. You give something, and it brightens up their day, and in turn, they often pass it on. But giving also tells the other person that they exist.”

Want to make the world better? You can give to your donors to provide them with a good feeling!

It’s actually a real power you have. And it even makes you feel better. That “warm glow dopamine rush” you’ve heard about that comes from giving? It’s not just philanthropic giving. It’s any contemplation of giving to others rather than yourself.

This brings us to the principle that both gift giving and acceptance, together, are the glue that keeps society together.

3. Accepting gifts is crucial for society

D’Souza notes that receiving is highly underrated.

“When someone doesn’t take what you have to give, it seems like a small rejection. Theoretically speaking, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. Let’s multiply that one person’s rejection across a million people and what you’re starting to notice is a breakdown of convention, and finally, society.

If enough people decide not to take what you’re giving, there’s no social contract.”

Fortunately, human beings are psychologically wired to reciprocate when they feel the giver has good intentions. That’s why creating goodwill is so important. Recipients don’t owe the giver anything, and no reciprocity is required, but they’ll reciprocate nonetheless because it actually feels good.

When you think of someone who is philanthropic, you often imagine a generous altruist. Maybe so. Yet giving is also about one’s view of oneself; accordingly, it’s a selfish act. And throughout my four decades of working as a fundraiser, I’ve found most donors tell me they get back more than they give.

Yes, the act of receiving is important. It tips the balance toward justice.

Final Thoughts: Gratitude and Goodwill Offer the Biggest Bang for Your Buck

Next year, consider using the “made-up holiday” to light the kindling that will give you the greatest chance of igniting your donor’s fire when it comes to making their most generous year-end gift. Don’t ask for a symbolic contribution on the day; instead, make a heartfelt gesture of thanks to your donors. Flip the script!

• Gratitude Tuesday
• Goodwill Tuesday
• Giving Thanks Tuesday

A big ‘Thank you’ day! Offer people something that makes them feel good, and tell a story that showcases your case for support – not the GT case for support. Take the opportunity to profess how grateful you are for your community. Plan ahead to create goodwill.

But, you don’t have to wait until then. This is something you can, and should, do all year round. Lasting relationships – which is what you want with your supporters – are decidedly about give and take.

Inspiring people to be part of philanthropy is absolutely your job. Giving on a particular date? Not so much.

Want Practical Tips on the Power of Gratitude?

Grab Creative Ways to Thank Your Donors for 72 ideas!

Acquisition is simply a foot in the door.

Retention is the name of the game. And what do donors want most?

A heartfelt thank you!

Simply put, creative thank you’s will inspire future gifts.

This e-workbook will provide you with everything you need to knock your donors’ socks off.

Lots of ideas from which you can borrow.

As with all Clairification products, this includes a 30-day, no-questions-asked, 100% refund policy.

Photo by Simon Maage on Unsplash.