Tom Ahern, founder of Ahern Communications, Ink., discussed how a lack of donor-centricity in your donor communications can seriously undermine their effectiveness and how your organisation can avoid this in Blackbaud Pacific's monthly thought leadership webinar. Subscribe to Tom's free how-to e-newsletter at www.aherncomm.com View webinar recording: https://blackbaud-au.webex.com/blackbaud-au/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=73362942&rKey=ff891c8da51d3a52 Learn about future thought leadership webinars: https://www.blackbaud.com.au/notforprofit-events/webinars/thought-leadership

1. The elevator speech is dead
Making your best case
presented by Tom Ahern | for Blackbaud Pacific
Tom Ahern | © 2013 1

2. Yes, I donate....
© 2012 Tom Ahern 2

3. Rule #1
© 2012 Tom Ahern 3

4. Your case for support is
not about you. It’s about
your donors.
Surprise!
© 2012 Tom Ahern 4

5. You have target
audiences. And each
target responds to
specific messages.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 5

6. Last year, I responded
to 5 direct mail
appeals for help.
Jane | Age 87 | Widowed
© 2012 Tom Ahern 6

7. You do not sell
everything to everyone.
You sell to specific values, feelings,
beliefs, hopes, dreams, connections,
affiliations, tribes, etc.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 7

8. That’s why I gave
to Smile Train
when they asked.
My six kids were all born
healthy, thank goodness.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 8

9. I married a
Frenchman.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 9

10. I’ve traveled the
world.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 10

11. I’ve had a good
life.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 11

12. I live well. But it’s a
fixed income.
That’s why I gave to a social
security lobbying group
when they asked.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 12

13. I can’t get around too well
now, so I watch a lot of TV.
That’s why I gave
to PBS TV when
they asked.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 13

14. Beginning Elapsed time:
of mail 1-3 seconds
End of mail
© 2012 Tom Ahern 14

15. Your case is your
answer...
© 2012 Tom Ahern 15

16. ...to a set of predictable
questions. That’s all.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 16

17. The “God”Question?
© 2012 Tom Ahern 17

18. “Why in the world would I
invest my hard-earned money
in your stuff?”
© 2012 Tom Ahern 18

19. “What’s in it for me?”
© 2012 Tom Ahern 19

20. Elevator speech:
How long?
© 2012 Tom Ahern 20

21. or
© 2012 Tom Ahern 21

22. Elevator speech?
Ride to nowhere.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 22

23. Seth Godin....
The best elevator pitch is true, stunning,
brief and it leaves the listener eager (no,
desperate) to hear the rest of it.
"I quit my job as an Emmy-winning actress
to do this because..."
© 2012 Tom Ahern 23

24. Seth Godin....
It's not a practiced, polished turd of prose
that pleases everyone on the board and your
marketing team ... it's a little fractal of the
entire story, something real.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 24

25. Point #1
There never was an elevator.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 25

26. Point #2
Nobody wants your speech.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 26

27. Point #3
Have conversations instead.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 27

28. So, cases...
© 2012 Tom Ahern 28

29. Don’t over-think....
The “launch case” is the start of series
of exploratory conversations.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 29

30. 50,000 words of supporting info
became
2,500 word case document
became
weeks of heated debate
became
“Academic excellence? I’m for that!”
© 2012 Tom Ahern 30

31. If you can’t explain it in
50 words, you won’t
explain it in 500 either.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 31

32. 30
words
© 2012 Tom Ahern 32

33. Insiders suffer
from the “curse
of knowledge.”
© 2012 Tom Ahern 33

34. 1. Make it big.
2. Make it simple.
3. Make your donor the hero.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 34

35. The Big 3
© 2012 Tom Ahern 35

36. 1Why us?
Why is our mission so uniquely
wonderful, surprising, great?
What’s the promise?
© 2012 Tom Ahern 36

37. Who is the National Breast
Cancer Coalition?
© 2012 Tom Ahern 37

38. Why can you trust us to do
what we set out to do?
© 2012 Tom Ahern 38

39. Maybe the most important words
are “National” and “Coalition.”
The important science and policy
players are already involved and
working together with NBCC.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 39

40. With your help,
by January 1, 2020,
the world as we know it
will change.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 40

41. On or before that fortunate
day, breast cancer — now the
#1 cause of cancer death in
women globally — will cease
to be much of a threat.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 41

42. 2Why now?
What’s the big hurry? What
changed? What’s your new
destination? Why is it crucial now?
© 2012 Tom Ahern 42

43. We’ve brought a sharp new
weapon to bear in the battle to
end breast cancer...
© 2012 Tom Ahern 43

44. It’s not a ribbon.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 44

45. It’s a deadline.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 45

46. “When in doubt…
when challenged…
when questioned…
always go back up to 30,000’!”
Source: For Impact, Nick Fellers
UCalgary | ©Tom Ahern
© 2012 2011 Tom Ahern 46

47. 3Why would a
donor care?
© 2012 Tom Ahern 47

48. By January 2020
breast cancer will join
a long list of diseases
American science has defeated…
© 2012 Tom Ahern 48

49. Or...
© 2012 Tom Ahern 49

50. We continue as we have for
the last 30 years...
© 2012 Tom Ahern 50

51. ...searching for the cure.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 51

52. A cure that could take a century,
some experts believe.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 52

53. Drug makers profit most from
incremental improvements.
“This drug has the potential to
add 6 months to the patient’s
lifespan.”
© 2012 Tom Ahern 53

54. Anger. Frustration.
Anger. Frustration.
Anger. Frustration.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 54

55. In 1975,
a woman had a 1 in 11 chance of developing
invasive breast cancer in her lifetime.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 55

56. Now, that risk has RISEN to 1 in 8.
Not a misprint.
[ footnote; cite source ]
© 2012 Tom Ahern 56

57. What was bad in 1975 has
become epidemic in 2012.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 57

58. Fear!
© 2012 Tom Ahern 58

59. Yes, pink ribbons abound.
Awareness is near universal.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 59

60. And yet the death rate from
breast cancer has scarcely
changed in 30 years.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 60

61. Now comes the
hope and
promise.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 61

62. Let’s try a different
approach.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 62

63. Let’s focus on:
Prevention
© 2012 Tom Ahern 63

64. New idea
Adequate rationale
© 2012 Tom Ahern 64

65. “…the key motivator for
giving is not need, but
opportunity.”
© 2012 Tom Ahern 65

66. The world will forever
honor you ... and the
others who made this
breakthrough possible.
© 2012 Tom Ahern 66

67. SUBSCRIBE to my
free
how-to
e-newsletter…
www.aherncomm.com
Love Thy Reader | © Tom Ahern | © 2011 67