Occasionally my wife will send me an email asking if we can donate to a particular cause. For the most part, like your donors, we have a handful of charities of choice. When we give outside of our charities of choice, it’s typically to friends and family who are raising money for a cause of their choice.

My wife is right on the border of being a Gen X/Millennial donor. She rarely gives any of the direct mail packs that arrive at our house (and there’s a lot because I like to be on as many seed lists as possible) a second glance. But she’ll often find something on the internet that grabs her.  This time, it’s the wonderful Ward + Robe campaign being run by Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada. Have you seen this video yet?

I really love the way that the problem (sick kids and the loss of identity that happens in illness) is presented alongside the solution (a custom hospital gown that allows a youth to re-gain some agency and identity) that a donor can easily be a part of. It’s a very specific and concrete campaign. You can actually see the change you’ll make in the video itself.

You might also want to check out the microsite which is excellently executed as well.

There’s Always Room For Improvement!

I do have a few suggestions for improvement mostly around the integration of the campaign.

The #WardRobes 4Teens campaign needs a prominent place on the Foundation’s website. I first saw the video on Facebook, and then when I went back to watch it again, I went to look for it on the website. At a quick glance I couldn’t find it anywhere on the homepage, or on the Ways to Give page. Reminder – campaigns and microsites are awesome, but you need to connect them to your organization website in a prominent way so people can find it.

You also need to not automatically check the box that adds people to your email list, as that’s not in line with current email rules. Instead, if you want express consent, then the donor has to check that box themselves.

And, think about the back end. Consider the message that you include on the tax receipt that’s automatically emailed to the donor after they make a gift. You want to make sure your message and tone align with the experience that you’ve given your donor thus far.

A big shout out to Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada for the excellent work. I can’t wait to see how it evolves and what kind of stewardship comes from this.