🦄 Read this to protect more endangered unicorns.
Let’s play a game of good, better, best.
Here are three ways to invite someone to give to protect endangered unicorns, each one a little better than the next:
Good: Will you help us protect the life of an endangered unicorn by giving today?
Why is it good?
It’s outcomes focused. It’s about protecting the life of an endangered unicorn — not helping you make up a budget deficit or run a program.
Inviting people to give is about finding alignment between what you do and what they want to make happen.
You may want to make up a budget deficit or run a program, but most of the people you are talking to only want to protect endangered unicorns.
You’ll find a lot more alignment by focusing on the outcomes you both want to see happen than you ever will by focusing on a budget deficit.
Better: Will you help protect the life of an endangered unicorn by giving today?
Why is it better?
Instead of asking the reader if they will help YOU protect the life of an endangered unicorn, you’re asking the reader if THEY will help protect the life of an endangered unicorn.
When you say, “Will you help protect the life of an endangered unicorn…” you make it about the person reading.
When you say, “Will you help us protect the life of an endangered unicorn…” you make it about you, the organization.
Most people really don’t care about helping an organization.
They do… at some level… but what they really care about is helping protect the endangered unicorns.
They’re way more likely to respond to help protect the life of an endangered unicorn than they are to help you protect the life of an endangered unicorn.
Right or wrong, we all want to be the hero of our own stories. Don’t ask someone to helpyou do a thing.
Ask them to do the thing.
Best: Will you protect the life of an endangered unicorn by giving today?
Why is this best?
If I give you a choice between helping make something happen or makingsomething happen, which would you choose?
This is so subtle and nuanced, but it matters.
In the same way people don’t necessarily want to help you, the nonprofit, do something, they really don’t want to help either.
Most of us, if given a choice, would much rather do the thing than help do the thing.
Now, before you go accusing me of straining gnats, hear me out. Why does this matter?
Imagine how many times you’re going to invite people to give to protect an endangered unicorn over the course of a 10-year span.
Between emails, letters, social media, events, and one-on-one conversations, someone raising funds for even a small to medium endangered unicorn nonprofit is going to invite people to give THOUSANDS of times.
If the better option is even 10% more effective than the good option, and the best option is even 10% more effective than the better option, how many more endangered unicorns get protected over 10 years?
I’m not 100% sure because unicorns don’t actually exist, but you get the point.
Words matter. Choose them carefully.
They just might be the difference between protecting 1,000 unicorns vs 1,210 unicorns in the next decade.
On behalf of those 210 additional unicorns who need protecting, thanks for reading.
