Breaking Free from ‘The Age of Average’ in Nonprofit Fundraising By Jessica Harrington, President

There is much to discuss regarding year-end fundraising, but let’s shift our focus to a critical issue: brand differentiation. A striking pattern emerged during the recent fundraising season – a sea of sameness.

A colleague and I noticed a flood of emails with variations of “Before the Ball Drops” as subject lines featuring GIFs of CEOs. In addition, “from my iPhone” messages, “membership cards,” and recycled designs were in abundance.

This reflected a trend that Alex Murrell addresses in his thought-provoking article “The Age of Average.” https://lnkd.in/eyh9Z_zE (h/t to Kantar‘s J. Walker Smith).

Murrell notes, “Every industry has converged on its own singular style.”

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  As Murrell writes, “Bold brands and courageous companies have the chance to chart a different course.”

Article below, but here are some takeaways:

🎯 Breaking Visual Monotony: Murrell points out, “Our visual culture is flatlining, and the only cure is creativity.” For nonprofits, this means creating campaigns that visually disrupt: designing content that stops the scroll, grabs attention, and breaks free from the expected.

🎯 Courage to Be Different: He urges us to “decline the indistinguishable.” Nonprofits should dare to step away from the industry norms and embrace strategies that might be unconventional but resonate more authentically.

🎯 Originality as a Priority: As Murrell succinctly puts it, “It’s time we reintroduced some originality.” It’s time to innovate in storytelling, engagement methods, and campaign designs, setting themselves apart in a crowded digital landscape.

So how do we apply Murrell’s principles in nonprofit fundraising?

🎯 Craft Unique Narratives: Tell stories that only your organization can tell. Don’t fall into the repetitive messaging trap of match, multiplier, goal, and deadline. Indeed, they have a role to play, but none of these tactics are unique to your organization.

🎯 Innovative Design and Media: Use design and media creatively to stand out. This could mean experimenting with different visual styles, multimedia content, or interactive elements in your digital presence (use those GIFs wisely!).

🎯 Personalization with a Twist: Go beyond traditional personalization. One organization recognized that I was a non-donor. I received a message that acknowledged I was about to make my first gift to the organization; it was powerful, and I completed the transaction.

✅ Stay tuned for our next discussion, where we’ll explore brand differentiation further, drawing insights from J. Walker Smith from Kantar. We’ll delve into how nonprofits can create a brand presence that’s distinct and deeply connected to their cause and community.