The power of simplicity for fundraisers [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Want your fundraising to do better?

Make it more simple.

I know there’s a lot you need to know about fundraising, but that’s probably the single most impactful piece of advice anyone can give you: Keep it simple!

If your fundraising is trying to educate your donors, explain your processes, or demonstrate the science behind your cause, you are raising less money than you could.

The research backs me up on this. Want to see it? Check out World’s Simplest Brands, a report from branding agency Siegel+Gale (free downloadable PDF; registration required).

The agency’s research on simplicity for commercial organizations finds that:

• 78% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand because it provides simpler experiences and communications.
• 64% of consumers are willing to pay more for simpler experiences.
• Brands are leaving $780 billion on the table when they don’t simplify.

Simple, in this study, is defined as:

• Easy to understand
• Transparent and honest
• Caring for and meeting consumer needs
• Innovative and fresh
• Useful

How much nonprofit fundraising completely misses one (or all) of those things, working on the assumption that donors will respond more if we give them more facts, figures, and concepts?

There’s a better way.

Making things simple is not easy. But it’s worth the effort!