Stephen Pidgeon provides a whistle-stop tour of innovative donor recruitment campaigns.

A recruitment revolution is happening in the UK and Europe. Now, I’m prone to exaggeration but there are more interesting things happening now than I’ve seen since face-to-face fundraising hit the streets. And it’s not particularly ‘digital’. Most of it involves old-fashioned ‘connections’ with people, making them feel good about supporting the cause.

This revolution recognises that connections can be made through both one-stage and two-stage methods. Charity ads asking us to text £3 to their cause are everywhere and they’re pretty effective. The initial text is followed by a phone call of thanks and a conversion to a regular monthly gift.

{{image:{"asset":"051DA55B-267C-4462-8FA55D63FA1A7561","alt_text":"","dimensions":"","quality":"mediumPerformance","alignment":"auto","spacing":"5","copyright":"","caption":"","link":"","link_asset":"","link_page":"","link_target":"_self"}:image}}But in their campaign to save the bees this year, Friends of the Earth added sweetly to this model by promising ‘bee-friendly flower seeds’. This elicits the supporter’s address as well as their mobile number and shifts the balance of pleasure and obligation.

If I text £3 to a charity, I have a momentary feeling of pleasure, soon destroyed by the irritating follow-up call. Texting £3 to a campaign that promises me interesting seeds means I look forward to the call. Indeed I am even grateful for the call because Friends of the Earth have promised me something I want.