How to raise funds for your ‘unpopular’ cause
When it comes to fundraising, not every cause is created equal. Some issues don’t get the attention they deserve because they’re unpopular, controversial, or, in marketing terms, ‘unsexy’.
Save the panda? Sign me up! Save the ex-offender? No thanks.
The reality is that cute causes attract donor dollars, as do charities that tackle cancer, animal welfare, and the arts. But appeals for addiction, domestic violence, and ex-offenders face challenges.
This is evident from a study by The Centre of Philanthropy at the University of Kent about philanthropic support for ‘unpopular’ causes.
The research shows that in the top 100 most popular charities by donations given, there are:
9 cancer charities, and 13 other health-related charities
10 animal charities
10 arts charities
One mental health charity
Notable, there are no charities supporting addiction issues, ex-offenders, refugees, or asylum seekers in the top 250.
Why are some causes more popular than others?
Giving decisions are affected by a plethora of factors, but a major one is unconscious bias.
Unconscious biases are underlying attitudes and stereotypes we hold about people that affect how we understand and engage with them.
They’re influenced by our backgrounds, personal experiences, societal stereotypes, and cultural context. And they happen outside of our conscious awareness.
The problem with unconscious bias? When left unchecked, it prevents us from properly understanding other people’s thoughts, feelings, and situations - the very essence of empathy.
And, as we all know, empathy is a key driver of giving.
This is, in part, why health charities receive the big bucks, and ex-offender charities miss out.
Marketing your unpopular cause
You may not be able to do anything about unconscious bias, but money still needs to be raised.
How can you tackle the challenge of engaging donors with an unpopular cause?
Here are a few tips.
Reframe the message
If you want people to care about your cause, you need to make them care about the people it affects. Mental health charity, Mind, learnt this the hard way.
The mental health charity was perceived as the UK’s most "unpopular" cause in 2014, according to the University of Kent study.
In an effort to improve public perception, the charity embarked on a project to reframe its messaging.
As Paul Farmer, Chief Executive, explains, “We were finding it difficult to recruit new donors. We knew what we did mattered, but the message didn’t seem to be getting across. Mind has always focused on people – how mental health problems can affect individuals. But, somehow, we’d forgotten to put that at the heart of everything we said.”
Their revamped strategy focused on sharing compelling, real-life stories of the people they helped, rather than policy or diagnosis.
And it paid off. Within two years, the charity boosted its fundraising income by almost £1m and saw a surge in new donors and celebrity support.
Make the most of being the underdog
In his book, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell explores the power of the underdog.
He talks about how underdogs have advantages that stem from their disadvantages, but only if they think and act differently from the mainstream.
In the original story, David was not strong, but he was nimble. He played to his strengths (i.e., fighting from a distance) and came out on top.
Apply this thinking to your charity. Your cause may be unpopular, but what Daivd-style strengths do you have that you can make use of?
Focus on value, not volume
If your organisation rehabilitates perpetrators of domestic abuse, you’re going to be hard pressed to raise money through direct mailings and sponsored events.
But there are plenty of institutional funders and philanthropists that support niche causes.
Instead of focussing on the general public, put your efforts into finding the people who get what you do and cultivate them for higher value gifts.
This is how the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (NSF) increased their funding from £236,000 to £2million+ within five years.
As explained in this Charity Choice article, the charity started by reviewing the performance of all their fundraising campaigns. They scrapped their public appeals, loss-making Christmas cards, large events, and expensive donor acquisition programme. They then identified and approached a small number of trusts and foundations that supported their niche. Within a year, they’d increased trust income by 800%.
The takeaway
As Mind and NSF have proven, even the most ‘unpopular’ causes can attract donations. If you invest your organisational resources into framing your cause to maximise empathy and cultivating higher value donations from a smaller group of funders, there’s no reason why your charity won’t see the same results.
On the hunt for a fundraiser? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get the conversation started.