Tis the season for a nonprofit radio station that is in the midst of its annual pledge drive. I listen to this station occasionally, but when the pledge drive is in full effect, it follows a now predictable pattern:
Day 1- Celebration- here we celebrate the good the station has done (I'm very cool with this; in fact, on day 1 the station shared a story of how a song played saved someone's life- very cool)
Day 2- Anticipation- here we talk about excited we are at the upcoming year and all of the good things that are planned (again, I'm cool with this as well- it's ok to share what we're looking forward to)
Days 3-4- Anxiety- here is where anxiety to take center stage as the station finds itself behind the percentage needed for full funding (we compare to last year, compare to other markets, etc)
Days 5+- Panic- the longer the pledge drive goes, the more panic (and consequently guilt) the listener can expect to endure. Now, the station finds itself way behind whatever benchmarks of funding it uses and is using whatever appeals it can to generate cash (just this morning hearing an email from a listener who couldn't imagine life without this station's morning show).
After panic, threats begin to emerge as the station's management needs to consider which markets it might have to shut down. Honestly, I'm not sure if any markets have ever been shut down, but I know our local market has often fallen short of full funding and hasn't been shut down.
Full disclosure: I've given to this station in the past but stopped when the tactics began to emerge in the later days of their fund drives. As someone who works with finances and a non profit, the line between motivation and manipulation is very fine indeed, though I am not suggesting manipulation in the case of the station. I think most human beings know that fear is a motivator, but among the tools of a fundraiser, is one that ought rarely to be used.
As always, Seth Godin posts about this topic better here
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