I don’t care if you’re not a football fan.
Grab a box of Kleenex and watch 23-year-old Louisiana State University (LSU) quarterback Joe Burrow win the 2019 Heisman Trophy as college football’s best fundraiser, er, player.
Watch because—in the course of accepting college football’s most prestigious award—Burrow talked about his hometown, Athens, Ohio.
As columnist Peter King describes:
“Early in his speech, speaking off the cuff, Burrow spoke for exactly 31 seconds about things you don’t hear, ever, in a nationally televised Heisman speech: poverty and hunger.”
What??
This was Burrow:
“Coming from southeast Ohio, it’s a very impoverished area. The poverty rate is almost two times the national average. There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot. I’m up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home—not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. You guys can be up here too.”
Will Drabold, an Athens resident—and a communications consultant (naturally!)—was listening.
And here’s what happened next (via ESPN’s College GameDay*):
Drabold’s Facebook fundraiser for the Athens County Food Pantry took off all right. As of today (34 days later), they’re at $509,000 and counting.
Fundaising communications lessons for nonprofits? Here we go:
- Timing and urgency: Drabold’s immediate Facebook post happened when LSU fans and Ohioans were at their peak on the joy-o-meter. The biggest winner was the food pantry. Similarly, as fundraising guru Kim Klein notes, many donors will give to you “episodically,” particularly when something major happens to your organization’s constituents. When that happens, she says, publicize it fast—particularly on social media.
- Ease of giving: Two clicks. That’s all it takes to donate on a Facebook fundraising page. And have I mentioned that Facebook adds no fees to donations? If your nonprofit hasn’t signed up yet for Facebook’s giving tools, it may be time.
- Celebrity: It sure helps when an influencer or celebrity endorses your cause. Don’t underestimate the power of local figures in boosting your fundraising (yes, even that shout-out from the local weatherman).
- An emotional appeal: See paragraph two re: Kleenex.
- Social media + news media = More dollars raised: While social media was the initial driver to Drabold’s fundraiser, giving was boosted because Burrow’s speech also got plenty of coverage in print, broadcast and internet news outlets. Consider drafting a well-written, timely press release if your nonprofit has a good story to tell. Even better, pitch a story idea to a local journalist that could highlight the need or impact of your community work.
- Tribute gifts: Drabold prompted people to make a donation to the food pantry in honor of Burrow. I don’t think that nonprofits capitalize enough on tribute or memorial gifts. Make sure the donate page on your website gives donors the option to give in honor of someone. And tell them the option is there.
This dyed-in-the-wool UConn fan might just find herself (secretly) rooting for LSU next year.
*Source: College GameDay, ESPN, Joe Burrow’s Heisman speech has affected positive change in Ohio. YouTube, January 13, 2020. Full story is 4:17.
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Learn more about Carol Buckheit, author of this post and principal consultant at Just Giving Communications.