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October 21, 2008

A Blah Fund-Raising Appeal Backfires

It turns out that jokes about the economic crisis and the increased financial needs of students just aren’t funny when they appear in a fund-raising letter from your alma mater.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert may make snarking about current events look easy, but Framingham State College learned a painful lesson in misguided humor when it attempted to make light of the tanking economy and credit crunch in a recent appeal for donations from 6,000 younger alumni who had not previously given to the college.

“With the recent economic downturn and loan crisis, it has become even more important for Framingham State College to receive your support. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,” the letter reads. It goes on to say: “No matter the amount, every gift counts. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah …”

All told, the letter featured 137 “blah”s.

Young alumni told The MetroWest Daily News, a local newspaper, that they were insulted by the letter. “It just doesn’t seem like something from a legitimate university,” one 2003 graduate said.

Christopher Hendry, Framingham State’s vice president for college advancement, wrote a letter of apology that called the blah-blah-blah solicitation a “misguided and embarrassing attempt to connect with alumni in a different way.”

The original letter wasn’t a complete failure, however. According to the newspaper, about 40 alumni who received it donated a total of about $2,000.

— Kathryn Masterson

Tuesday October 21, 2008 | Permalink

Comments

1. The wisdom I’ve always heard about fundraising letters is that most people read the first and last paragraphs, and ignore everything in the middle. I even heard a speaker refer to the middle of the letter as the “blah blah blah” part (reminiscent of a Lenny Bruce routine). But you have to actually use real words there.

   My guess is that the person targeting young alumni is in his forties himself, and thought that all those young kids think like Jerry Seinfeld. He doesn’t interact with young alumni enough to understand that they really are smart and really do ask the same questions as any other alumni.

   So they raised $2000. They probably spent more than that sending out the apology letter. Foolish mistake.

   — Sky Bluesky    Oct 22, 02:29 PM    #

2. I remember a similar incident years ago when a fundraiser produced a donation request intended for repeat donors and it said “Up Yours”. It was not well-received!

   — Diane    Oct 22, 02:40 PM    #

3. In our spring solicitation we offered “Free gas offering inside” on the envelope. Inside it said something about we weren’t really giving free gas but with the high gas prices, quality family time is close to home at our park (Vs the alternatives for summer quality family time). equating a trip to the park as gas saved verses a trip elsewhere.

   A joke that worked for us. But again our joke was funny and emphasized our current concern at the time over gas prices. The goal was to get them to open the letter.

   It is one thing to be creative. This one wasn’t creative.

   BTW, my idea is available for a 10% campaign surcharge :)

   — Mike    Oct 22, 02:49 PM    #

4. I think the biggest problem for Framingham State is that it wasn’t funny. Donors don’t attend AFP meetings and get the “joke” about the blah, blah, blahs. I’d like to think a funny appeal could work—but it would have to be really funny. Until I can figure out how to be that funny, I’ll just state the need!

   — miriam    Oct 22, 03:12 PM    #

5. The “blah, blah” letter has been around for years and has had success in the past with younger alums. This economic downturn version may have hit a sour note, or maybe everyone is just too cranky and humorless these days.

   — Mary Ann Oppenheimer    Oct 22, 03:18 PM    #

6. Raised $2,000 from 6,000 alums who’d never given a penny—seems like a success to me

   — anon    Oct 22, 04:33 PM    #

7. I think the college has learned a valuable lession.

   — Ferdinand Starbuck    Oct 23, 02:43 PM    #

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