From: the Agitator Blog
By Tom Belford
December 18, 2009
“In a comment on The Agitator, Jim Toscano of the Minneapolis Heart Foundation says that checks will no longer be used in Britain in nine years.
And he asks: “What effect would it have on our fund-raising process if donors didn’t have a check to use to convey funds?” Fascinating question.
But first of all, can any of our UK readers confirm Jim’s report?
Assuming he’s got the scoop, let’s think about his question.
A key objective of direct mail fundraising has always been to simplify the response process, right up to and including a stamped reply envelope. And to support the close — “Send your check NOW!” — the best mail packages include an “order card” that drives home the “ask” by underscoring the most motivating sales points … and that makes it easy for the donor to provide necessary contact information.
When Jim’s check-less scenario comes to pass (at least in the UK), fundraisers using letters will need to motivate prospects to undertake a more complicated and time-consuming process … go to a computer, (perhaps) wait for it to boot up, navigate manually to the correct landing page, and once there, finally begin the actual transaction process (of course, mid-way through that process, the donor realizes that she doesn’t have her credit card handy!).
Will this extended process have an adverse impact on response? I’d say, definitely.
Some possible implications of a check-less fundraising environment …
1. The letter (if fundraisers are still using a letter!) must carry the “sale” on its own.
2. Alternatively, the “order card” becomes some sort of “reminder” card to be set aside to furnish the needed landing page URL when it’s convenient for the donor to go online and consider giving.
3. The landing page becomes the order card, and as such carries no less (and perhaps more) importance than the original pitch letter itself. But this is the way online fundraisers should be thinking about dedicated “donate” pages anyway.
Or,
4. The check-less environment simply accelerates the transition to strictly online fundraising … where, done correctly, there is the least transactional “friction” to deter a committed donor from actually making a gift, right then and there. This is not a certainty … most fundraisers report they have plenty of “cross-over” donors currently who respond to direct mail appeals via the online channel.
But whichever scenario emerges as far as how the pitch is first communicated to the prospect, what is certain is that credit/debit cards and EFTs will become the only transactional mode. Hopefully, in nine years the percentage of consumers/donors who remain resistant to electronic bill paying will be negligible. In the UK, what alternative will they have?
Any other thoughts on check-less fundraising?”