THE ROBERT W. WHITAKER ARCHIVE

HISSY FITS AND FUND RAISING | 2016-05-07

Fund Raising is a Science. I was fascinated by how direct mail fundraisers operated. Richard Viguerie wrote the manual on direct mail techniques.

The professionals have statistically verified how long sentences should be, how long paragraphs should be and what words make a difference in how many and how much funds are raised.

This is excellent work, but it has one fatal problem. It selects what is best for fund raising, but not what WORKS in the field. As one AFP Board member said repeatedly, "White Genocide is a hard sell."

People who give money, have money. People who give money like the same old tunes.  Almost every fundraising letter is a set of old platitudes that have worked.

For campaigns, we will have to find a fundraising appeal that EXPLAINS this problem, finds donors who want to stimulate the electorate, even if it breaks out of the old platitudes.

Otherwise we will have National Review and hissy fits forever.

COMMENTS (13)

#1 -backbaygrouch- | 2016-05-07 11:21

Prospecting is the term that fundraisers use when they are testing messages and developing lists that get the bucks to roll in. In direct mail prospecting is expensive.

Most fundraising is done off of developed lists and messages. These tools are then rented out. It is big business. Thus, Bob's analysis. As the Kinder say, same-o, same-o. [At least that's what this old fart thinks they say. Moi lingo is probably beyond passe. Puters have accelerated the world so much I'll be spinning in my grave by the time I catch up to 2016.]

Our problem is how to construct a mechanism that is economical and effective. A tall order.

If you have a large enough list you can test different approaches to your message by sending them each out to a different but statistically equal target groups and compare the Ka-Chinks on your cash register.

But where to get the initial lists? Ideas, please.

Query: On robocalls can you get feedback on who listened to the entire message and did not hang up? Those people deserve a follow up call from your new list of the curious. Can you get their home addresses or email information?

Gathering data is key. Can it be bought? What do email lists cost? What are the costs?

Any pros among us? Or people who are young and looking for a new profession?

Again, ideas, please. Especially from alt right nerds.

#2 -backbaygrouch- | 2016-05-07 11:30

"...One AFP Board member said repeatedly, "White Genocide is a hard sell." An opinion or a report from the front? Has White Genocide been subjected to a carefully constructed market test? An unpopular or shocking idea can often raise a lot of money. Think Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders. Libertarianism is not mainstream anymore than is Communism but they both have set records in fundraising.

#3 Tom Bowie | 2016-05-07 12:55

BBG

WhiteGeNOcide is an easy sell in the field person to person, I know because that's how I do it.

Then again, I've only talked to a couple of thousand normal folk so far. I also know the sales are getting easier over time with many folk.

#4 Henry Davenport | 2016-05-07 22:38

It's the radio spots allowed to political candidates that we want to use donations for, right?

We could tweet links to a donation page that would have this text:

"Radio stations must offer political candidates radio spots at the lowest rate they've offered to anyone in the last year, so the number of commercials we'll be able to broadcast like the one below is limited only by your financial support:

(An example of a commercial)

Your contributions will be used entirely for such radio commercials."

Then let the following statement be the link to the donation page that we spread where we can make it a link (like on Stormfront):

"Donate to radio commercials against White Genocide"

And on twitter I guess we'd have to paste that statement and then write the link to the donation page after it.

Of course we'd have an article about it on White Genocide Project and a thread about it on SF.

#5 Henry Davenport | 2016-05-07 22:53

The wording in the above might be a little tricky because I think the law requires that the candidate be a candidate in good faith, or something like that.

Also, radio stations simply denied the spots to Robert Ransdell for his Senate campaign.

I included the line "All contributions will be used entirely for such radio commercials" mainly in hopes of possible donators not feeling like they would be betraying their support of Trump. Projecting that feeling to readers while keeping Bob a candidate in good faith (whatever the law about that is exactly, if it even matters) could maybe be a little bit of a thin edge.

#6 Henry Davenport | 2016-05-08 10:21

I haven't cared for this "Likes" / "Dislikes" addition to the comments ever since I first saw it. It changes the feel of the comment sections (it's like one of the countless tricks built into the SF site to make members feel "involved" while actually directing them toward doing NOTHING.)

To whoever "disliked" my suggestion: please think for a minute. Your dislike is USELESS information to me and to anyone else. Tell us WHY you think it's a poor suggestion, so that together we can all develop better suggestions for raising money.

That sort of thinking has always been what has prevailed here, not getting our egos involved in being "liked" or "disliked." (As a humorous aside, I'll mention that SF members actually start threads there on how to increase their "reputation" points! Let's not head down "The Silly Road.")

#7 Laura | 2016-05-08 12:31

HD, we need to try EVERYTHING and ANYTHING to start raising some money for Bob's campaign. The more we raise the more we can DO! Radio ads, robocalls, newspaper ads, facebook ads, direct mail ect

We have a donate link on Bob's campaign site that people can start promoting on twitter, facebook and EVERYWHERE!

But people have to DO IT, not just talk about it.

Eyeslevel, Bob and I are currently working on a fundraising letter to send out to all of FWG donors. We will put it up on SF and WGP as well.

As Jason said, "..It is time for us to scrap our dollars together."

#8 Henry Davenport | 2016-05-09 22:31

Here's a start. Let me know if anything needs changing.

FIGHT WHITE GENOCIDE in 2016 by DONATING to presidential candidate BOB WHITAKER - WGP

FIGHT WHITE GENOCIDE in 2016 by DONATING to presidential candidate BOB WHITAKER - SF thread

FIGHT WHITE GENOCIDE in 2016 by DONATING to presidential candidate BOB WHITAKER - SF blog

#9 Laura | 2016-05-10 09:13

FANTASTIC work, HD!! THANK YOU!!

#10 Henry Davenport | 2016-05-10 11:09

Thanks, Laura :) When I get on twitter later today, I'll tweet out requests for donations, and continue to do that in the weeks ahead.

I believe you've actually gotten some $ contributions from SF'ers for projects in the past, no (?), so maybe BUGSers who are on SF can bump the SF thread occasionally, as well as our commenting occasionally to the WGP article.

It will be a thrill to hear Bob doing radio spots and robocalls with his slow emphatic inflections that make the points so well!

#11 Bob | 2016-05-08 08:24

BBG:

WE GOT NO MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

#12 shari | 2016-05-10 14:07

If you donate on line, is it reoccurring or can you donate one time?

#13 Henry Davenport | 2016-05-11 20:53

I just went through the steps on the donation page on Bob's campaign site, and it appears that it's set up for one donation at a time.

I see that a great combination of graphic and accompanying text has just been added to the bottom of that page! Great job by someone! :)