Mobile Giving the “A Christmas Story” Way

The holidays are prime giving season. Want your nonprofit to have the most successful holiday fundraising season possible? Take a few lessons about mobile giving from one of America’s most beloved holiday movies, A Christmas Story.

Always Have a Plan B

Your nonprofit already offers more traditional methods of giving, like pledge cards and cash donations. But relying on these outdated means could cause problems. What if your donors forget to bring cash? What if they fill out a pledge card, but never remember to make good on their promised donation?

Remember the turkey feast Mrs. Parker prepared in A Christmas Story? Throughout the morning, she worked in the kitchen, getting the turkey ready for a lovely Christmas dinner. She even managed to fend off her husband, who loved to taste pieces of turkey before it was fully cooked.

Unfortunately, their plans of a traditional Christmas meal were thrwarted when the neighbor’s dogs tore through the house, destroying the turkey and forcing the family to go out to eat. After their meal was literally off the table, they had to make other plans. Thankfully, they were able to find a last minute Plan B in the form of Chinese food.

To avoid this kind of mishap at your nonprofit, always have a Plan B. Don’t rely entirely on cash, checks, and pledges. Add mobile giving to your fundraising strategy so you will never have to miss out on potential donations again.

Mobile Giving Is Like a Major Award

Mobile giving is a wonderful thing. It can benefit your nonprofit — and your donors — in many ways, including:

• Forgetting to bring cash is no longer a problem
• No more writing checks
• No more counting money and carrying it to the bank for deposit
• Donors can give anywhere, anytime

With such a great piece of technology on your side, why would you hide it away? You’ll want everyone to know that you use mobile giving.

Tell the world! Show it off! Let the neighbors see your “major award.” Put it on display in the front window, like Ralphie’s old man did with his beloved leg lamp.

You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid

Have you ever disregarded advice from a colleague, friend, or family member, only to regret it in the long run? Ralphie Parker sure did. Despite many warnings about the dangers of BB guns, he simply would not take no for an answer. He even went to Santa Claus to try to circumvent his mother, but even Santa passed along the same advice: “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.”

When your nonprofit receives advice about mobile giving, whether from experts in the field or other nonprofits who have used the technology, you should listen to what they have to say. Heed their warnings about outdated giving methods. Otherwise, you may regret it — just like Ralphie eventually regretted not listening to the advice of his mom, his teacher, and Santa Claus about that Red Ryder BB gun.