Loading...

7 deadly sins in creative

The Seven Deadly Sins — many religions identify them as the basis for potential wrongdoing. The big sins have even have been used by writers and moviemakers as the basis of thrilling (maybe) stories.

During the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) 2015 Washington Nonprofit Conference, Steve Maggio of DaVinci Direct and Jenny Allen of Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey (CCAH) highlighted the Seven Deadly Sins of those who review creative for fundraising.

Maggio and Allen’s Seven Deadly Sins might sound familiar, but their context is something new. The magnificent seven are:

  •  Lust for response and revenue from donors, without providing a strong offer and ask to get it.
  • Gluttony of words, or trying to say everything about the organization’s mission in every letter.
  • Greed in the hoarding of resources, instead of investing in new donor acquisition.
  • Wrath of the red pen, or the incredible urge to change what someone else has created, regardless of whether or not it is on target.
  • Pride in an organization’s stats, instead of the role the donor plays. Envy of another organization’s program performance without doing the work needed to build one’s own organization’s program.
  • Sloth in not finding the good, true story that exemplifies an organization’s mission.