Extroversion and introversion fundamentally involves (1) where someone gets energy and (2) how that person processes information.
****EXTROVERTS****
Extroverts get energy from being around people in unstructured settings. Often, simply being in the same room with other people energizes them. They are drained when being isolated or in an environment with incredibly structured interpersonal relationships. Often extroverts in these situations will find themselves picking at food, making random phone calls, or getting up and walking the halls in an attempt to re-energize themselves.
When it comes to processing information, it’s been said that if extroverts aren’t talking, they aren’t thinking. That isn’t too far from the truth. Extroverts are verbal processors—they talk about their ideas, tweak them as they talk, and then figure out what they’re thinking. This can be confusing for others because it can look like extroverts are forever changing their mind. Often an idea isn’t “real” until an extrovert has been able to brainstorm about it with other people. For them, interacting with people IS a worthy objective and a concrete task.
****INTROVERTS****
Introverts, on the other hand, tend to get energy from being alone or working with people in very structured ways. This does NOT mean they are socially inept. It simply means interacting with people for extended periods of time, especially in unstructured settings, will usually drain them. They’ll often need to go to lunch alone or close their office door to re-energize.
When introverts process information, they do the processing internally. They’ll mull over an idea by themselves, polishing it, making it just right. THEN, they’ll be ready to share it with others. When they finally do verbalize their idea, it’s a finished product.
****CONFLICT****
Since we all tend to assume people think and act like we ourselves do, there is plenty of room for misunderstanding! Take for instance, when an extrovert hears an introvert share an idea in a staff meeting. The extrovert starts batting the idea around like a cat with a ball. The introvert gets angry that his idea is being treated so lightly. Both get offended, wondering how the other could be so callous. We all assume everyone else sees the world just as we do! Extroverts processing externally EXPECT to bat ideas around with a group of people. But introverts processing internally expect spoken ideas to have already been well thought out.
Can you imagine how much more productive this encounter would be if both people knew these differences BEFORE the meeting? Each would be able to step back and question their natural impulse. The extrovert could realize that the introvert has spent a lot of time with the idea they just shared. And the introvert would understand when the extrovert tries to play with the idea. That’s just what extroverts do. It doesn’t excuse either person but it does open up a way for each to begin speaking the other’s “dialect.”
****IMPLICATIONS FOR FUNDRAISING****
I bet you’ve already begun to see how this can affect the way we go about raising money. In a former life, I was an alumni director at a boarding school. One of the ideas I piloted was having alumni gatherings at brew pubs. Not an earth shaking new idea, but a huge step out of the norm for the school. I thought these events were great. I’d hang out with alum of all types, get to know them better, update them about the school, and ask for money, all in a completely unstructured way.
Then I introduced this concept to an event we were going to have with the headmaster. The director of development and the headmaster graciously agreed to try it out. Unfortunately I wasn’t aware of the differences between extroversion and introversion. I loved the unstructured nature of these events. But neither of them did. And why would they? While it was always wonderfully enlivening to me, interacting with people for hours in such an unstructured way was incredibly draining for them. I thought the event went very well; but they were exhausted. We decided not to do that kind of event again.
****WHAT ABOUT YOU?****
Fortunately, this is natural tendency is very easy to act on. Where do you get your energy? From people or from time apart? Do you need to modify your interaction with donors and the events that you throw to include others? How do you process information: internally or externally? If you’re a verbal processor, perhaps you should figure out what you want to say BEFORE you find yourself sitting across from the donor?
Regular readers of this Ezine will know that I think very highly of Seth Godin. He’s the author of many books including “Permission Marketing,” “Unleashing the Idea Virus,” “Really Bad Power Point,” and “Purple Cow.” What I love most about Seth is that he thinks on-the-edge and persuasively argues that in today’s economy on-the-edge thinking is far safer than maintaining the status quo.
If you read “”Purple Cow,” you know Seth firmly believes that for your organization to thrive you need to make it remarkable; something others will talk about to their friends. He got the idea while driving through the French countryside. The first cow his son saw was amazing and exciting. The 100th was normal and boring. If they had seen a PURPLE COW at that point, they would have taken notice.
“Free Prize Inside” picks up where “”Purple Cow” left off by giving a practical method for championing remarkable changes in our organizations. “Free Prize Inside” ” is divided into three sections:
- Why You Need a Free Prize
- Selling the Idea
- Creating the Free Prize
A “free prize” is a “soft innovation.” It may seem like a gimmick at first but actually becomes an essential part of your product or service. We know what our favorite cereal tastes like, but it often becomes irresistible to us when we see we can get a free prize inside the box. To illustrate his point, Seth is selling the first printing of this book in a custom-made cereal box! You can still get a copy at Amazon:
My affiliate link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591840414/marcpitmancom
A regular link to the book
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591840414/
Seth builds the case for the urgent need of people in all fields, including nonprofits, to be championing soft innovations. Soft innovations are the “clever, insightful, useful small ideas that just about anyone in an organization can think up.” He’s convinced, and convincing, that anyone can come up with a free prize. But how do you convince your organization to adopt it?
When you share your cool, life-changing idea to a co-worker or your boss, he says they’ll ask three questions:
- Is this idea doable?
- Is it worth doing?
- Are you the one able to do it successfully?
If they aren’t convinced about any of those questions (which Seth calls the “Fulcrum of Innovation”) they won’t join you and the idea will die. The second part of the book is dedicated to showing us how to become champions and set the stage for “yes” answers to all three questions. If we can’t win the support of others, creating a free prize isn’t important.
The last section is dedicated to finding the free prizes. What would make your organization remarkable? Here Seth introduces his new concept of “edgecraft.” He explains,
“You’re…caught in the center of a web of boring. The goal of edgecraft is to pick an edge (there are hundreds to choose from) and go all the way with it–even a little further than that if you can. Moving a little is expensive and useless. Moving a lot is actually cheaper in the long run and loaded with wonderful possibilities.”
Donuts are boring but Krispy Kreme found an edge and made them sensational. Renting movies has been going on for decades but Netflix went to the edge and changed the rental experience. They created a free prize and a very loyal customer following. The United Way found free prize when they discovered the concept of payroll deduction. And they raised a lot of money with that free prize!
As we’ve seen in the “Creating Donor Evangelist” series, if our constituents aren’t talking about us, our organizations won’t survive. “Free Prize Inside” is an inspiring and practical handbook to help us to find our edges and push for a free prize. I highly recommend reading it and getting a copy for your entire staff!
****WHAT ABOUT YOU?****
What edges can you go to to find a free prize? When I was at Seth’s loft last year, my group was exploring remarkable ways to promote my planned giving program. Seth thought they were all far too safe. He asked why I didn’t promote a “Dead Money Auction” in which people placed “bids” letting us know how much they were leaving us in their estate. THAT, he said, would get people talking about planned giving.
What about you? I bet you already have a dozen free prizes floating around your head, don’t you? Be sure to read the book to see how to champion your ideas so that your boss and co-workers will buy in to them too.
If you’re still struggling with finding a free prize, check out the tool my friend David Badurina created at:
http://www.viralmarketingtool.com/index.php?referrer_id=16
His little program is one of the least expensive, most effective tools I’ve come across in a long time. Imagine being able to have a quote on your donor’s or alumni’s computers once a week–whether their email was working or not! You could have quotes from favorite professors. Or maybe interesting facts that reinforce the urgency of your cause.
Download the free demo version and check it out for yourself.
