What Can We Learn from “The Apprentice?”

By Peggy Vinson

It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I watched the first episode of the new season of “Celebrity Apprentice” this week. To my surprise, the show taught a lot of lessons that are relevant for my not-for-profit clients.

Team Objective

Each team ran a diner for four hours. The team with the most tips and revenue during would have their earnings donated to their designated charity.  They used their connections and marketing strategies to win.

The Results (SPOILER ALERT!)

The men’s team raised almost $100,000 with $100 burgers in a diner in 4 hours.

The women’s team raised almost $40,000 with $25 burgers in 4 hours with lines of people wrapped around the corner for over 4 hours – they could not serve them all.

What Can We Learn?

1)    The men’s team made sure the right people were at the right stations.

2)    The women’s team worked to pull in the masses, and they missed some of the top donors left in the lines.

3)    The men remembered they were trying to raise money for a charity and priced their menu appropriately for their “connections.”  (very high priced)

4)    The men remembered their “connections” and their capabilities and didn’t sell them short – they were bold in their pricing and their comfort level in their relationships with these people.

Observation

In the case of “Celebrity Apprentice,” the winning team focused on donors with high giving potential and let those who didn’t have the same potential walk away. They were bold in their approach and it worked. Fewer donors equaled more money. The losing team’s approach ensures lots of folks were part of the action, but it raised less money.

Is it possible to achieve both?  I think so!

• What if we were bold enough to split our campaigns to include both of these types of campaigning?
• What if we challenged the board to ask few donors for a lot more money and inspired them to be bold in their asks?
• And what if we challenged staff and other volunteers to recruit as many donors as possible? And what if we got those donors to challenge their friends to support our organization because it matters to the community?

What do you think? What kind of team would you be more comfortable with? Have you seen strategies like this work in your campaigns in the past?

Last 5 posts by Peggy Vinson

• Sharing in the USA - November 29th, 2011
• Balanced Life? Are You Kidding? - September 26th, 2011
• The Return of the Annual Campaign - September 7th, 2011
• Always Look Up! - August 8th, 2011
• Slamming the Message Home - July 6th, 2011

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