We know that the Obama campaign made great use of micro-fundraising during its two successful campaigns. If you are signed up to the emails, you’ll know the kind of thing. You get an email asking you to donate $5 before midnight to get a chance to have dinner with Obama or some (other) celebrity.
The Liberal Democrats have been experimenting a lot with that sort of thing. During the Eastleigh by-election I had a whole host of emails, with increasingly emotional appeals, designed to get me in my soft, weak spots. And even though I’m a cynical old trout who knew what was going on, I still fell for it pretty much every single time.
Their efforts last night during the debate was slightly lost on me, but then it wasn’t their fault that I had left my phone in the car when I’d nipped out before the debate.
Much later, I found out I had a text saying “Is Nigel making you angry?” with a hyperlink to click. Others had received a slightly different version with a way of replying to donate £5 by text. I wanted to reward what I thought was a very good idea so I did donate this morning, even though I had to grumpily swear my way through the whole process of keying in my credit card details with my chubby fingers on my phone.
It’ll be interesting to see how effective this has been. The Obama campaign analysed everything to the most minute detail. We’ll know if this works if it keeps happening. I think they should maybe try it during Call Clegg and see how that works.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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12 Comments
> I had to grumpily swear my way through the whole process of keying in my credit card details with my chubby fingers on my phone
I thought that when charities are trolling for mobile phone donations it went on the phone bill?
Should the LDs not use that route?
Personally if I start being bombarded by any organisation for text message donations, it is likely to guarantee they lose my donations entirely by any route, but that is just my opinion. If I donate to charity I like to think about it first rather than do things on a whim.
Matt, there appears to have been two versions of the text, I guess to see which route worked better. I agree the reply to donate would seem to make more sense.
“Text to send £10 and Clegg will resign ! ”
That would be a real money spinner for the party. You would get donations from most Liberal Democrats .
“That would be a real money spinner for the party. You would get donations from most Liberal Democrats .”
Except that they would be making a totally negative move, with no-one suggesting this having the faintest idea who would replace him.
Blame Clegg and use him as a scapegoat. A very easy, simple get out, but ultimately negative and destructive.
John, that’s not what the LDV surveys would suggest, with a majority backing him as leader.
I got “Is Nigel making you angry? Don’t get mad, get even. Donate to keep Britain in Europe now [hyperlink]”
I TRIED to reply to it, but it wouldn’t let me. My reply was not massively positive, mind…
Caron
How many Liberal Democrats respond to the LDV survey? Liberal Democrat membership we are told is this month more than 40,000 ( that is including those who are no longer allowed to leave now that HQ hands out free memberships to anyone who stops paying –see various comments in LDV from people for whom this has happened )
So whatever LDV surveys say, my guess as to the views of the majority of Liberal Democrats is as good.
JohnTilley:
There are no ‘free memberships’ being handed out. It is completely false to suggest so. See Austin’s explanation of this issue on the post about membership.
@Ben
I looked at the thread that you suggested and read Austin’s explanation, which is followed by the following three comments for which there is as yet no answer.
David Foster 2nd Apr ’14 – 9:59pm
How does Paul’s version of events reconcile with Austin’s?
Tim13 2nd Apr ’14 – 11:31pm
Austin, of course those errors to which you refer have been going on for years. People have been pointing it out for years. Why does it “suddenly come to light” because an MP points it out. In response to the Paul in Twickenham v Austin Rathe (how DO you pronounce your surname, by the way?) I will gently bring up the issue of those who actively resign, by letter, from the Party in the middle of their subscription year. These people are normally counted as members until their subs lapse, which may be 9 or even 12 months later. No wonder membership numbers are bigger than might be expected!
Caron Lindsay 2nd Apr ’14 – 11:46pm
Tim, I’ll let Austin respond to rest,
I would only note that my unexpected membership card says “member since December 2013”. I am perfectly prepared to accept the explanation of the circumstances and accept that this is cockup/good intentions and not conspiracy.
“There are no ‘free memberships’ being handed out. It is completely false to suggest so. See Austin’s explanation of this issue on the post about membership.”
Maybe I misunderstood but I thought Paul In Twickenham stopped paying his membership but was given membership nonetheless. Isn’t that a ‘a free membership’ being ‘handed out’ ???
Phyllis: I would direct you to Austin’s comments on this thread for an answer.
https://www.libdemvoice.org/liberal-democrat-membership-grows-by-over-500-in-first-quarter-of-2014-38986.html#comments