Monday Buzz: Greta Gerwig’s Lesson on Asking for a Favor

Nonprofits often seek the support of celebrities to raise awareness of important causes. Sometimes celebs are happy to help; many times they decline. If your organization is usually rejected, you may want to take a cue from Lady Bird writer and director Greta Gerwig.

Gerwig wanted to feature hit songs by Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morissette, and Dave Matthews in her film. Her heartfelt letters to the artists, in which she shared her feelings about the songs and how they would be used in the movie, are essentially a master class in requesting a favor, reports Quartz  (opens in a new tab).

Gerwig opened each letter with a biographical anecdote to form an immediate connection. “The very first cassette tape I ever bought was Jagged Little Pill,” she wrote to Morissette. “I would listen to ‘Perfect’ over and over in my living room, memorizing the lyrics, feeling that it was written just for me.”

Take a look at her letters to see how she deftly uses flattery and emotional appeals to get a yes from the stars.

Don’t Be Annoying

Heads up! You might actually be annoying your members if you are… https://t.co/cX6faOXkPU  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #association  (opens in a new tab)

— MemberClicks (@MemberClicks) December 11, 2017  (opens in a new tab)

Do you have bad habits that turn off your members? A recent post on the MemberClicks blog details a some things you might do that could be driving your members nuts  (opens in a new tab)—and how to remedy them.

One of the quickest ways to annoy your members is to take too long to answer simple questions. To avoid this problem, start by setting expectations. “First things first, you need to be clear in what kind of response time your members should be expecting,” writes Krissy Conant. “This solution can look like an automated response email that goes to your members advising that you will get back to them within x hours (think 24- or 48-hour time spans).”

Other Links of Note

The business travel industry is evolving. The Next Web shares new trends to expect in 2018  (opens in a new tab).

The last thing you want your organization to be known for is a data breach. Protect customer and member data using these tips from CMSWire  (opens in a new tab).

Instagram captions can be harder to write than Facebook or Twitter. Riotly Social Media shares a few ways to write compelling captions  (opens in a new tab).

“Lady Bird” director Greta Gerwig, right. (A24)