Over Sold Christmas Gifts

Submitted by Mercedes on November 30, 2007 - 10:46am.

I managed to get our Christmas gifts on morning TV and since then our sales have sky rocketed. We have over sold on the guinea pigs by 50% which means that the program section will have to dramatically expand the guinea pig program in South America.

The program section complained that they just can expand the program like that. I suggested to swap guinea pigs for llamas. I think you would get 10-15 guinea pigs for a llama. The llama program would also have really good marketing potential especially for major donors. I really wanted us to sell both llamas and guinea pigs as our market research showed that llamas would have been as popular, however they were more expensive and the management just decided to go with the guinea pigs because there was already a program running. The toilets and village wells always do badly I hope we get rid of them for next year.

Submitted by myraidgoups on December 1, 2007 - 3:05am.

You know, Mercedes, I am sure you are doing your best, but I must say that I find your postings rather cynical. In fact, I can't help but thinking that they are a form of satire, lampooning the 'commercial' approach to aid work that some PR and fundraising people sometimes exhibit. This impression is strengthened by the fact that in both your recent postings the sting is in the tail, which is a very common (and effective) literary ploy.

So tell us: is this for real or are you writing satire? If the latter, I must say it is definitely not bad!

Cheers,
Michael

Submitted by Warren Keen on December 1, 2007 - 8:07am.

I want one!! inepd.org.
How could someone buy a latrine when faced with something so cute. I guess it would be a real marketing challenge to get donors to make the connection as to where these, er 'pets', eventually end up. Management will have a lot to answer for with all those backed up latrines ;o)
Hope the studies are going well Michael. Have a great Chrissy.

Cheers,

Waz

Submitted by Mercedes on December 3, 2007 - 10:40am.

Dear Michael,
Sorry for not getting back to you earlier. I am still recovering from the Inepd World Aids Day Charity Ball on the weekend. Fantastic event, we had a few minor celebrities, models and Hello magazine photographers, oh and don't forget loads of champagne!! Not forgetting we even raised a little money for a good cause (I hope Fabio the Brazilian model calls).

Now I spoke to one of my friends who is a writer at Cleo and she hadn’t heard of the “sting in the tail” literary ploy. I was also surprised that you think “some” people in PR and fundraising exhibit a cynical commercial approach.

I thought putting a few posts up in this forum would be a good way to get a bit of profile for my organisation as I have been waiting three weeks now for my colleagues blogs to be posted on AWN (and have still heard nothing). To tell you the truth I would prefer to leave the blogging to the experts who know about aid work, as I always have a bit of trouble relating to field types(as I think you are implying). I hope I have answered your questions.

Mercedes
Communications Manager
International Network for Enabling Poverty Development
http://www.inepd.org

Submitted by jcravens42 on December 3, 2007 - 11:32am.

"I thought putting a few posts up in this forum would be a good way to get a bit of profile for my organisation as I have been waiting three weeks now for my colleagues blogs to be posted on AWN (and have still heard nothing)."

How frustrating. I'll try to bring this to one of the AWN core volunteers attention, so that it can be dealt with at last (sorry that I can't help you myself).

<><><><>
Jayne Cravens
www.coyotecommunications.com/development/
formerly of Kabul, Afghanistan...
now back in Bonn, Germany

Submitted by Mercedes on December 5, 2007 - 4:34pm.

Dear Jayne,
Thanks, I have received a response on my colleagues blogs.
All the best,

Mercedes
Communications Manager
International Network for Enabling Poverty Development
http://www.inepd.org

Submitted by myraidgoups on December 3, 2007 - 11:44am.

Hi Mercedes,

You know how I read the title of your posting on first reading? "Inept, not cynical". I think that proves that actually it is me who is cynical here, not you... not to mention inept.

Anyway, my apologies if you think that I suggested that you are cynical. However, I do maintain that some PR/fundraising people exhibit a sometimes appalling lack of sensitivity and seem to approach immense human misery as an "opportunity". Now please don't get me wrong: I am sure a very large majority of your colleagues are well-meaning, sensitive, committed professionals, but I hope you don't maintain that all are.

As to the "sting in the tail": it really is very common, going back at least as far as Plutarch if not further. Many of Roald Dahl's short stories, for instance, rely on the technique (especially his "Tales of the Unexpected"), as do some of Asimov's robot stories, some stories by De Maupassant, etcetera. BTW: reading this I now realise that as a literary ploy it seems to be strongly linked to short stories, not to e.g. novels -- which makes sense, as it is all about dénouement, whereas in a longer work you would depend more on development.

Cheers,
Michael

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