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How to write a super fundraising appeal

Do you want to write a super fundraising appeal? Here’s a quick primer. Start with a super story Find a story that illustrates the “why” of your organization. Talk to your program staff. Gather several stories and see which one is best. This won’t be the story that shows off the breadth of your programming. […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: copywriting, fundraising appeal, fundraising letter 8 Comments

4 ways to love the donors who love you most

How are you caring for your most loyal donors? I did a presentation a couple of weeks ago for Pamela Grow’s Motivate Monday series. We had a good time talking about ways to show some #donorlove. I wanted to share the ideas with you. Because they’re easy, inexpensive and great for building donor relationships. But […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog Tagged With: donor care, donor relations, loyal donors 1 Comment

She’s the one.

She’s the one. Your donor, that is. Or she should feel like the one. Strong communication is one-to-one. Underline that for fundraising communications. Who me? Think about it. You’re writing with a purpose. You want someone to do something. Want donors to ignore your request? Ask “someone” to do something. (One funny exception: my younger […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor focus, donor love, Writing Leave a Comment

Why it’s smart to love your donors for who they are

Why it’s smart to love your donors for who they are Identity matters. So are we letting a few verbs stand in the way of better solicitations? I read an article in the New York Times about the U.S.’s struggles with low voter turnout. One point made was that an experiment showed identity mattered more […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor appeals, donor retention, neuropsychology 1 Comment

8 reasons fundraising events suck

8 reasons fundraising events suck. (And why they don’t) I haven’t written much about fundraising events. That’s because they’ve usually felt necessary, but not particularly interesting. Let’s be honest: rare are the people who look forward to planning and throwing a gala. Rare are the people energized by finding sponsors. And rare are the people […]

Filed Under: Blog, Fundraising events Tagged With: Donors, events, gala 3 Comments

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