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Empathy: the key to better fundraising

Empathy – the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions: the ability to share someone else’s feelings While sympathy is compassion for someone else’s situation, empathy is feeling their pain. Sympathy keeps its distance. Empathy is a powerful connection to someone else. We’ve evolved to feel empathy because it’s useful in understanding […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: emotional fundraising, empathy 15 Comments

How are your conversation skills?

Conversation?! Don’t worry. You don’t have to be a great talker to have this conversation. Today I heard from an excited client about an email. (I love getting celebration emails like this!) My client is a new theater here in Connecticut. And theater is where I started my nonprofit career… so I’m having fun. We’ve […]

Filed Under: Arts Fundraising, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor communications, donor relationships, donor retention Leave a Comment

Want some action? Use emotion.

Years ago, on vacation, as I read 2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson a phrase stopped me cold. I had to dog-ear the page. “Reason can’t work without emotion. People who are cut off from their emotions can’t decide.” Reason can’t work without emotion. People who are cut off from their emotions can’t decide. So, ok, […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: direct mail, emotional writing, writing for donors 16 Comments

Why “because” matters to your ask

Because is a word kids come to dread. I remember being a kid and getting a very unsatisfying answer to some questions. My questions were usually “Why?” or more often “Why not?” And the unsatisfying answer was “Because” or worse, “Because I said so.” Does that sound familiar to you? It was infuriating, of course. […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Fundraising Tagged With: appeal writing, donor communications, Fundraising Leave a Comment

Your last-minute year-end appeal checklist

Ah… your year-end fundraising appeal isn’t out yet. And maybe, just maybe, life got in the way, too. I’m trying not to panic about Christmas shopping myself. But if you haven’t sent your year-end appeal yet, maybe this will help. And if you have already mailed something, maybe this will help with those late December […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Fundraising Tagged With: appeal writing, donor communications Leave a Comment

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