Fundraising is all about being human. Tremendous events are happening every day, all around us. But living in a time like this offers us the chance to learn. And as I try to absorb the daily news – new, impossibly high Covid counts, new, impossibly awful political news – I realize that a learning opportunity […]
Hiring a fundraising copywriter?
How to get the most from your investment Do you need a good fundraising copywriter? If your fundraising plan includes individual donors, you should have a direct mail program. The size and scale of your program may vary, but unless you can keep in contact personally with every donor, direct mail is smart. But perhaps […]
Getting grief about your year-end appeal?
Here are your answers to common complaints Right now, someone in your organization, or an outside expert, is busy writing your important year-end appeal. And a lot of other people are sharpening their red pencils. I have been responding to copy criticism for decades. And the critiques are often along the same lines, time after […]
How to write something worth reading
If you are going to make me read something twice, it had damned well better be worth it! ~Gordon Wickstrom If you want to write something worth reading, listen to Gordon. Gordon was one of my absolute favorite professors in college. He taught Shakespeare and modern drama, and Irish drama. I lapped it all up. […]
Dear Fundraiser: Things we shouldn’t do
Dear Fundraiser, Here are the things I wish we wouldn’t do. I’m cheering for our success. So in a helpful spirit, I offer you my list below. So, putting on my donor hat, I wish we wouldn’t: Send an automated thank you message for an online gift and assume that’s enough Forget to thank […]