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Donor Communications

How to raise more money. (Hint: It’s not about you.)

How to raise more money Patting yourself on the back hurts. Jeff Brooks warned us about the dubious utility of anniversaries in fundraising. You should read it (I read Jeff’s blog every day), but the point is simple: you might care about your anniversary, but donors do not. He’s right. What seems a momentous occasion […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: anniversary appeal, annual fund goal, donor-focused 11 Comments

Donors ARE heroes. So are you.

Donors are heroes. There, I said it. Can we celebrate donors without ignoring everyone else? You bet we can. My friend Vu wrote this in his usual funny and Game of Thrones-scented style about donor-centered fundraising. His concern was that in focusing on donors’ roles and making them central, we were ignoring many other parts […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Fundraising Tagged With: donor as hero, donor-centered fundraising, nonprofit mission 8 Comments

How to heal an unappealing fundraising appeal

How to heal an unappealing fundraising appeal I don’t know why, but I continue to be surprised at major nonprofits – that have the means to do it right – mailing out solicitations that miss. We got one the other day, from a large hospital in our state. I’ll admit, I opened it with some […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor acquisition, donor appeals, writing for donors 5 Comments

How to be heard in a noisy world

We live in a noisy world. So what does your attention cost? I was reading an article in Sunday’s New York Times about the cost of our attention. The author’s point was that in today’s noisy world, our attention – our mind-space – has become commodified. Ads at the checkout line, logos in every possible space – […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Donors Tagged With: attention span, donor-focused, storytelling Leave a Comment

Try indulgence to improve your next appeal

Comparing a donation to an indulgence? It’s not often that you come upon an interesting study that helps with a project you’re working on right then. That happened to me this week, and I thought I’d share, it in case it’s helpful to you, as well. I’ve been working on an appeal for a brand-new […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor behavior, donor motivation, generosity Leave a Comment

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