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Donor Communications

Are you too pretty to work?

Have you gotten a really beautiful appeal recently? It could be an email, or it could be a fancy direct mail package. I have to wonder about their effectiveness. So many are pretty to look at, but not moving. And that’s a big problem. Shiny postcards on heavy paper. Four-color imagery and brand-specific fonts. Reverse type (because […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor-centered fundraising, fundraising brochure, thank you letters 8 Comments

Mom tested, donor approved: when to use your inside voice

Who you’re talking to and how you use your voice matters… a lot. My youngest just turned sixteen. So I found myself looking through old pictures, remembering a chubby little baby who is now neither. My visit to old times reminded me of inside voices. When each of my kids was little, I tried to […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: Donors, emotional fundraising Leave a Comment

Are you making this mistake? Why whining isn’t winning.

Fundraising shouldn’t be about whining. The US presidential election is next year. But the campaign is already underway. There’s a lot of fundraising happening that isn’t about charity. So when one particular appeal caught the media’s attention, I had to look. This email appeal is both entertaining (not in a good way) and educational (ditto). Have you […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor as hero, fundraising appeal 1 Comment

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

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