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 brother knew who “someone” was when it came to taking the garbage out. “Why do I always have to be someone?”, he’d ask.)

If you want your reader to take action, you need to ask directly.

And that means your donor needs to feel you’re talking to her.

I learned this years ago when I began writing appeal letters.

I remember a colleague objecting to a distinctly singular “you” in a letter.

But it’s addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Smith!”

Yes, and only one of them (at a time) is reading it.”

He got it right away.

You want up close and personal

But I still read too much that’s designed with a large (and therefore impersonal) audience in mind.

It’s the royal we. And it’s impersonal. It’s also a waste of paper (or screen space) really.

Besides, if your reader doesn’t think she’s the one needed to solve the problem, she can ignore it, right?

Not buying that one-to-one is always best?

Letters?

Always

Newsletters?

Of course!

A speech.

A good speech doesn’t feel general. It grabs you, specifically.

Your website. Surely that’s one-to-many communication.

Nope. Not if you want to really communicate.

Stories in any form?

One-to-one. Think about the last great piece of fiction you read. It was all happening, just for you, in your own head.

Take it from the boss – make your donor feel like the one

Listen, even a concert with 30,000 screaming fans is most effective when it feels one-to-one.

When I see a great performer – like Bruce – it’s intimate, despite the crowd. It’s Bruce and me.

Thunder Road? My song. I’m not thinking of the 10,000 other people who claim it.

I’m thinking about what it means to me.

Does your donor feel that way? Like the one donor?

Your communications – all of them – should be written to one person..

You might know you’re sending that message to 996 of your organization’s closest friends.

But each of those closest friends should feel it’s meant for her.

Individually.

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