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Write a better fundraising appeal

A better fundraising appeal? A better fundraising appeal is simple. You’ve probably heard this before. But my mailbox says too many writers are not taking it seriously. Do you want to write a better fundraising appeal? Do you want to get read? Keep your fundraising appeal simple. I’m talking 4th to 6th grade level simple. […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal writing, Writing, writing for donors 13 Comments

Is this any way to treat a friend?

I don’t treat friends like this, do you? I’ll admit that I only open some of my mail. Like most people, I quickly sort out the bills and other “must-open” things. Then I go through the rest. One glance at the envelope is usually enough to tell me whether I want to bother opening it. […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal, appeal writing, donor retention, Donors, Fundraising, Mail, Nonprofit, solicitation Leave a Comment

Can we stop this in its tracks, please?

Okay, I admit it might already be too late. This nonsense is out there and may be growing in the wild. But if I can persuade you not to jump on this bandwagon, I’ll be very happy. What am I talking about? Appeals made to look like bills. Yup, instead of a warm and genuine […]

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

Do you want to really connect? Show, don’t just tell me.

How do you connect with donors? Show more. Yes, this is one more post about the importance of emotion in your fundraising. This time, let’s look at images, not words. There is no faster way into our brains than an image. When we read, our brains recognize images as words. We’re constantly translating. (And remember […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal letters, appeal writing, emotional contagion, fundraising appeals, fundraising images 6 Comments

Communicating with your heart

Okay, I know it’s rude. But this coaster made me laugh so hard I had to buy it. If you’re an introvert, you’ll understand. It now sits quietly on my desk, covered by my mug, where it won’t insult anyone. But as I looked at it today, I connected it to one of the most […]

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

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