Indulge me, will you? There are some common words or phrases that I see in too many appeals (and annual reports or even thank you letters) that set my teeth on edge. You’ll find me, almost daily, sorting my mail and shaking my head. So here, for your amusement or education, are a few. […]
Why it’s smart to love your donors for who they are
Are we letting a few verbs stand in the way of better solicitations? I read an article in the New York Times about the U.S.’s struggles with low voter turnout. One point made was that an experiment showed identity mattered more than action. In a pair of experiments, psychologists reframed voting decisions by appealing to […]
Are you using the magic fundraising word?
Fundraising magic? You’ve heard it before: a magic word that will transform your fundraising. You. So you dutifully make sure that word is everywhere. But maybe it doesn’t do as much magic as you’d expected. You is magic, but there’s more to it than that. Donor-focused writing matters Of course, it does. No one is […]
How hard are you making it to give?
Giving shouldn’t be so confusing. The other day as we paid our bills, my husband and I pulled an appeal from our pile to make a donation. Then we turned the response form over and over, trying to figure out what to do. It was a combination return envelope and form. But to mail […]
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 curiosity. I was hoping I might […]