Year-end? Yes. I know it’s summer as I write. But it’s not too early to think about how you’ll make the most of your year-end campaign this year. Whatever your organization’s fiscal year is, the time from late November to the end of the calendar year is still year-end to your donors. And if you […]
Fundraisers: use stories, not statistics
The human mind is a wanderer by nature. The daydream is the mind’s default state. Jonathan Gottschall What do you like to read? I read a scary book recently. Dystopic, feminist, infuriating. And compelling. (Gather the Daughters, by Jennie Melamed) But it did what I look to fiction to do. It took me away, to […]
Donor touches? Paper is still your best bet
Donor touches matter and paper is still your best bet. I have been seeing a lot of articles during the past year about COVID and work. Specifically, about how the pandemic has changed the way we work and the way we communicate. And honestly, how not? Organizations that were tied to an in-person environment had […]
Can you feel it? How you can use the power of metaphor
How can you use the power of metaphor to improve your fundraising? I recently read a fascinating article about how we react to metaphors. I want to share some of what I read. Because understanding this powerful device can help you reach right into your readers’ minds – and touch their hearts. You probably learned […]
Watch your weenie words
I call them weenie words. Hedges. Qualifiers. And I don’t like them. Now, I don’t think of myself as a bold person. As a kid, I was an eager follower, not the leader. I do more listening than talking, content to let someone else lead the conversation. I’m cautious. I don’t make fast decisions. But […]