Here are your answers to common complaints Right now, someone in your organization, or an outside expert, is busy writing your important year-end appeal. And a lot of other people are sharpening their red pencils. I have been responding to copy criticism for decades. And the critiques are often along the same lines, time after […]
How to write something worth reading
If you are going to make me read something twice, it had damned well better be worth it! ~Gordon Wickstrom If you want to write something worth reading, listen to Gordon. Gordon was one of my absolute favorite professors in college. He taught Shakespeare and modern drama, and Irish drama. I lapped it all up. […]
Who are you talking to?
When to use your inside or outside voice Have you ever heard a parent ask a young child to use their “inside voice”? Usually, that’s a nice way of saying “be quiet, please!” We have inside and outside voices, too. Inside Outside Donor segments All donors matter Program specific jargon Simple language Meeting or event […]
The US Postal Service and you
Between COVID delays and the attempt to hijack our constitutionally created United States Postal Service, mail has slowed down. A lot. But if you’re hoping my next line will read, “so direct mail is over”, I will disappoint you. Because it’s not. It’s still the channel with the highest response rates. And people who are […]
Let’s talk about empathy
I think it’s a gift. So let’s talk about empathy. I am convinced that we can’t successfully communicate without empathy. Underline that for fundraising communications. In fact, human decision-making is emotional. We decide based on our feelings, and then rationalize them later. So feelings of empathy are critical to move people toward doing good. Rational […]