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13 Quick tips for your next fundraising appeal

Do you want to write a great fundraising appeal? Here are some quick tips for you! 1. Start with a great story Find a story that illustrates the “why” of your organization. Talk to your program staff. Gather several stories and see which one is best. This won’t be the story that shows off the […]

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

Can’t afford to raise money?

If your org is a sometimes presence in the lives of your donors and prospects, that’s a problem. For now, and for the future. And that means you need to spend money to make money. But while fundraisers usually understand this, it can be hard to persuade the people with the purse-strings that fundraising isn’t […]

Filed Under: Blog, Fundraising, Nonprofits Tagged With: donor care, donor communications, Fundraising Leave a Comment

You can stop listening to excuses and raise more money

I spent many years in arts or arts-adjacent organizations. Most of that time was spent in regional theaters. Over the course of decades, I learned how marketing (subscriptions, ticket sales) and fundraising (the funds to cover the gaps in the above) could work together well – or not. I learned how to write successful appeals […]

Filed Under: Arts Fundraising Tagged With: donor communications, Donors, Fundraising Leave a Comment

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

DIY Donor newsletter – yes, you can

This post is a look way back… and directed at those of you who get by with lots of DIY. So, if a donor newsletter isn’t in your communications mix, I want to encourage you to add one. When I began fundraising, I worked for nonprofits that are on the smaller side. We needed maximum […]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: donor newsletter, Fundraising Leave a Comment

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  • 13 Quick tips for your next fundraising appeal
  • Can’t afford to raise money?
  • You can stop listening to excuses and raise more money
  • Write a better fundraising appeal
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