I want you to raise more money. So I want you to fix your thank you letters. I understand why thank you letters might seem an afterthought. When I first started working in development, I felt comfortable around data and record-keeping. It felt neat and orderly. You plug the numbers in correctly, and you get […]
She’s the one.
She’s the one. Your donor, that is. Or she should feel like the one. Strong communication is one-to-one. Underline that for fundraising communications. Who me? Think about it. You’re writing with a purpose. You want someone to do something. Want donors to ignore your request? Ask “someone” to do something. (One funny exception: my younger […]
Why I write
Last week, my friend Diana Schwenk shared her thoughts on writing and handed off #WhyIWrite to me. Here’s why: Creativity will out People are creative – whatever outlet they choose. And if one outlet is not available, that creativity will find its way out into the world somehow. For as long as I can remember, I was […]
Say it again!
Say it again! Why repetition works so well. Today I found myself hunting for an idea I’d seen for a lapsed donor appeal. My search took me to some letters I’d written years ago. I wrote the letters at my former organization. With a few years’ distance, I definitely found a few things I’d change. But […]
Are you caught in a dead-end?
I live on a cul-de-sac. Or as we used to say back in NJ, a dead-end. Every once in a while I watch a truck driver pull into the end of our street, hoping it will be a shortcut to another neighborhood. Then the driver has to perform truck gymnastics to get back out. It’s […]