This week, we’ll take a longer look at a specific editing process for appeal letters. Much of it is counter-intuitive, so close your eyes and trust the advice....
First, think of a Spring Appeal as more of a member communication than a fundraising letter. Spring Appeals tend to be more challenging, but sending them and making them attractive enough to get opened can have significant communications benefits beyond simply asking for a donation....
Unlike renewal letters, appeal letters ARE complicated. Writing good appeal letters takes TIME. So why not start now – in February? Be creative. Make it FUN. But start writing it NOW to give yourself time to write it well....
Unlike recruitment and appeal letters, (See A Dozen Rules for Writing Better Fundraising Letters), renewal letters aren’t complicated. They are short and to the point. The essential “case” for giving is that they gave last year and the year before. It is good practice to...
February is a month I’m devoting to writing well and with that writing, connecting more with the donors who sustain us. I invite you to join me....
This year, I invite you to join me in writing differently. Let’s commit ourselves to anticipating more often. Getting ahead of the curve. Let our writing steep more. Write in such a way that our audiences will read it. Be more effective communicators....
I once read that organizations should thank their donors seven times. How do you even do that? Here are some ideas to get you thinking:...
Fundraiser’s Almanac: January Happy New Year! For 2015, I am creating a week-by-week guide to organizing a fundraising program. My ambition is to provide strategic ideas for approaching your work more so than providing some kind of overlay to what you might be doing already. Some of...
A Top 100 (or T-100) is simply a list of top donor prospects. These are people who warrant and deserve your special cultivation attention. This is the list of priority donor prospects that the board members should be working with. ...
January is a great time to consider having a communications theme and what that theme might be. A communications theme will run all the way through your communications for the entire year. It will provide substance for newsletter and website articles; Facebook, Twitter, and...