May, 2007

Welcome to "Karen's Fundraising Tips." May's newsletter
(which you can read in 3-5 minutes . . . tops) includes a hot tip on something you can do within the next few days to help delay the increases to the U.S. Postal rates for nonprofits. And you'll also read about an exciting new opportunity to promote your nonprofit organization.

     With regard to my newsletter in general - on the second Tuesday of each month I share tips, news items, and resources all tailored for the nonprofit world and folks directly responsible for raising funds. My goal is to make your job a little easier and to help you increase your donor contributions.

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     What's your biggest challenge? What would you like to see in my newsletter? How can I help you?

     Send me a short note with one or two of your biggest challenges. I'll share suggestions on making them less of a challenge in a future issue. Just send an email to info@pkscribe.com and I'll take it from there.
 

New Opportunity to Promote Awareness of Your Nonprofit Organization [357 words]

     I read an interesting article in The Chronicle Of Philanthropy (April 5, 2007, issue). And it ties to the January 2007 issue of "Karen's Fundraising Tips" newsletter. In my newsletter I recommended writing articles in trade journals, participating in online forums, and submitting articles to online databases. All this generates free publicity for your nonprofit. Plus it creates in-bound links which the search engines love.

     The Chronicle's article highlights new magazines with readers who are curious about how to help the world. Does that sound like the right target market for you?

     Seven magazines are profiled. Some have readerships in their 20's, others target older and more affluent readers. These range from people under 40 as well as those over 55 or 60.

     The focus of the content also has quite a spread. Some are regional and others national. Some highlight philanthropists and others highlight area fundraising events. One magazine has a regular feature column on products sold by nonprofit groups.

     Yet another magazine includes articles and photo spreads on humanitarian emergencies and the charities responding to such emergencies.

     All of the publications are independently owned. And they're responding to what they perceive as a growing curiosity among Americans to not only know how to help the world, but who also want a relevant life.

     My recommendation to you is two-fold:

Learn more about these magazines and submit articles to those relevant to your mission. If you want a copy of the complete article from The Chronicle, including the contact info for each magazine, just send me a quick e-mail and I'll send it out to you. Tell your donors, especially your major donors, about these magazines and encourage them to subscribe. A "public service announcement" form of e-mail message is quick, low cost, and you can have fun with it. Lots of creative possibilities. Why do this? Because it shows goodwill on your behalf, and because these magazines need subscribers to stay afloat. And publications such as these are marvelous for your industry as a whole.

     Again, write and submit lots of articles. These seven magazines are yet another wonderful opportunity to promote your nonprofit organization and attract more donors.

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Just for fun - a quote for you

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." (Helen Keller)

 

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Hot Tip of the Month - 3 Critical Items For Your Fundraising Success
[408 words]

1. You can help DELAY the increases to the U.S. Postal Rates coming May 14th. If you take action immediately you may be able to delay when the increase goes into effect. This will give you more time to reconfigure your mailing campaigns and save you money.

Some nonprofit organizations will see increases of 100 to 400 percent in their mailings with these new rates.

The DMA Nonprofit Federation, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and other organizations are asking all charities to contact their members of Congress to delay the implementation of the new Non Flat-Machinable mailing category. They're hoping to delay it until December 31, 2007.

Here's a link to an article on the AFP website with more details. It includes contact information for Senators and Representatives (those on the key committees), and a template for a letter to send to Congress.

http://www.afpnet.org/Delay_Postal_Increases

You still have time to cut and paste the template letter and then fax it in. But you must act within the next few days.

2. I believe you'll enjoy a significant return on your investment when you attend the Bridge Conference 2007. You can register (there's an "early-bird" deadline) and read more of the details by visiting www.BridgeConf.org. Whether you're a small shop, a consultant to the nonprofit sector, an advanced fundraising professional or just starting to learn the ropes, there is something for everyone at this second annual conference hosted by the DC chapter of the AFP and the Direct Marketing Association of Washington (DMAW).

The "early-bird" registration deadline for the Bridge Conference 2007 expires May 30, 2007. I don't know how much the fees will increase after May 30th, but here's a chance to save more of your critical operating dollars by registering early. The conference is July 8-10, 2007 at the Hilton Washington, Downtown Washington, DC.

And maybe you can attend free! The AFP/DC will award ten (10) full two-day scholarships (at the two-day early bird member rate of $449) to members and several scholarships for non-members. Follow the links in this paragraph, or in the first paragraph to see if you're eligible to submit an application for possibly winning a scholarship.

Scholarship deadline extended until May 18. GOOD LUCK!

3. Live closer to New York City? The AFP Greater New York Chapter is hosting their Fundraising Day in New York 2007 on June 14th. Register for this one-day conference before June 14th and you could save $115. Visit www.frdny.org for more details.

Feel free to forward my newsletter to a colleague. Plus, here's how they can sign-up to receive it directly:

     1. Just click on this link, info@pkscribe.com. In the email message to me, please include the first name and email address of your colleague. I'll take care of signing them up.

Or ...

     2. You can sign them up directly on my website by following this link:

"Karen's Fundraising Tips"

Thanks for joining me and until next time . . . write articles to promote and grow your nonprofit mission and tell your donors about the new magazines. And please don't forget to fax a letter to Congress on the Postal rate increases, and register for the Bridge Conference 2007. I'll be there and I hope you will too. Whew!


All the best,

Karen Zapp, Fundraising & Sales Copywriter
Perceptive Karen

P.S.  Have a project coming up soon? I’d love to explore the possibilities with you. Call or send me an email today. I look forward to helping your mission prosper!

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