Don’t fundraise alone. Instead consider . . .

Team up to get exposure to new audiences. To acquire more donors. To raise more funds. Who might you team up with? How about an e-retailer? An article in InternetRetailer.com is on this very topic. Here’s a statistic from the article taken from an October 2012 survey by Ask Your Target Market that’s worth noting: […]

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Are your nonprofit appeals more like “fiction” or “nonfiction” writing?

The preferred answer to the question raised by the headline may not be as obvious as you think. Granted … your fundraising appeals are filled with actual events, facts and details. You write about the truth. You write about what’s happening to the people and places your mission serves. Therefore it may seem as though […]

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Direct mail can yield a 5:1 return. It still works!

Today I have a guest blogger and friend – Erica Waasdorp, President of A Direct Solution – sharing her expertise. Take it away, Erica . . . . . I just came back from a business trip in the Netherlands, where they inducted the new King, Willem-Alexander. It was a really great time to be […]

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Why don’t people read your emails or letters?

If donors and prospects don’t read your nonprofit emails and direct mail letters, then you certainly won’t raise money. Although that’s stating the obvious … sometimes it’s worth repeating. So what’s a big reason they aren’t reading your appeals? Answer: Because the content doesn’t trigger the brain to read. Therefore you have to pull the […]

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What have you tested lately?

Has your fundraising and member acquisition efforts fallen into a routine? Are you essentially sending out the same stuff over and over to your direct mail list and email list? There’s an aspect of repetition that’s fine: When you have a control … use it. On the other hand, even a smooth running engine needs […]

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Unique voice. Distinctive style. Different.

Too many nonprofits are afraid to be different. They get so hung up about being “professional” that they forget about being human. And I find that quite ironic for a charity. In your copy – the words within your direct mail letters, emails, text messages, newsletters, press releases, case studies, social media updates, etc. – […]

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Why Direct Mail – the more personal the better – Will Not Die

I like email. I like sending text messages. And I use both extensively. Yet neither of them grabs my attention like seeing someone’s handwriting on an envelope or note card that I receive. This is one reason I don’t believe direct mail will ever die, because it’s how we send each other handwritten notes, cards […]

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Keep it Simple. Keep it Friendly.

Today I share a collection of tips to make your fundraising appeals – direct mail or email – a whole lot more effective. And in keeping with the spirit of the title, I’ll stick to the points and not pontificate: • Speak (I mean out loud) what you want to write. Then write what you […]

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7 Ways Nonprofit Websites ‘Drop the Ball’

People of ALL ages go online to research before buying, before donating, before traveling, before doing a wide variety of actions. And because print sources of information are becoming more and more limited (e.g., Yellow Pages, newspapers), the importance of having quality information about your charity or association on your website is an absolute requirement. […]

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Nonprofit Storytelling: What it is. What it isn’t.

I continue to come across numerous people seeking the “formula” for writing winning nonprofit stories. And you can find plenty of posts and articles promising to deliver the formula. However; there is NO winning formula. I’m not saying there aren’t proven story lines you can use to help you frame the structure of your story. […]

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