Every single communication with your subscribers, donors, members, advocates, and prospects must be appealing TO THEM.
They’ll respond when it’s memorable. They’ll respond when . . .
o You make donors feel special. They want what everyone else is having … only different.
o They get more attention than the person sitting next to them.
o They’re noticed, but not too noticed.
o You confirm that they [your donors, subscribers, etc.] are right.
o They know they have made a difference. (And you need to show just how this happened.)
o They feel as though they’re important to you; that you don’t see them as a checkbook or credit card.
o They feel appreciated.
That’s the stuff donors care about.
Create appealing letters and emails through stories and copy with those bullets in mind. You may have also noticed from the bullets that the focus is on telling and showing donors WHY you do what you do. Not what you do, but WHY you do it.
What difference would it make if your nonprofit didn’t exist? When you answer this you start to get at the stuff donors care about. This leads to appeal campaigns that are appealing to donors and therefore generate higher response and revenue for your nonprofit.
