There’s a correlation between writing an appeal and connecting with people in social networks. It doesn’t matter whether the appeal is to acquire donors and raise funds, to find more members for your association, or to keep in touch with existing supporters.
This correlation popped into my mind yesterday because I’ve been busy expanding my LinkedIn network.
I’ve been reaching out to people I went to college with, that I’ve worked with over the years, people I see around town in my day-to-day living, and people I met recently at a conference.
In most cases – college classmates and past co-workers – I haven’t seen these people for 5, 10, or up to about 30 years! At the other end of the spectrum are folks I do see more often or within the last few weeks.
Regardless of when I last saw them, in ALL cases when I send the email via LinkedIn … I don’t assume they’ll remember me. Most importantly, I positively do NOT use the default message from LinkedIn requesting that we join each others professional network.
Instead I make it relevant and personal to the individual I’m trying to connect with. I remind them how we knew each other; add a personal comment relevant to our relationship; and indicate the value I place in connecting with them.
This is the part that reminded me of writing nonprofit appeals. How so?
The title of this post is significant to my main point: As you write your nonprofit fundraising appeals, think of it as writing a “social” appeal. Make it . . .
– Socially inviting
– Personal to the reader
– Worthwhile for the reader to respond
– Informative – don’t assume they know as much as you do or remember what you said last month
– Friendly and conversational
– An appeal tailored for the person and not a one-size-fits-all letter
That was my approach to my LinkedIn invitations.
And as I said, I saw an amazing correlation between writing a fundraising appeal and linking up in social networks. Expand your network of donors and members by making personal connections with individuals. Write social appeals that give readers what they want so they’re comfortable responding (or connecting) to you; feel like they know you and what you’re trying to accomplish; and how that’s important to them.
Want more copywriting insights? Here are two posts I selected for you:
