Curiosity. It’s a trait that virtually all people share, and it’s one that we definitely want to tap into for fundraising.

Arousing curiosity is a tried and true way to get donors to notice your direct mail or email appeal, encourage them to keep reading, and guide them to give a gift.

Of all the techniques we use in direct response fundraising, curiosity is probably one of the most reliable.

But how do you wield it? Three tips:

• Reveal some information but not all of it. Curiosity lies in the gap between what we know and what we want to know.

• Talk about the potential for a big reward or a big disaster. Donors will instinctively want to know what might be coming.

• Shock or provoke your donors a little. You can nudge or even challenge your donors to want to find out more.

There’s a lot more to each of these three tips – including specific examples – and you can find it here: https://tinyurl.com/293tk9pd