Author Archives: George Crankovic
Tell a better story for fundraising
Is this the way to make the story in your fundraising appeal more memorable and more impactful? Tell it in the present tense. Most of the time, stories are in the past tense. This happened, then that happened, then this … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, Uncategorized
Tagged advertising, copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, nonprofit
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How to raise more funds with storytelling
There’s a lot of talk about storytelling in fundraising, and it’s easy to get the idea that all you have to do is throw in a story about a beneficiary to create an appeal that does gangbusters. It’s not that … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged behavior, copywriting, donation, donor psychology, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing, nonprofit
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Positioning for your nonprofit
Donors want to know that they’re making a difference with their gifts. That’s always been the case, and it’s even more true now with the current recession going on. So that’s why it’s important to take a look at your … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged advertising, charity, copywriting, donation, donor psychology, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, nonprofit
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Make your fundraising appeal stronger with the right teaser
An appeal from a religious nonprofit has this teaser on the outside envelope: “It is necessary to be strong, in order to become great; that is our duty. Life is a struggle which we cannot avoid. We must triumph!” It’s … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged advertising, charity, copywriting, donation, donor psychology, fundraising, nonprofit
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Your fundraising will fail if you get this one thing wrong
There’s one thing that every successful fundraiser knows for sure … and every struggling fundraiser has yet to find out. It’s this simple fact. Aside from the people who actually give you money – your donors – the offer you … Continue reading
Coronavirus fundraising – there’s a better way
Judging from what’s showing up in mailboxes and email inboxes, it looks like a lot of nonprofits are struggling with the messaging around the coronavirus crisis. But honestly, they’re making it much harder than it has to be. Take this … Continue reading
How NOT to begin a fundraising appeal – and one way that almost always works
A fundraising appeal from a social services nonprofit opens with this: “What would we do without you? How would we help local families like Michelle’s?” That’s the opening paragraph, the first thing that donors will see, and for some, the … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, fundraising, Uncategorized
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, fundraising, letter, marketing, nonprofit, Online fundraising
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Coronavirus fundraising and what not to do
Fundraising for the coronavirus emergency is, well, unusual so far. A soup kitchen sends an email with the subject line “A message from the president.” If you’re a donor scanning your email inbox, that could be just about anything. Then … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged advertising, charity, copywriting, donors, email, fundraising, nonprofit, Online fundraising
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Ask yourself, “Would I donate to this?”
A direct mail appeal from an international aid and relief charity opens with: “Five of Sayo’s children died because of dirty water. It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it?” Okay, we have a statement of need that maybe the donor can … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged charity, copywriting, donation, donor psychology, donors, fundraising, marketing, nonprofit
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One reason why fundraising appeals go bad
“The letter doesn’t sound like me.” That’s something a president/CEO or executive director of a nonprofit might say when she’s reviewing a fundraising appeal. It’s actually a frequent comment, and it’s understandable, really. After all, the president probably believes passionately … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, nonprofit, Online fundraising
Tagged charity, copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, letter, nonprofit
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