Author Archives: George Crankovic

How to begin a fundraising appeal

What should come first in a fundraising appeal? It’s an important question. Maybe even the most important question. Because if you fail to capture your donor’s attention at the start, there’s not much chance she’s going read the rest of … Continue reading

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What’s wrong with thanking donors?

I just got an email with the subject line “I’m so grateful.” Let’s see what this is all about. Turns out it’s from a rescue mission, an organization that I love and support. Here’s the text of the email: Dear … Continue reading

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Your fundraising appeals – too much emotion? Or not enough?

In your fundraising appeals, is it better to use facts or feelings? Logic or emotion? Before you answer, let’s take a look at an example, and you can judge based on your own reaction. It’s an appeal from a conservation … Continue reading

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Why a cup of tea means better fundraising

More than you probably realize, your fundraising has a lot to do with Japanese green tea. As they say in direct mail letters, let me explain. See, I’m a big fan of Japanese green tea. I drink it all the … Continue reading

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DON’T do this in fundraising appeals, and get better results

In fundraising appeals, you should always thank your donors for their support, right? Wrong! You can see why in this example. The direct mail appeal from a farm-advocacy nonprofit begins like this: “Let me express my personal thanks for your … Continue reading

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Try this to increase fundraising response

One of the best ways to boost the response of your direct mail fundraising appeal isn’t what you might think. It’s to send an email. Mail and email complement each other, creating better response than either would separately. That’s one … Continue reading

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Easy way to tell if your nonprofit will survive and succeed

Here’s an easy way to find out whether your nonprofit is operating in a way that’s helping to ensure your current and future success. Not only is it easy, it takes nothing more than a few minutes of your time. … Continue reading

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5 emotional triggers for fundraising

How do you create a strong connection with your donors? One way is to use emotional triggers in appeals. Let’s take a look at some, discussed in my guest post, that you’ll want to know about: Altruism. Altruism is concern … Continue reading

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3 Reasons Why Your Non-Profit Should Add a Blog to Your Website

by guest blogger Joe Garecht, President of Garecht Fundraising Associates. Every non-profit wants to raise more money online.  But most non-profits struggle to get traction raising money on their websites.  One of the reasons why organizations struggle online is because … Continue reading

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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

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