Category Archives: fundraising
Year-end fundraising: easy way to get the messaging right
It’s true – now’s the time to start thinking about year-end fundraising. The end of the year is a crucial time for nonprofits, because most of the gifts that nonprofits receive come in during December. We’ve all seen that stats … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, fundraising, Uncategorized
Tagged copywriting, fundraising, nonprofit
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Fundraising: the 2 key “abilities”
Donor retention keeps falling, while donor skepticism keeps rising. So, it’s more important now than ever to connect with donors in a personal way if you expect to engage and keep them. But how? There are two key “abilities” that … Continue reading
The 3 kinds of deadlines for fundraising appeals
You see deadlines all the time in fundraising appeals. But are they helping or hurting response? It depends. There are roughly three kinds of fundraising deadlines: Real deadlines, like year end, fiscal year end, Christmas, and others. Reasonable deadlines, like … Continue reading
Is social media fundraising worth it?
With all the controversy about Facebook and selling user data and undermining user trust, it’s a good time to think about how and why we’re using social media for fundraising. It might not seem like it at first, but there’s … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, fundraising, Online fundraising
Tagged copywriting, Online fundraising
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Donor retention keeps falling – what to do about it
Donor retention was down again last year. It’s part of a steady downward trend that’s been going on for the past decade. What’s going on? There are four possible reasons for donors’ increasing lack of loyalty: Completing the story in … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
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5 ways to build rapport with donors
If we want to engage donors, it’s important to reach out to them on their terms and in ways that avoid being seen as too pushy or too salesy. So, we want to build a friendly rapport with donors and … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
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When “Donor as Hero” is wrong for fundraising
Lots of charities are telling their donors, “You’re a hero!” It’s become the go-to theme for fundraising of all kinds in a variety of sectors. But simply telling donors that they’re heroes falls way short of the goals of donor-centric … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged copywriting, fundraising
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How too much collaboration ruins fundraising appeals
There’s this idea that people seem to accept without even thinking about it. It’s the idea that all work is teamwork … that nothing can happen without the involvement of anyone and everyone … that any kind of collaboration is … Continue reading
When donor centrism is at odds with your donors
Donor centrism means putting the donor at the center of the organization’s fundraising and, in fact, everything the organization does. It means, as fundraising expert Simone Joyaux says, building trust — trust that donors play a critical role in the … Continue reading
The 10 Percent Solution in Fundraising. Or, Why Messaging Rules
The standard in direct marketing, whether it’s fundraising or for-profit marketing, is that the mailing list will account for 60 percent of your success or failure … the offer accounts for 30 percent … and the creative? Just 10 percent. … Continue reading
Fundraising Copywriter George Crankovic 