Tag Archives: advertising
The wrong kind of fundraising storytelling
Yes, you want the stories in your fundraising appeals to spark emotion in donors. But no, you can’t go crazy with it. If you overuse adjectives and metaphors, you risk ending up with drivel like this: “The awesome burden of … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, fundraising
Tagged marketing, copywriting, behavior, advertising, fundraising, nonprofit, charity, donors, donor psychology, Fundraising copywriting
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How to get donors to really lean into a fundraising appeal
To engage your readers, you want to pull your ideas down from the ether and express them through the things of the world. Copy that’s abstract won’t grab donors. Verbal images will. A verbal image is different from a story. … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, nonprofit
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, donors, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing, nonprofit
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Are you giving donors what they want?
Donors want action. Unfortunately, they might not be getting it from the appeals they receive. Donors see vague, abstract messaging like “give hope,” “stand with us,” “join our movement,” “make a difference” and other ambiguities. This vagueness is too common … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, fundraising
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, donors, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing, nonprofit
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Why you DON’T want your donors to be readers of your fundraising appeals
You see it in a lot of fundraising appeals. The first few sentences of the letter force the donor into the position of being a passive reader as opposed to being a participant. The appeal might open with a discussion … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, Uncategorized
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donors, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing, nonprofit
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Are your appeals up in the air or down to earth?
Specifics sell. It’s true in commercial marketing, and it’s certainly true in direct response fundraising. You see a lot of abstract concepts in fundraising appeals like ‘stand with us,’ ‘make a difference,’ and ‘send hope.’ What do those vague notions … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing
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Your fundraising appeals are probably way too complicated
For direct mail fundraising, you have to keep it simple. There’s a tendency to throw in lots of information in an effort to bolster the appeal. But this has the opposite effect. It just over-complicates the appeal. This is especially … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, donors, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing, nonprofit
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How to harness the power of good to make your fundraising appeals better
Many nonprofits aren’t giving donors what they want. And then those same nonprofits wonder why donors aren’t giving them what THEY want – donations. Donors want a whole range of things in exchange for their gifts. One of those things … Continue reading
When not to use a freemium in direct mail fundraising
Why would a nonprofit tout their stewardship of donors’ money in an appeal and then throw in a bunch of free stuff? Not sure. But that’s what this one did. The appeal is from an international aid and relief charity. … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing, news, nonprofit
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How two nonprofits are reacting in the Trump era
Lately, many nonprofits are finding that they have to worry about something they never even considered before. Sure, they had the usual worries about donor attrition, revenue, acquisition, retention, and so on. But now, on top of all that, they … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, nonprofit
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, donors, fundraising, music, news, nonprofit, poetry, politics, writing
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Don’t hide from your donors — communicate with them
You really should be mailing and emailing your donors more often. Why? Because… Your donors want to hear from you. They want to know what your nonprofit is doing. They want to know when their help is needed. They want … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donors, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing, nonprofit
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Fundraising Copywriter George Crankovic 