Tag Archives: behavior
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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Could this be write for fundraising?
Emotion – not logic – is what moves donors to give, right? Then why do you see appeals based on logical arguments all the time? It’s probably because that’s how we were all taught to write. With deductive reasoning. You … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged art, behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, logic, marketing, nonprofit, philosophy
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Are you leaving your donors stranded?
There’s a strange disconnect that you see in a lot of fundraising appeals. The appeal starts off heading in one direction, then suddenly leaves donors stranded and wondering what happened. Here’s an example. In this appeal, for a charity that … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising
Tagged behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, nonprofit
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Your donors need to feel like they belong
Fundraising appeals often fail to convey a sense of belonging to donors. That’s too bad. It means nonprofits are missing out on a major reason why donors give. Donors want to feel like they belong. They want to feel like … Continue reading
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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How and why to get the copy voice right in fundraising appeals
Why would a nonprofit, say, one fighting climate change, use messaging like this for a fundraising appeal. … Dear Ms. Joan Sample, I am writing to you today from [charity], a dedicated advocate for climate action and environmental sustainability. As … Continue reading
Posted in copywriting, donor psychology
Tagged advertising, behavior, charity, copywriting, donor psychology, donors, fundraising, Fundraising copywriting, marketing, nonprofit
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Fundraising Copywriter George Crankovic 