Tag Archives: donors

Grammar rules you can’t break in fundraising copy and some you can

Grammar rules? For fundraising copy? Yes. Hold on a minute. Shouldn’t fundraising copy be all informal and conversational? And doesn’t “conversational” mean that we routinely break so-called grammar rules and begin sentences with “and” or “but,” use contractions, end sentences … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why your fundraising appeal needs more urgency

There’s a moment when your donor looks over your direct mail or email appeal and thinks, “I’ll put this aside for now and maybe help with that a little later.” That’s the moment when you realize your appeal didn’t have … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is this fundraising that works?

The overline at the top of the fundraising letter reads, “You can join your neighbors to help families facing hunger.” So far, so good. Everybody’s against hunger. Then, this: “Every $1 can help feed a family of 3!” One thing’s … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reaching mid-level donors with direct mail

You probably hear a lot about mid-level donors, and that’s for good reason. For most nonprofits, these donors represent a major opportunity for short-term and long-term growth. It’s a revenue source that’s largely untapped. The potential is there, waiting to … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should you do a year-end fundraising appeal?

Yes, and here’s why. It’s one of the easiest appeals to create. And it can be one of the biggest revenue producers of the year. About 30 percent of most nonprofits’ revenue comes in between Giving Tuesday and December 31. … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The offer in fundraising

In direct response fundraising, what’s an offer? Is it like the offer in commercial direct marketing, or is it completely different? Why does the offer matter? Is it really the most important thing in a letter appeal or email appeal, … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One sure way to make your fundraising better

The single best thing you can do to improve your fundraising? Come to terms with a hard truth: You are not your donors. They’re probably older than you, for one thing, which means they have a completely different frame of … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Want more of your regular donors to become monthly donors?

Nonprofits love monthly donors for obvious reasons. Monthly donors give consistently, require less frequent fundraising, and tend to be more loyal. But to get regular donors to opt into monthly donor status, you have to make this seem like something … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising, nonprofit | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two ways to begin a fundraising appeal – from Jerry Huntsinger

In Jerry Huntsinger’s “86 Tutorials in Creating Fundraising Letters and Packages,” he makes a point about how to begin a fundraising appeal. He makes his point with an example. It’s an appeal for a cancer charity. It begins: “Children shouldn’t … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology, fundraising | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What makes a good offer for a fundraising appeal and what makes a bad one

Why does the offer matter so much in direct mail fundraising? Let’s take a look at an appeal to find out. This is a fundraising appeal from a military nonprofit, and in the body of the letter, the first ask … Continue reading

Posted in copywriting, donor psychology | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment