Easier Said Than Done: The Magic Words of Fundraising

Education. We all wish our donors had a deeper understanding of our issues. That's why so many fundraisers go wrong with their zeal to teach donors, to lift them to our higher plain of knowledge. It doesn't work. It doesn't raise funds. It also doesn't educate. Stick to raising funds. Let schools do the teaching.

It can be humbling — almost painfully so — to properly deploy these magic words in your fundraising. It makes your message all about donors, not the cause and organization you're passionate about. It means putting out material that doesn't make your heart soar.

The trick to finding joy in this situation is to get your thrills not from the fundraising message itself, but from the results it creates. After all, that's your job. FS

Jeff Brooks is creative director at Merkle and keeper of the Donor Power Blog. Reach him at jbrooks@merkleinc.com