Copywriting

People ask me all the time what type of direct mail is most worth studying for ideas. Even before I mention whatever is being mailed in their industry, I recommend the Grand Controls. These are the best packages, the box office champions that have driven the most customer and donor response. A few weeks ago, I pored through my database of 1,672 of them to find the longest-running controls still in the mail today...

Instagram Stories create an extra layer of visibility for your nonprofit—whenever you want that visibility. Like Snapchat, Instagram Stories last for 24 hours. And like Snapchat, stories are told in a series of pictures and videos. Users who’ve published Instagram Stories within the past 24 hours appear at the very top of the home screen.…

One of the questions clients and colleagues ask me most often is if they should update the story in a strong-performing control—and when to do that. Here’s what I say: Don’t guess. Test. Sometimes, refreshed versions of stories in proven controls can have a novelty effect and boost results in the short term. Sometimes they…

It’s a funny and, sometimes, very uncomfortable thing. I am talking about feeling and expressing emotion. On one side, there are people who are in a constant state of tears and drama, and, on the other side, there are those who find it very difficult to express any kind of emotion. You’ve seen both types of people, and you know what it all means...

Fundraising magic? You’ve heard it before: a magic word that will transform your fundraising. So, you dutifully make sure that word is everywhere. But maybe it doesn’t do as much magic as you’d expected. The word "you" is magic, but there’s more to it than that. Donor-focused writing matters Of course it does. No one…

With all the articles, blog posts and white papers about storytelling in fundraising, it's easy to think that all you have to do is drop a story into an appeal and there you go—success. Not necessarily so. Network for Good research showed 44 percent of nonprofits polled said that stories had no impact on results or were unsure…

Reading is one of my favorite things to do. I always enjoy a good fiction book. I also really enjoy reading memoirs, but I have to say one of my greatest indulgences is reading about writing. As someone who identifies as a writer, I always find it fun to get a peek behind the curtain…

I’ve written a lot about the importance of nonprofit organizations communicating with their donors, but that’s not enough. You have to do it well. You have to knock it out of the park. Sadly, many organizations fail at this. Their communications are OK at best and just dreadful at worst. That’s why I pleasantly was…

A charity that spends 20 percent on overhead and knocks its mission out of the ballpark is not less worthy of support than one that spends 10 percent on overhead but helps relatively few people. It’s one way of assessing things, but not necessarily the most meaningful...

Easing board members into fundraising can be a rewarding and fun process, especially if they focus on just telling stories. Last month on the blog, I shared three types of stories that nonprofit board members can tell. Once board members have stories in mind that they would like to tell, they may be wondering where…