Creative

Are you inward-focused or outward-focused with your marketing and fundraising?

Do your donors think rationally when they give a gift? At the start of this video, you’ll be asked a question by Jeff Brooks, creative director at TrueSense Marketing. The question is about making a gift. My guess is, just like your donors, you’ll probably get the answer wrong.

As the rest of the video unfolds, you’ll have a better understanding of what you’ll need to focus on when putting your message or story together.

Are you starting to write your annual report? Do you want to know how to write a better letter from your director? What makes a good letter from a director in your annual report? Well, here’s a letter from the board chair in the first annual report I made, in 2007. Let’s take a critical look at it. Here’s a letter from the board chair in my first annual report.

“Dear Bernard…”

I’ve been reading The Nation all my adult life. I’ve subscribed to it for 30 years. And I used to give a donation every month — but not anymore.

“Bernard, don’t let them win!”

Sorry. There are other progressive organizations. Hell, there are other progressive magazines. If I want to do my part to keep the right-wingers from stamping corporate logos on people’s minds, I can give my money elsewhere.

“Bernard, we want you back.”

Too bad. Because my name is not Bernard.

In "The Missing Middle" report on midlevel donor engagement, authors Alia McKee and Mark Rovner of Sea Change Strategies lay out six key points for creating a good content marketing strategy to engage midlevel supporters: deep substance, consistent narrative across all channels, major focus on stewardship, branded name, personal point of contact and reduced ask frequency.

I love this approach. In fact, let’s talk briefly about how your technology can help you do this.

You could use this as a fundraising copywriting checklist: This post at the Hilborn Blog, "Twenty things you should know before planning your next direct-response campaign," includes a very handy list: Components of a great letter.

• Make your appeal letter optically pleasing and inviting to read.
• Write small paragraphs and short sentences. Make use of image.
• Be conversational and informal.
• Feature an emotional story that personalizes your organization or cause.
• Thank your donor. Then thank the donor again. …

Your job as a fundraiser is to be the outside force that puts your donor in motion, emotionally and physically, so he or she cares about your mission and cares enough to make a gift. Here are six ways to jump-start the process.

I admit it — if you follow these six steps you won’t have a model fundraising program in place. But beating your head against the wall until you finally give up isn’t a good solution, either. Start small and make sure everyone on the team knows about the successes and sees the positive notes and emails you receive from donors. Be the best cheerleader for fundraising.

Most nonprofit organizations consider their donors "family." That means that every time you talk to a donor, send a letter or email, or see a donor face to face, it's much like a family reunion. And what happens in those few minutes or hours of engagement impacts the relationship for months, even years, to come.

Your job as a fundraiser is to be the outside force that puts your donor in motion, emotionally and physically, so he or she cares about your mission and cares enough to make a gift. Here are six ways to jump-start the process.