Creative

Still stuck for subject lines for your year-end e-mails? The subject line is like the outer envelope for direct mail. It’s the window into your message. Make sure it’s wide open and gives a glimpse of something that grabs folks’ attention. Make it intriguing, urgent, exciting, compelling, emotional, shocking or funny. The more useful and specific it is the better.

While statistics can be interesting and even compelling at times, people are more likely to be moved by stories. When we do fundraising, we should use fewer statistics and tell more stories. When sharing stories: Use real stories, not composite or fictionalized accounts. Relate first-person stories when possible. Tell relevant stories that will help you achieve your objective. Do not be afraid of the length of the story; folks will stick with you if the story is compelling. Avoid being exploitative, and instead, use stories to demonstrate how your organization is fulfilling its mission.

What we write is designed to generate strong emotions. And it's why we have to be certain that what we write takes readers into the world we want them to be in.

What is it about fundraising that makes people who know nothing about it so confident they can do it better than the professionals? People who've never read a single book about how to do fundraising right … never read one of the hundreds of blogs that focus on the topic … never been to one of the conferences that are rich with useful content about it … never labored under a mentor who knew the profession inside and out …

Content Marketing Institute and Blackbaud’s 2014 Nonprofit Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends — North America report just hit the scene. In my world, this is exciting news, as it’s the first-ever research report to benchmark what’s going on with content marketing in the nonprofit sector — the sector I’ve spent the past 10 years of my life serving.

Needless to say, I’ve been geeking out over the data, so I thought I’d offer a few thoughts and insights based on the findings …

My wife serves on the board of a charity recently in need of a fundraising kick-start. In response, another director sent more than 400 letters to past supporters reminding them of the organization’s important work.

Information doesn't raise money. It lays the foundation for raising money. It gives you credibility and gives your donors a reason to listen when you appeal to their empathy and desire to help.

If your appeal letter isn’t pulling in enough money in the last few years, it might be the downturn. It might also be because your appeal letter reads like a grant proposal. So how can you come right out and be more original with your appeal letters? How can you be brave and stand up and write something different than has been tried before? Follow these 11 tips. I found them at James Altrucher’s blog, then rewrote them for a nonprofit fundraising perspective.

From video, to infographics, to a simple letter, I've seen nonprofits say thank you in a lot of different ways over the past few years. (Huzzah for your creativity, folks!) But no matter the level of sophistication, there are a few things that really make the thank-yous I love stand out … They're sincere. They give me a sense of the big picture. They're creative AND relevant. They're not JUST an excuse to ask for more. They showcase the ones you serve.

‘Tell a story” is one of the most common pieces of advice given to fundraising writers. “Add emotion” is another. Everyone knows an emotional story engages readers and leads to stronger results. But not everyone knows how simple it is to tell one. (But remember, simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy). Here are six tools that help: