Gail Perry How Fundraising Is Turning Into 'Fund Marketing'

By Gail Perry

Are you using any of the new communications tools in your fundraising? There's now an amazing array of tools, formats and strategies out there for us.

All these new and innovative ways we can use to tell our stories, connect with our donors, keep them engaged with our causes and ask for money! Not only that, but we have hard data about what types of communications our donors respond to.

We know what makes a potential donor open an envelope or not. What makes her read an email newsletter or not. Or want to give again or not.

We know exactly:

What donors react to on Web pages.
How to turn a newsletter from one that makes $1,400 to one that makes $42,000.
What types of images and pictures work best.
How to design and lay out a direct mail appeal for max impact.
What fonts work best.
How to shape a call to action.

We know a lot more about messaging too these days. We know:

How to start off a direct mail appeal letter.
What to say on our website donation pages and what not to say.
How to frame an appeal for maximum impact on a donor.

We know that "real words" are more engaging than "jargon." Why say "impact our programs" when you can say "help children learn to read"?

What do all these strategies and tactics have in common? These strategies merge the "fundraising" function and the "marketing/communications" function.

Every day, fundraisers worry about which message to choose, how to shape the message, what words to use, how many words to use, and which words and phrases to avoid. All of this could be included in a communications function called "copywriting."

So, my friend, if you want to be successful as a fundraiser, you need to also have a working knowledge of messaging, copywriting, good design and layout. You might even need a smattering knowledge of photography and videography.

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Gail Perry Author's page Gail believes in parties first, rabble-rousing second, and having fun while changing the world. Gail Perry CFRE is an international fundraising coach, speaker, trainer and thought-leader. She is a leader in a new breed of fundraisers who are on the cutting edge of fundraising today. Her Fired-Up Fundraising approach, developed over the past 25 years as a nonprofit philanthropy expert, has helped organizations raise hundreds of millions in gifts. Gail's practical and refreshing approach to raising money in today's world is based on the very latest innovative fundraising strategies. An inspirational and popular speaker, she leads energizing fundraising workshops and board retreats around the globe. She particularly enjoys working with nonprofit board members, introducing them to a new perspective on fundraising and ways they can be successful at it. Gail's book, Fired-Up Fundraising, has been called the "gold standard guide to building successful fundraising boards." Gail got her start in fundraising at Duke University, and then went on to lead fundraising at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can read Gail's weekly blogs at FiredUpFundraising.com, and also find her provocative articles at FundraisingSuccess, Guidestar, and Capital Campaign Magic.