Writing direct-mail copy, like most things, gets easier as you practice. Don’t expect perfection on your first try—or probably your 10th try, either. But also don’t stop writing; this old dog knows that a lot of us are not born fundraising copy writers. But that doesn’t stop us from trying to write copy that will—even in a small way—help change our world for the better.
Keeping great talent is a huge challenge for nonprofit and for-profit organizations alike. As an example, Turnkey engaged psychologist Otis Fulton to help us dissect the psychology of peer-to-peer fundraising. Turnkey could have really used Otis full time, but there wasn’t budget for that. I was worried about retaining the talent...
Last week I promised to provide practical tips on writing direct mail. For some of you, writing direct mail is something you enjoy, and for others, it’s something you just have to do. But I think we can all agree on one thing: the direct-mail letter that doesn’t get read (or at least scanned) is unlikely to raise much income. People need to read the words we’ve carefully chosen to convey the need and our solution, but we can’t demand that of anyone....
Cause marketing has been around for decades, but a clear formula for success is elusive. Often, conflicting goals and differing expectations between nonprofits and their for-profit partners lead to frustration and disappointment. Through an exciting project my organization undertook this year, we learned a few key lessons that can help others launch a successful partnership...
The eyes that matter most on your event T-shirt are the eyes of the person wearing it. The value of the T-shirt is that the person wearing it sees him or herself in it frequently over the next year. When we reinforce the intrinsic label of a person by helping him or her overtly self-identify as someone who performs certain behaviors–in this case being a fundraiser for our nonprofit–we increase the likelihood we will get he or she back next year to do that same behavior...
While I am by no means the best direct-mail writer in the world, I have learned a lot since I was “asked” to write a letter back in 1980. I worked for a nonprofit that struggled to make payroll, and our writer had resigned. I met all the requirements for adding “direct-mail writer” to my workload: I could walk and breathe simultaneously, and I was too dumb to say “No.” ...
One of the best gifts you can give a donor is a photo of the people their gift is impacting. For donors, we would often frame a photo as a thank-you gift. More often than not, when we would make a follow-up visit to the donor’s office, we would see that framed photo proudly displayed...
I struggle at motivating my 17-year-old boy to live like a human. My efforts—threats, cajoling, reasoning and money—to keep rodents and insects from invading my home through the trash dump that is his room are not effective. Why? It may have something to do with two competing forms of incentives...
Each community can believe in a nonprofit for a different reason. Nevertheless, it’s the specific, on-the-ground rationale that energizes support from each of the affected communities and constituencies. The difficulty arises when those driving the cause continue to proclaim the global goals without reference to the local goals...
Not all events are the same—and consumers don’t believe all photos at events should be shared the same. Make sure your event falls into the “high-share” category...
