Copywriting

It was a big year for the Gold Awards, folks! 2010 marked the year with the largest number of entries to date. All told, the 108 submissions represented 15 nonprofit organizations and 30 agencies. We're thrilled, and want to say congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated.

FundRaising Success recently did a quick, informal poll of a number of fundraising professionals from across the sector, and here are some of their "off-the-top-of-my-head" tips for ending the year with an uptick in giving.

Is the creative well a bit dry? Here are some ideas to boost your fall fundraising efforts.

A complete list of the 2010 FundRaising Success Gold Awards winners.

It's lurking. It's close. And it's deadly. It forces hundreds of nonprofit organizations out of business every year. It robs even more organizations of their resources and leaves them foundering, unable to fully accomplish their missions. It destroys the careers of 
hundreds of hardworking and idealistic people.

During the first-ever FundRaising Success Virtual Conference & Expo held on May 20 (and available on-demand until Aug. 24), FS columnist and creative director at TrueSense Marketing Jeff Brooks provided 25 good ideas and even one bad one for fundraisers. Here is a rundown of his ideas from his session, “Feel the Power!”

These days, people are bombarded with messaging from every angle, and with their precious little free time, it's easier for donors to hit the delete button or toss their mail in the recycling. To reach donors, you have to break through the noise with relevant, attention-getting communications. And you must have a way to measure their impact as well.

Remember Goofus and Gallant? They're two boys, brothers maybe, whose morality tales in children's magazine Highlights (that mainstay of doctors' waiting rooms) had a profound impact on the moral and behavioral development of many a boomer-aged kid — though not always the way the authors intended. (They are also, I'm compelled to mention, 
registered trademarks of Highlights for Children Inc.)

1. Write the call to action before you do anything else. It's very un-Zen to say it, but fundraising is more about the destination than the journey. You're going to arrive a lot more successfully when you know exactly where you're going.