Creative

Of course you should craft your appeals to resonate with the majority of your readers. But you should always allow for the possibility that something great could come from the most unexpected donors.

Do fundraising writers get writer's block? Does every writer? All writers talk about it. Some play complicated psychological tricks on themselves to prime the pump when the well goes dry.

By far, the most frequently made mistake I see is when a worthy nonprofit assumes mission trumps all. It's mostly out of oversight, as nonprofit leadership is focused on doing good. However, sometimes it's because the organization really believes that donors are merely "funders"—the ATMs of the nonprofit world.

Writing fundraising copy should be detailed and painstaking for you. Reading it should be fast and easy for your donor.

To get a handle on what’s in store for 2015, NonProfit PRO rounded up some of the nonprofit industry’s finest, who were kind enough to share their nonprofit trends for 2015. Here are four trends on nonprofit messaging.

Writing fundraising copy takes concentration and focus. There are a lot of elements, strategic and creative, that have to be accounted for as you write. It takes up a lot of your headspace.

The 10 tips below are basic copywriting guidelines that will help you every time you write a fundraising letter, email or blog post.

I'm a firm believer that empathy has the potential to solve more problems than war and peace put together. From a more practical one, boosting your empathic ability could give your fundraising results a shot in the arm.

In communicating with your donors, whether it be a website or mailing — electronic or physical — focus on the relationships. Risk a little. Risk looking foolish. Make your investors smile. They'll love you for it. When you ask them to step up their support, they'll sense the human connection and respond.

Today I'm sharing with you the three most overused, most boring and least useful words ever to be used in fundraising appeals.