Creative

The year was 2003, and I was insanely busy in my second position in nonprofit fundraising, grant writer for a regional organization serving women and children. Although I’d been hired only weeks earlier to develop cultivation and solicitation strategies for corporate and foundation prospects, already I’d been called off task any number of times.

And now I was given the assignment of creating my first annual report.

Speaking with one voice and sending consistent messages is key in fundraising success. Getting your team energized and feeling comfortable with sharing your story is a critical step in getting everyone prepared and comfortable to ask for a gift!

Fundraising communications is meant to be a conversation — not a one-way street. I understand you have a lot to share with your peeps. But being all talking and no listening makes donors feel used, invisible and unheard. And that is NOT how we want our valuable supporters to feel after hearing from us. So, here are a few tips for authentically engaging with your donors in your fundraising communications …

One of the best ways to improve your donor churn rate is to improve your donor communications. Here are six of the worst donor communication mistakes and some tips for how to avoid them: the "one and done," the "me, me, me," the "broken record," the "word vomit," the "disconnected" and the "show me the money."

Oh, wait, it’s just another nonprofit e-newsletter! Check this list to make sure you are maximizing the opportunity.

You should avoid focusing on things your donor really doesn't have any interest in. With that in mind, here are "Three Things Your Donor Doesn't Give a Hoot About," from Willis Turner, senior copywriter at Huntsinger & Jeffer.

In the 1990s, a Seattle fundraising shop called the Domain Group took the garden-variety donor newsletter, stripped it down to its components and began testing to see if it could come up with something better. Sort of like rebuilding a hot rod. Domain eventually developed a formula that made a donor newsletter highly worth doing: Some Domain clients began raking in more gifts through their newsletters than through their direct-mail appeals.

How exactly can nonprofits break free of the rut and steer their efforts in the right direction? Recognizing some of the key fundraising mistakes and understanding how to correct them can be a great starting point. Here are nine of them: the underinvested fundraising operation, not setting lofty goals, not being interesting enough, putting all your eggs in one basket, emergency fundraising, failure to cultivate long-term relationships, trying to be the next big thing, you are not your target audience and not implementing a donor-friendly mobile payment system.

Most copywriters maintain a "swipe file," a collection of direct-mail packages, emails, print ads, even magazine articles and books we use to generate new ideas. I recommend we also maintain a "fail file" so we can not only remember past mistakes, but understand them.

Here are three ways to make sure your fundraising appeal stays on-message for maximum impact and response.