Creative

Is your nonprofit outreach falling flat? It may not be your message, but rather who is delivering it that is the problem. Think about who might be a more relatable, believable messenger for your nonprofit's outreach. It might not be who you think. So who are messengers that wield more influence than you when it comes to your organization? Whom should you tap to talk about you?

If your donors are leaving because of something they are not hearing, feeling or reading … the good news is we can do something about it. So I ask you: Does your communication cause the people who give you their time, talent, “stuff” or money to feel totally awesome about giving? Or do they receive “ho hum” thank-you letters, occasional mentions in an annual report listing and are continually invited to give more? What to do to cause people to feel like a superhero? It’s simple. Communicate with passion. Talk to them, not at them.

When you publish that e-mail, direct-mail letter, tweet or Facebook update … what are you offering donors? And are you making it an attractive offer that they don’t want to ignore? Yes, your offer and call to action are — in my opinion — some of the most critical elements in your appeal.

Ah, I could talk about direct mail forever ... but I'll stop here! All this old dog asks is that all you skeptics out there take a few minutes to consider (or re-consider) direct mail — an old-fashioned fundraising tool that can breathe new life into your year-end fundraising.

Your year-end appeal letter just might be missing the boat. I interviewed the great direct-mail genius Tom Ahern for our 2013 Year-End Fundraising Telesummit. Here are five things I bet you are doing wrong: 1. Your call to action is weak. 2. You are not asking enough times in the letter. 3. Your type font is too small. 4. The word “you” is not showing up enough. 5. You are not mailing often enough to your donors asking them to renew.

Are engaging visuals a priority in your organization? With so many things competing for people's attention today, images and photos are a more important aspect of your communications toolbox than ever before. Here are some tips to help you improve your image content: 1. Seek out great images. 2. Be strategic about your subject matter. 3. Choose the right message for just the right photo. 4. Share the images you are capturing.

Getting good stories is hard. It takes time, too. That's why too many organizations wait for stories to fall into their laps, rather than actively seeking them out. So what's a time-sapped, budget-strapped charity to do? Here are six steps to mining for story gold: 1. Always listen. 2. Channel your inner story scout. 3. Get in there! 4. Use this as your mantra: Everyone has a story. 5. Focus on the outcome. 6. Make the donor the hero.

The important thing is to touch your donors' emotions in a variety of ways. Your mission may be simple. But the ways you can ask for support are not.

Words have the power to inspire. They also have the power to alienate. Words can touch us, or they can fall flat. In my previous post, I shared seven words that, when used together, can earn you the respect, trust and appreciation of prospects and donors. I now want to share my list of planned-giving and major-giving related words and phrases that, at times, make me cringe: planned giving, bequest, philanthropy, generous and please RSVP.

Storytelling is an important tool that nonprofits are using in fundraising and communications. But perhaps its most important role is being able to forge relationships with constituents in a scalable way. Especially when it comes to annual-giving stewardship.

Being familiar with the complexities of annual-giving portfolios, I know that many annual giving fundraisers struggle with how to provide donors with meaningful stewardship without having to put in 14 hour days. Moreover, the real secret of course to retaining donors and increasing fundraising revenue is to provide donors with stewardship.