Direct Response

Here are 12 simple steps any organization can take right now to make their donors happy, boost their retention rates and create sustainable gifts year after year. These are the changes that matter. They are not complicated. They don't require a lot of decision making or processing. They don't even take a ton of time!

Aren't your donors worth putting some extra effort into creating events and campaigns that are worth their time and, ultimately, their money?

Budget management and budget cuts are never easy, but becoming stagnant and not trying to change is not the answer.

It's not always easy to make your donors' wishes come true. But if you don't put forth the effort to meet their emotional needs, someone else will.

There is too much competition for your donors' attention and dollars to make fundraising a narcissistic exercise.

Be explicit, don't beat around the bush, get to the point and be clear in your fundraising appeal letter. You'll raise more money if you do!

Although the outcomes of any given fundraising effort cannot be known with absolute certainty, assessing the probability of success isn't entirely guesswork, either.

When I open an envelope, I want to quickly grasp what it is I am being "offered" — what problem can I solve if I send a gift? Are you answering that question for your reader?

How can you understand the communication experience your donors are having if you don't have it all written down?

Part 2 of my alphabetical list of writing mistakes that are easy to make but important to avoid.