October 24, 2006
Attendees at my two-day “Secrets of Copywriting” seminar at the DMA 2006 Annual Conference in San Francisco last week brought samples for a critique. And almost every sample from the fundraising sector — and virtually every appeal I receive — has the same problem. I mean that literally: They all look the same. And I’m not even talking about the free address labels and note cards. Please don’t think me callous when I say typically, there’s a lovable dog to save, a needy child to support, a desperate disease or disaster victim to rescue … along with formulaic copy such as: “We do important
