As you know, both direct mail and e-mail are huge for fundraisers, and it's always great to see what other nonprofits are sending to donors' mailboxes and inboxes. The new Who's Mailing What! lets fundraisers track the marketing trends in the industry, see what's working for other organizations and more.
Effective fundraisers are storytellers, no matter what the platform. And fundraisers should "leave the story better than you found it." What a high calling for us as fundraising professionals and the donors and volunteers we are privileged to work with.
To make sure your envelope is more than a means to deliver a carefully crafted letter and reply system, remember these three important things when evaluating your direct mail.
Think of it like juggling rattlesnakes: If done right, a properly chosen cliché can be as good as gold. But done wrong it'll go over like a lead balloon.
I am a firm believer that receipts have an important purpose in our fundraising strategy and should be mailed quickly after (almost) every donation. Here's why.
Remember, think before you write. And, to paraphrase Thumper, if you can't say something effective, proactive, emotional and motivating about your mission, "don't say nothin' at all."
It's not worth all the arguing that takes place over commas, spacing, underlining, bolding and which style guide trumps. It's all about communicating.
There's great power in your words. But to find it, you must, as the Second Apparition told Macbeth, "Be bloody, bold and resolute."
If we want to motivate readers — get them to the emotional state we want them be in when we ask for money — this is how we have to talk to them. "We've got to. It's all we can do. We have no other choice."
Flesch-Kincaid is a small tool that can be a big help. Readability stats won't do your writing for you, but they can definitely make the writing you do stronger!
