How to Write a Direct Mail Fundraising Letter (Four Tips for Fund Raising Success)
1. Address your reader as a friend, not as "Friend." When was the last time you received a letter from someone dear to you, addressing you as "Dear Friend?" Never, right? The days of the Dear Friend letter are dead. I heard recently of a chairman of the board of a national charity who has given his charity millions of dollars and hundreds of hours of his time, yet he still receives fundraising appeals from this charity addressing him as "Dear Friend." Ouch. 2. Arrest attention with an opening that resonates with your
donors. Assume your reader is standing over a trash can with a stack of today's mail, reading the opening sentence of each letter before deciding its fate. You have only a few seconds to grab the reader's interest. So make it a zinger. Here are two openings for the same non-profit. Which one grabs your attention and makes you want to read on? Opening 1: "I am writing to you to ask if you would like to support a low-income housing building project in your neighbourhood." Opening 2: "If I invited you to walk over to your neighbour's house with a bundle of roof shingles under your
arm as a gift, what would you do?" 3. Put flesh and bones on your need. One truth in fundraising is that people give to people to help people. So always describe your need in terms of
people, not programs, not ministry, not money. INSTEAD OF SAYING . . . We operate three vans. SAY . . . The three vans that we use for emergency medical relief play a vital role in saving lives throughout the year. INSTEAD OF SAYING . . . Essential medicines in many countries are not affordable. SAY . . . Phillip Mbago is dying from a treatable disease for no other reason than this-he can't afford his cure. 4. Ask for funds by painting a picture. Don't just ask for a donation. Show your readers how their donations will make a difference. Instead of saying, "Send a gift today," say, "Your gift to Habitat for Humanity today means that another family will soon move into a simple, decent, affordable home-thanks to you." © 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message). ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Sharpe is a professional direct mail fundraising copywriter who helps nonprofits raise funds and retain donors
using direct mail fundraising letters. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.fundraisingletters.org.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Copywriting for Astrology, Numerology, Tarot, and the Mystic Audience
These days, you don't have to traverse the dark forest on the eve of the Full Moon to find a gypsy, psychic or "intuitive" as many now call themselves. Chances are, the local astrologist or tarot reader is making more than a comfortable living for herself in a corporate complex near you. She's probably dressed in proper business attire, scheduling consultations from her art-deco office right now.
How To Be Creative
Network marketing is an art as much as it is an applied science. To take a blank sheet of paper or canvas and draw or paint an interesting picture, you've got to have an imagination and creativity.
3 Keys to Better Online Copywriting
Doing the copywriting for your own website without the proper
knowledge and tools is pretty much like flying blind in a
snowstorm without piloting experience or instruments.
Are You Making These Press Release Mistakes?
You've done it. Gotten that press release written. Now you're ready to send it out to your carefully chosen list of media contacts.
How To Find Editing Services Online
Quality is what you need. What you don't have is time. You need to find an editing service online that can help you get the work you need done, quickly and effectively. But, where do you look? Where can you find such a service and know that it is of good quality? While it would have been a difficult task to find an editing service online a few years ago, there is now an ever growing supply of them. You'll find quite a selection to choose from as well. Here are some guidelines that may help you in finding not only a service to use, but a good quality one at that.
Top 10 Ways For Copywriters To Overcome Writers Block
We all know that words have the power to persuade, compel and most importantly, sell.
Copywriting Makeover: Making An Emotional Connection - Part 1 of 2
One statistic shows that over 80% of all buying decisions are emotional. That means your copywriting should be, too. This is something I firmly believe in and have preached for most of my copywriting career. However, all too often, I find people skipping the vital step of making an emotional connection with their customers. That can be a tragic, and costly, mistake.
Three Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy
The difference between good copy and great copy is the number of actions it generates. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is.
Freelance Copywriting Advice #1: Take the Scary Jobs
From time to time you will be faced with an opportunity that looks downright scary.
Copywriting: Secrets of a Freelancer
Lately, I've been getting emails from other copywriters who ask me questions like "What's your secret?" and "How did you do it?" and "Can I be your apprentice?"
10 Things You Should Expect From Your Website Copywriter
As websites and electronic commerce are becoming more and more common, business owners and marketing managers are realising that quality web copy is every bit as important as impressive design. And with the ever increasing importance of search engine presence, the role of web copy has never been more critical.
So Youve Decided to Hire a Freelance Copywriter - A Guide to the Collaboration Process
Whether you're an executive or a small business owner, chances are you will have to hire a writer somewhere along the line to create your marketing material. Here is some insight into the process, what is expected of you, and how to get the most out of your investment.
How to Develop a Killer News Hook
When you are going to write a press release probably the most important thing you can do is create a killer news hook. A press release without a news hook is just blatant advertising, plain and simple. There is nothing that turns off journalists more than a press release that's just advertising, and when you turn them off, they're often off for good.
Can Honest Copywriting Succeed?
I confess--I'm a marketing heretic! I've built my career on breaking all the
rules--and one of the rules I break is that I don't hype.
How To Write Direct Mail That Really, Really Works!
So, you have something you want to sell. It may be a product, a service, or a cause. It could be a membership, a subscription, or a motor car. It might be paper, health products or the idea that the humane society or the Alzheimer's association is worth giving money to. It could be computer equipment, hand-sewn dolls clothes or garden gnomes.
How To Become Qualified As A Proofreader
The field of proofreading is not as easy to get into as you might think. In fact, there are many proof reading qualifications that you must possess in order to qualify. While these qualifications change from company to company, the over all concepts are the same throughout. Unless you can prove your worth and be able to do the job, you will not have the proof reading qualifications that are necessary. To get these, you must dedicate yourself to the cause.
Deciding What Voice to Use in Copy
Ad Copy - Your 12 Point Inspection!
You're ready to launch that new product or promotion, & you're really counting on a piece of advertising copy to come through for you.
How You Can Become A Freelance Business Plan Writer
As with any business, becoming a freelance business plan writer can be a challenge. The first challenges involve factors such as cash flow, getting clients, and maintaining some sort of order. Later, challenges will involve getting new clients, insuring return business and referrals, and making a profit. But, like any good business, it is up to the individual to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Becoming a freelance business plan writer is an excellent career. To make it successful, plan to succeed from the beginning.
Top 8 Techniques - Secrets - Create Ad Copy For Your Business To Sky Rocket
Perhaps the most important benefit in the material that follows is its ability to provide you with the necessary concepts and constructs which are critical for becomingsuccessful by utilizing many of the high-tech, high-touch capabilities offered by the use of online marketing. Building your home business "Internet-Style" is not only exciting and challenging, it can also be very beneficial in more ways than can be imagined.
Promoting - By taking advantage of all the Free and Low Cost services available on the Internet, your business can enjoy a much larger footprint than ever before. Through the use of these services you can get your message out to a much larger audience at a cheaper price.
|
