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TY Thursday: My Deepest Thanks

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My regular readers (whom I appreciate!) will know that on Thursdays, I’ve been giving advice to nonprofits on how to say thanks and express their “attitude of gratitude” to their donors.

Thank-yous can go far beyond a letter. They can include videos, gifts, and even acts of kindness that make the donor feel you are truly grateful and truly friends. You can see all those TY Thursday posts by clicking on the link.

Today, I’d like to turn it around. Instead of advising you on how to thank your donors, I want to send you my thanks.

I’m Grateful to You, Nonprofits

Thank you to the nonprofits that help my neighbors meet basic human needs.

Thank you to the nonprofits that help people worldwide appreciate art and literature.

Thank you to the nonprofits that give free legal advice to people in a jam.

Thank you to the nonprofits that work to change policy so people won’t need legal advice so often.

Thank you to the grassroots groups that are mainly friends and neighbors with a 501(c)(3).

Thank you to the huge corporations with big budgets and complex organizational structures who don’t forget that they’re there on a mission.

Thank you to the nonprofit organizations (called synagogues) that gave me my Jewish education, a place to worship in community, and a way to continue the 4,000-year-old tradition that has shaped my life.

Thank you to the nonprofit organizations (called universities) that changed the way I think and taught me life lessons, inside and outside the classroom.

To the people who spend their days working hard for these agencies, way beyond what nonprofits can ever afford to pay them to do, thanks!

To the people who spend their evenings and weekends volunteering for these agencies, whether they lick envelopes, serve meals, or serve on the Board, thanks!

To the receptionists, the face of each organization…

the frontline staff, who see the faces of the people they serve…

the interns passing through, who may remember their time there life long…

the Executive Directors, carrying too much weight on their own shoulders…

and especially, to the fundraisers and communicators who make sure that donors hear about the great difference the work of your organization makes (as I did), and become grateful (as I have), so they continue to support you with their creativity, time, and money…THANK YOU.

It’s your job to thank the donors, and I will keep on sending you tips on how to do it well. But once in a while, you deserve some appreciation too. And you’re welcome.

Fundraising Tuesday: Goldilocks & the 3 Nonprofits

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just right

When are your communications just right?

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks.  She liked to give away money.

One day Goldilocks went exploring the forest of letters, email, and online posts she received.  She found herself in the house of three nonprofits.  She sat down at their table and sampled what they were offering.

She tasted the first nonprofit.  “Oh, this is too hot!” she exclaimed.  The nonprofit was sending her something every day, and all of it was peppered with funding appeals.

She tasted the second nonprofit.  “This is far too cold,” she realized.  The nonprofit was communicating with her only when it was asking for money.  And by the time she received a thank-you letter, she’d reached the bottom of the bowl.  She had no appetite for any more donations.

Goldilocks tasted the third nonprofit.  “Ahhh,” she breathed.  “This is just right!” Here was the porridge she’d been looking for.  The main ingredient was content that pleased her palate, spiced with a healthy dash of humor and with nuggets of information to chew on.  The funding appeals had absorbed the flavor of the dish and went down smoothly.

“Someone’s been eating my porridge,” Goldilocks heard a voice say.  There was the Communications Director of the third nonprofit, smiling.  And behind her was the Development Director, asking “Would someone like to sit in my chair at my next event?”

 

Let the Client Write Your Fundraising Letter

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You have probably sent your donors dozens or hundreds of fundraising letters for your nonprofit. But have they ever seen a letter from a satisfied client?

Stephanie’s Story

InterfaithFamily clientMy friend Carol Reiman sent me a letter she received by email from the nonprofit organization InterfaithFamily.

“Dear Carol,” it began (a good start, calling the donor by name):

Confused. The best adjective I can use to describe how I felt about planning my interfaith wedding before learning about InterfaithFamily.

The writer, Stephanie Radowitz, says she grew up Catholic and knew nothing about planning a wedding with her Jewish spouse. She was afraid she’d create hard feelings on what should be one of the happiest days of a couple’s life. Then, a co-worker connected her with an organization for people like her and her husband.

Not only did Stephanie learn enough from InterfaithFamily to plan the wedding–she found the rabbi she would trust to conduct the ceremony!

I cannot thank IFF enough for providing me with abundant resources, new friends and experiences. It is why I continue to stay connected to IFF and why I am giving back to help other couples who are navigating their own interfaith path. I hope you will consider joining me by making a gift to InterfaithFamily today and turning the confusion for so many couples like us into possibilities.

What the Client Did Right

There are so many things to love about this appeal letter!

  • The subject line is “Happily ever after starts here.” Who wouldn’t open that email, to find out where you can find “happily ever after?” (If it were postal mail, she could have used that line on the envelope.)
  • Stephanie tells a story. It has a narrative structure: heroine, challenge, helpers, solution. She doesn’t just tell us that the nonprofit helped her. She shows us how.
  • It uses “engaging” photos. (Pardon the pun!)
  • It has a warm, personal voice.
  • It smoothly directs readers to where they can find out more about the organization.
  • It asks for money. (Yes, you have to ask! And look how effortlessly Stephanie slips from her story to “And that is why” she’s supporting IFF.
  • It uses a postscript to make giving urgent. P.S. An anonymous donor has agreed to match all new and increased donations. Make a gift today and double your impact!

Okay, Maybe the Client Had Help

Stephanie’s letter is better than the vast majority of appeals I see written by paid staff at nonprofit organizations. Maybe she’s just an exceptional writer and intuitive fundraiser. Chances are, however, she had help.

Who is the Stephanie in your nonprofit organization: the client with a great story to tell? Can you interview her and write it up in her voice? It will ring true and make your donors want to give.

As long as the love rings true.

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