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TY Thursday: Thank Donors by Keeping Them Informed

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Why do donors give? Because they want to know they made a difference.

Sending the ideal thank-you letter is a good start. You can ward off donor’s remorse and make the person who pulled out their credit card or checkbook feel immediately, “That was a good decision. I did the right thing.”

But if that’s all you do to say thanks, chances are very high that the next time you ask, they won’t give again. They may not even remember they gave the first time!

So, one of the best ways your nonprofit can say “Thank you” to donors is to give them what they want. Show them the difference they made: the impact of their donations.

How do you do that? Who’s doing a good job of it now that you can emulate?

Example: The Welcome Project

The Welcome Project logo

Back in May, I asked my friends on Facebook:

Question for my friends who donate to their favorite charities: which organizations are doing an especially good job right now of letting you know what your donations are doing for people in need?

More than one person mentioned a local organization that I’ve supported for years, The Welcome Project. The Welcome Project builds the collective power of immigrants to participate in and shape community decisions.

Since the November 2016 election, TWP has pushed the city government and schools of Somerville, Massachusetts to serve the needs of all its residents–no matter what is happening in Washington. Since the start of the pandemic, it has created a fund to help immigrants who aren’t eligible for other kinds of relief.

What is TWP doing to tell its story…and to let donors know they are making a difference?

  1. On its website, TWP has helped immigrants to find the help they need during the pandemic, from food to small business loans. It provided the information in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Kreyol.
  2. By email, the Executive Director issued a strong and personal statement about the death of George Floyd. He also spotlighted the need to enforce the mask wearing ordinance without giving police an excuse to target people of color.
  3. By social media, TWP invited its friends and supporters to:
    • Advocate for efforts to clean up air pollution that’s affecting communities of color more than anyone else.
    • Stand up and be counted in the U.S. Census.
    • Assist TWP in analyzing the Mass. police reform bill being considered in the state legislature.
    • Lobby for a state law making drivers’ licenses easier to obtain. (One of Somerville’s state reps is the sponsor of the bill.)

TWP also presented useful information about events affecting immigrants at the local and the national level, from Covid testing to DACA.

As a donor myself, when I see and hear all this news from the Welcome Project, I feel:

  • Gratified that the organization I supported is so active.
  • Included in its efforts, almost as if I were there.
  • Informed about issues I care about.
  • Empowered to take action, from attending demonstrations to lobbying the legislature.
  • Identified with TWP. They make me feel, “This is my organization–I am a part of it.”

And although I have already donated to the organization and to the immigrant assistance fund, the next time they ask, I will be more likely to make an additional gift. Because I know it makes a difference when I do.

Does your nonprofit say thank you by keeping donors informed and involved? Look at this example to learn how. Click To Tweet

Fundraising Tuesday: Appeal Letters, Easy to Read

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wall-of-text

Are your fundraising appeal letters easy to read? If not, all the work you put into choosing the right words may be wasted. (As in, tossed into the trash, unread.)

Let’s say you’ve done what it takes to persuade your potential donor to open the envelope. You’ve called them by the name they like to be called by, and you’ve written a P.S. that makes them want to go back and read your message. You’ve even included some excellent photos that go a long way toward telling the story.

And then they look at the language of your appeal letter, and it’s a solid wall of text. Into the trash it goes! (If they’re conscientious, into the recycling!)

What You Can Do to Make Letters Easy to Read

White space

white spaceBefore & After Magazine’s John McWade describes white space as no less than a “zone of silence”–and that’s a good thing!

White space gives your readers a break from the printed word, allowing them to rest their eyes, and making them more likely to continue reading. (And that’s what you want, right?)

Lisa Sargent gives five easy and powerful ways to use white space in your fundraising appeals:

  1. Use reasonable page margins (at least one inch, right and left).
  2. Write short, indented paragraphs and leave a blank line between them.
  3. Leave plenty of space for your signature.
  4. For longer letters, use subheads.
  5. Indent quotations.

Font

Why should you care about something seemingly trivial like the font your letter is printed in? Well, Colin Wheildon, author of Type & Layout: Are You Communicating or Just Making Pretty Shapes?, says:

It’s possible to blow away three-quarters of our readers simply by choosing the wrong [font]. If you rely on words to sell, that should concern you deeply.

Kathie Kramer Ryan of Arroyo Fundraising Fluency advises:

  • Use serif font for print and sans serif for online.
  • Use at least 12-point font for older eyes. (I would say 14!)
  • Don’t let designers dictate the look of your fundraising letter. Choose a font that invites your audience in.

Serif and sans serif fontsUnderlining, bold, and italics

The late, legendary fundraiser Mal Warwick counsels you:

Let’s assume you’ve decided that subheads are inappropriate for the appeal you’re writing… There’s still an easy way for you to accent the benefits offered in your appeal, answer readers’ unspoken questions, and make your letter easier to read: by underlining. Do it sparingly. Choose only a few key words and phrases. But, if possible, choose them before you write the body of the letter!

Why should you choose the words to emphasize even before you write the letter?

Because it helps you decide what the letter is really about.

Because it helps you remember what the letter is really about.

Because it helps you communicate what the letter is really about to your donors–and it forces you to ask, “And why does that matter to the person I’m asking to give?”

You should pay attention to white space, font size and shape, underlining, bold, and italics for the same reason you pay attention to your donors. Click To Tweet

By making your appeal letters easy to read, you show them you care–and make it easy for them to see why they should give.

 

Fundraising Tuesday: How to Ensure Donors Read Your Letter

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Yes, you can raise funds this summer.

I’ve been showing you how asking for donations in the middle of a pandemic and an uprising against racism is actually doing your donors a favor. One of the things donors want most in times like these is the feeling of making a difference, and you can give that to them! (If you don’t, other nonprofits will.)

I’ve also been explaining how to raise funds even if your nonprofit works on issues that have very little relation to Covid-19 or to murders of Black people and other people of color by police. Take the A-B-C approach to fundraising: Acknowledge the crises. Be responsive. Continue to pursue your mission.

 

 

 

 

Direct mail works–better than asking by email, and much better than fundraising online. Sure, the best approach is a multichannel fundraising campaign. But it all comes back to the letter. And job #1 is to make sure the donor actually reads it!

So, how do you give the donor everything she needs to want to open and read your fundraising appeal?

Here’s how to make sure that letter you worked so hard to write gets read:

Envelopes Make Donors Want to Open Your Mail.

Once your donor opens the envelope, the postscript is the most important part of your appeal letter. (So important that here are four more ways to use postscripts!)

If you want a donor to read your letter, “Dear Friend” won’t cut it. Get their name right.

“But how do I know what the donor likes to be called?” Ask their name.

Use photos that tell the story.

Ms. Marvel hero

How your donor should see herself

Tell stories in words, too! And be sure to make the donor the hero of the story.

Follow these six steps and donors will be intrigued by the envelope, attracted by the letter, moved by the story, and motivated to give.

 

 

 

 

 

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