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Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

What Nonprofits NEED to Learn from Rand Paul

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Rand Paul may be a libertarian who would cut many government programs that nonprofits–and the people we serve–depend on. But there’s one important lesson he can teach us: what NOT to do.

Don’t Try to Fool the People

Rand Paul map

Not one person on this map endorses Rand Paul

Sen. Paul announced his campaign for the presidency of the U.S. last week. His website displayed the map above with the heading “Endorse Rand Paul for President.”

But if you thought the faces represented people who endorsed Rand Paul, you’d be wrong. All these are stock photos from the files of a German photographer. None of them could vote for Paul, even if they wanted to!

What can nonprofits learn from Rand Paul?

The lesson here is not to avoid stock photos. Sometimes, they’re your best option. The lesson is: think carefully about what you’re saying to your supporters. Make sure it’s completely true.

Avoid:

  • Making claims you aren’t in a position to know for certain
  • Fudging your figures
  • Giving misleading impressions (like bragging that your overhead is low, as if that were any indication of results!)

Instead:

  • Tell real stories about actual people
  • Collect data that mean something–and report the bad with the good
  • Show how you’re making a difference, even in a small way, and even as one organization among many. Your real impact is enough.

Oh, and start taking photos of your work. Because sometimes stock photos can get you into trouble. Just look at Rand Paul.

The Best Fundraising Letter of 2015

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Girl escaping ISISIt’s only April, and I may already have received the best fundraising letter I’m going to see in 2015. And they had me after the first sentence.

MADRE wrote:

Dear Rona and Dennis,

I have an extraordinary story to tell you about how six teenage girls escaped from the extremist group ISIS–and into the care that MADRE partners in Iraq provide, thanks to you.

All right, I quit. After that sentence, you want to hear the story, right? My piddling little blog post is not nearly as important as six teenage girls escaping from ISIS.

And that’s the point.

  • MADRE found a compelling story.
  • They made it personal. (“One night, 16-year-old Ola managed to slip the drugs meant for her into her captors’ teapot.”)
  • They made it topical and created a sense of urgency. (ISIS!)
  • They connected it to their work.
  • And they used the magic word, “you.”

Because of all that, you want to know what happens next. You’re probably cursing that Dennis Fischman who’s talking about how the letter worked–instead of just letting you read it.

Do your donors feel that way about your appeal letters? Do they give them a quick glance and file them, or recycle them?  Or…would they feel cheated if they couldn’t read them to the end?

I challenge you. If you think your letter might really be the best fundraising letter I’ll see in 2015, take a moment right now and share the first sentence of that letter in a comment. I’ll tell you what I think, and so will other readers.

Go!

A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Communications Pro Walk into a Bar…

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Can you tell a joke?  Then you can write for blogs and social media.

I don’t mean to say that what you write has to be funny.  Although, God knows we could use some humor sometimes!  But jokes have the basic ingredients you need to make people want to read what you write, and then, to remember what they’ve read.

Jokes invite the audience in.  Whether it’s “knock-knock,” or “What did the one say to the other?”, or “A priest, a minister, and rabbi walk into a bar,” jokes get the listeners involved. You can see them lean forward, wondering what comes next.

The next time you write, look for the opening line that makes your reader want to read the next line.

Jokes have a structure.  Human beings like to know where they’re going and how long it’s going to take to get there.  People waiting for a bus or subway are much more content to wait if they see a sign that says “Next train to Alewife Station, 10 minutes.”  When they’re listening to a joke and they hear that something happens three times, for instance, they know something unusual is about to occur and they’re waiting to find out what it is.

The next time you write, look for the structure that tells your reader when the main idea is going to arrive.

Jokes have a punch line.  Sometimes people even forget how the story went, but they remember “That’s what she said,” or “I’ll have what she’s having.”  It’s the payoff.  It leads to a reaction: laughter, or a groan, or both…but an emotional response.

The next time you write, figure out the response you want to provoke first.  Then, tell the story that will elicit that response from your readers.

A priest, a minister, and a rabbi went into a bar, and the bartender said, “What is this, some kind of a joke?”

I’ll bet you remember that one.

Note: this entry originally appeared in April 2013 in my personal blog.

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