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Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

TY Thursday: Your Favorite Posts of 2021

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Thanking your first-time donors turns them into repeat donors.

Thanking your repeat donors turns them into loyal supporters.

Thanking your loyal supporters makes the lifetime value of their donations multiply. It’s the most important thing you can do to improve your fundraising!

Here are your favorite posts from 2021 about expressing an attitude of gratitude and #DonorLove. Please write me back and tell me which of these you are going to put into practice in 2022!

TY Thursday: How to Thank Recurring Donors

Recurring donors give automatically. When you thank them, though, it should be anything but automatic. You need a deliberate and thoughtful approach to showing donor love to this special group.

TY Thursday: Your Board Will Thank You for Doing This

Getting thanked by a Board member helps donors think, “I made a good decision when I gave.” But it helps your Board of Directors, too.

TY Thursday: A Toast to You, Generous Donor!

The essence of a toast is not the liquid you drink. It’s the words you say. What can you say to make your donors feel extra special–right now?

TY Thursday: Thank You, Donor–You’re Welcome!

A welcome kit (also called a packet or package) tells the donor, “You matter to us. You’re not just a cash cow. We’re in this together for the long haul.” What should go into a welcome kit?

TY Thursday: The Ideal Thank-You Letter

I have seen the ideal appeal letter.  I haven’t yet seen the ideal thank-you letter.  But it went out today.  Did you send it?

 

Fundraising Tuesday: Your Favorite Posts of 2021

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It’s a new year, and a new  chance to make more money for your nonprofit than ever before!

Here are readers’ favorite Fundraising Tuesday posts from 2021. Which of them can you start putting into practice right now, as 2022 begins?

Fundraising Tuesday: Appeal Letters, Easy to Read

If you want people to give, you want them to read your letters. They’re not going to do that if you write in 10-point font, with narrow margins and little white space. Especially for the aging eyes that go with the intergenerational transfer of wealth, you must make appeal letters easy to read, and here’s how!

Fundraising Tuesday: What Do You Call a Donor?

When you send them mail, what do you call them?

a) Dear Friend
b) Dear Mr. Lastname
c) Dear Ms. Lastname
d) Dear Firstname

Fundraising Tuesday: Remember the Postscript. Donors Do

Surprising but true: without a good postscript, your donors may not even read your nonprofit’s appeal letter. And that would be a shame. So, what should your P.S. say?

Fundraising Tuesday: Great Photos Make Great Appeal Letters

stand out

Photos make your appeal stand out

Fundraising Tuesday: 4 More Ways to Use the P.S.

Any p.s. is better than none! So, here are four more ways you can use the postscript to raise more money with your appeal letters.

Messaging Monday: Your Favorite Posts of 2021

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Here are the favorite posts of Communicate! readers during the past year about messaging, marketing…and miscellaneous.

Did you miss any of them? Now is a good time to catch up on advice that will help you gain more followers for your mission in 2022.

Have you already put some of that advice into practice? How did it go? We would love to hear about it!

What You REALLY Do to See More Friends on Facebook

A lot of the people who read this post were probably your followers, because they are just as frustrated with the behemoth we call Facebook as you are. Feel free to share this advice with them! Add specific instructions on how they can make sure to see your nonprofit posts more often.

When You’re Planning Meetings, Include Other Religions

This post touched a nerve with many readers who feel excluded when you plan around Christmas but only hear about their holidays when they point them out to you. We can all do better on this! For a calendar of Jewish holidays, check out https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/. (But that isn’t going to help you figure out Diwali, Chinese New Year, Naruz, or Ramadan. Search and learn!)

Determining Marketing Channel by Donor Segment: 5 Strategies

Guest author Grant Cobb explains how to:

  • Look at your donor’s past engagement.
  • Reference the donor’s preferred communication channel.
  • Use demographic information.
  • Categorize based on average gift size.
  • Orient your marketing around your donor’s location.

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

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

Priest rabbi joke favorite

How to Talk about Your Nonprofit with a Complete Stranger

Does this sound familiar? You’re on the Board or staff of a nonprofit organization. You love the work it does. Yet when you’re in a social situation and somebody asks “What does your organization do?”, you’re at a loss for words.

It’s embarrassing–and it’s a wasted opportunity. That person asking you about your organization could become your most devoted volunteer, or your most loyal donor, if only you could get them interested.

And you can. Click the headline link to find out how.

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