Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Dial M for Marketing: The Best of 2020

by Leave a Comment

On this blog, Tuesday is for fundraising (and just wait until you see what I have for you tomorrow!). Thursday is for thank-yous. And Monday–well, it’s Messaging, Media, Marketing, and Miscellaneous. Dial M for Monday!

Here are the best “M” blog posts of 2020, according to the readers of this blog.

  1. What You REALLY Do to See More Friends on Facebook (and what your nonprofit tells its followers to do if they want to see your posts more often!)
  2. When You’re Planning Meetings, Include Other Religions. To start, look up Jewish holidays on Hebcal.
  3. Why You Should NOT Run a Nonprofit Like a Business no matter who tells you to!
  4. How to Talk about Your Nonprofit with a Complete Stranger
  5. Putting On the Shoes: What Ray Bradbury Taught Me about Marketing

Happy 2021!

Fundraising Tuesday: Readers’ Choice!

by 1 Comment

Here are the blog posts about fundraising and building solid relationships with donors that you, the readers, liked best in 2020.

  1. Fundraising Tuesday: What Do You Call a Donor? (Hint: ask them!)
  2. Fundraising Tuesday: Remember the Postscript. Donors Do! (And when you do, you raise more money for your cause.)
  3. Fundraising Tuesday: Greetings and Salutations (Because “Dear Friend” just won’t cut it. Not in 2021!)
  4. Fundraising Tuesday: A Letter to Nonprofits which I hope you’ll read–it’s from my heart.
  5. Fundraising Tuesday: Envelopes Make Donors Want to Open Your Mail

A lot of the lessons about postal mail apply to email too. It’s worth doing an email merge to personalize the To: line, and the Subject: line is the envelope of the email world. So, read, enjoy, and make more donors happy and generous in 2021!

TY Thursday: Looking for Ideas on How to Thank Donors?

by Leave a Comment

Thank You, LauraWhy is it so important to thank your donors? Because you want them back.

The first time a person makes a gift to your nonprofit, it’s a test. Deliberately or unconsciously, they are asking, “Will you notice that I gave? Will it make a difference? Did I do the right thing?”

Thank them early and often, and you will move in the direction acquiring a loyal donor for life. Ignore them, or send them a perfunctory acknowledgment that looks like a receipt, and the next time you ask they may not even remember you.

Top Five Ways to Thank Donors

Here are the most popular posts on this blog in 2020 about thanking donors. How many of them can you use right now and in 2021?

  1. TY Thursday: I Wrote This Poem Just for You: Here’s one way to say thank you that you might not have thought of. Send them a poem!
  2. TY Thursday: The Ideal Thank-You Letter: So much more than “Your gift is tax deductible.” The thank-you letter is the start of a beautiful friendship.
  3. TY Thursday: Your Board Will Thank You for Doing This: Every thank-you matters, but an expression of gratitude from a Board member to a donor matters more.
  4. TY Thursday: A Toast to You, Generous Donor! (Because the essence of a toast is not the liquid you drink. It’s the words you say.)
  5. 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.”

Give these tips a try, then write us back and let us know how they worked! (Thank you in advance for writing back.)

Yes, I’d like weekly email from Communicate!

Get more advice

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.