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Fundraising Tuesday: Fail and Fab Appeal Letters

August 18, 2020 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

I love to see all the appeal letters you are sending to my wife and me. It shows that nonprofits understand that donors want to make a difference, especially during a crisis! Just this summer, 18 appeal letters from 14 different organizations hit our mailbox.

But…

Not all appeal letters are created equal. Let me tell you about a fundraising fail and an absolutely fabulous appeal letter, both from good nonprofits. Share on X

Fail: Because Donors’ Names Matter

Doctors Without Borders does magnificent work, and Rona and I have supported them in the past. Their appeal letter was stuffed with good elements that should have made it a winner, including:

  1. A heartwarming story about one particular child
  2. Color photos of that child before and after being helped
  3. A card that doctors actually use to measure whether or not a child is malnourished–making the impact tangible
  4. A postscript that made the need to give more urgent
  5. Service to the donor in the form of a Covid-19 update and a newsletter
  6. A premium for the donor: a notepad with the organization’s logo on every page

When I say stuffed, I mean stuffed! It was a thick envelope.

So, what went wrong?

The less important fail was that the envelope was blank white, without even the name of the sender, let alone anything that would make us want to open it and see what’s inside. (Maybe they thought the sheer bulk would pique our curiosity.)

Wrong name

If you forget my name, I may soon forget yours

The key reason I consider this appeal letter a fail–and a missed opportunity–is how they handled the donor’s name.

Through the window envelope (which is already an impersonal package), we could see the message was addressed to “Rona J.S.” Yes, those are the correct middle initials. But why in the world would you leave off the last name?

Inside, the salutation of the letter was “Dear Friend.” How friendly is Rona going to feel when you get her name wrong on the outside and don’t use it at all on the inside (except on the donation slip, which she’s only going to see if she decides to give you money)?

You don’t know my name and you call me your friend? What do you think this is: Facebook? -Rona Fischman

Yes, the Fischmans may still give to Doctors Without Borders–but it will be in spite of their appeal letter, not because of it.

Please don’t make it harder for your donors to stay loyal. Get their names right.

Fab:

Greater Boston Food Bank envelope

The Greater Boston Food Bank starts getting it right with the envelope. The picture says without words, “back to school time for kids.” The text on the envelope tells you the problem–and because you’re looking at that child, you care.

Inside, they use a version of the same photo, with the caption:

When children are hungry, they can’t focus on studies. Together, we can help.

Usually I advise nonprofits to use more  “you” than “we” in their fundraising, to make the donor the hero of the story. Being self-centered instead of donor-centered is a classic way to fail at fundraising.

In this appeal letter, though, they’re using  “we” the right way: not we at the organization vs. you, the donor. We, meaning both of us together: the Fischmans and GBFB.

What else did this organization do well in its appeal letter?

They got Rona’s name right.

They told the story of a parent who’s worried about feeding his children.

They included a bookmark with a cute quotation form Dr. Seuss…and on the back, spaces to record “Ten Awesome Books I Read This Year.” (Because the donors may have children we love, and thinking about them will make us more likely to give.)

The takeaway?

You should shamelessly steal ideas from the Greater Boston Food Bank and other nonprofits who are raising a lot of money in the summer of this very strange year. You can make your appeal letters work so well, they’ll be…

Fabulous

 

 

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TY Thursday: Thank Your Donors By Staying in Touch

August 6, 2020 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

Which nonprofits are building stronger relationships with their donors during the coronavirus pandemic? I asked my Facebook friends for their opinions, and more than one mentioned Artisan’s Asylum.

artisan's asylum logo

A Website that Speaks to the Urgency of Now

Artisan’s Asylum is a non-profit makerspace devoted to the teaching, learning and practice of fabrication. That sounds like an in-group doesn’t it? But when you go to their website, the first thing you see is a pop-up that says:

Join Us On A 14-month Journey to #Amazing

Over the next fourteen months, Artisan’s Asylum will undergo a remarkable transformation. We invite you to join as we reflect on 10 years of service in Somerville, and look ahead to 25 years of service to the greater Boston region. Artisan’s will continue to produce PPE as long as our regional health care workers ask for them. We’ll redouble our effort to advance racial equity and diversity within the Asylum and the communities we serve. And we’ll complete a move to Allston-Brighton that will expand our physical presence and transform the way we work. Welcome to our journey.

Learn more…

That paragraph draws me right in. The language could be improved: it’s a little too much “we” and “us” for my taste, and not enough you. But look at those third and fourth sentences. If anyone is wondering how Artisan’s Asylum is responding to our twin crises of Covid-19 and racism, it’s right there.

And it takes a little more work, but you can find the details of how they are addressing them in the tabs at the top of the page, the ones marked with hashtags: #Refuge and #Covid-19.

Continue looking at the page and you see they are conducting online classes this summer–and using their blog to keep readers up to date on when and whether it will be safe to go back to the physical space again.

Social Media

The Artisans Asylum Twitter feed puts it verbal commitments into action. It shows members “making PPE [personal protective equipment] — and lots of it.”

On Twitter, the Asylum also shares resources for learning about antiracism. Its Facebook feed showcases the ways that computers can help people with autism become powerful contributors to society.

And on Instagram, besides its own classes, it advertises what some of its participants produce, like these t-shirts:

Uhuru t-shirts, Artisan's Asylum

What can you learn from Artisan’s Asylum?

  1. Post regularly.
  2. Post about what matters to people right now.
  3. Show how they can do something that matters by being a part of your organization.
  4. Be safe out there!

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TY Thursday: Thank Donors by Keeping Them Informed

July 30, 2020 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

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. Share on X

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