Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Are You as Good a Communicator as Shakespeare’s Fools?

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The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be
a fool.
-Touchstone, As You Like It, V.1.2217

Shakespearean foolHope you have a happy April Fool’s Day!  In Shakespeare’s plays, fools are the great communicators.  They manage to say what no one else has the courage or the insight to say.  They get heard when men of sense get ignored.

Are you as good a communicator as one of Shakespeare's fools? Take this quiz to find out. Share on X
  1. The fools can say what they want because they have official positions at court.  What is your position with your audience?  Do they welcome what you have to say?
  2. The fools are truth tellers, fearlessly making fun of one and all.  Do your audiences know they can count on you for the truth?
  3. The fools keep an eye out for when they are tiring their listeners.  Do you know when your audience is ready to hear from you?
  4. The fools use humor and unexpected turns of the phrase to win their masters’ attention.  Take another look at your writing.  Are you always serious?  Can people predict what you’re going to say before they open the letter or the post? Or are you surprising and delighting them with your communications?

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
-Feste, Twelfth Night,  I.5.328

 

What a Librarian Can Teach You about Marketing

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My friend Sam Musher is a librarian in a public school, but she knows marketing. Librarians can do it

Sam recently posted on Facebook:

Dear everyone trying to advertise events to teenagers: Make. A. Poster. I would love to post your event on my bulletin board! But I will not be creating a sign for you. Give me a PDF, or I’m out.

Look at the valuable marketing lessons Sam has packed into these three lines!

  1. Know your audience. Teenagers in Sam’s school will pay attention to a poster on a bulletin board. They will not give a sheet full of text a second glance. You have to know the people you’re addressing and what will attract their interest.
  2. Know your influencers. Sam is the person who can potentially show your event to thousands of teens. It would pay you to please her. You have to know the people like Sam who are in a position to spread word about your agency far and wide.
  3. Make it easy for people to do what you want them to do. Everybody is busy. Don’t ask for free labor.
    • If you want an announcement to go on a bulletin board, send a poster.
    • If you want news to go in a newspaper, send an article that’s ready to print–with a photo!
    • If you want people to forward your email, give them a one-click forwarding option.

And a final word from Sam: “Bonus points if the poster looks really good in black and white. A surprising number of us don’t have regular access to a color printer.”

Many people don’t have access to a landline phone, or a desktop computer: only a mobile device. Use the format that your audience will like.

 

Fundraising Tuesday: Tell One Story to Get Many Donations

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storytellingDid you ever read a fundraising letter that sounded like this?

“Tom had a problem. He came to us, and we solved it. Jane had a different problem, and she came to us and we solved it. Enrique and Miranda had a whole host of problems, and came to us, and….”

I have read many appeal letters that took this approach–and not one of the stories stuck with me.

The problem isn’t just that they are all talking about the nonprofit, instead of making the donor the hero of the story. The problem is that they are not telling one story and telling it well.

The Power of a Single Story

There are lots of reasons your fundraising appeal letter should focus on one story, not two, not three, not many.

One story touches the heart and rests in the memory. Many stories distract.

One story can develop at full length in your fundraising letter. Many stories crowd each other. You tend to turn them into mere timelines…instead of dramas.

One story has the chance to be universal. When you tell many stories, you emphasize that each is specific. You reduce the chance that your readers will relate to any of them. It’s paradoxical, but it’s true.

What to Do with the Other Stories Instead

Why are nonprofits tempted to throw a grab bag of stories into one appeal letter? I think I understand the temptation. But you can resist it if you know what to do instead.

  • “We only send out one appeal letter per year, so we want to use everything we’ve got.” A worthy thought! But plan on sending out more appeal letters, instead. Two or three letters, each with a great story, will raise more money than one letter full of plot summaries.
  • “We were so proud of ourselves for actually collecting the stories. Now you’re saying not to use them?” Far be it from me to say that! Use them in separate letters–or in newsletters, social media posts, and lots of other communications that don’t include an “ask.” Then the appeal letter will reach people who already know and care about what you do (and want to be a part of it).
  • “We have four different programs. We have to say something about each.” No, you don’t–not in the same letter! Ideally, you know your audience, segment your list, and send each donor the story that he or she will care about the most. If you can’t do that, then tell stories about them one at a time, over a period of time. Take turns. Each program will benefit when the organization raises more money!

Are you writing a Spring appeal letter? What’s the one story you’re going to include that your donors will remember?

 

Every Tuesday this season, I’m offering a tip on how to write better fundraising appeals. Find the rest of the series under Fundraising Tuesday.

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