Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

The Key to a Good Appeal Letter

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IWJ appeal letterA good appeal letter is not about the nonprofit organization.  It’s not even about the impact of its work.  It’s about the donor.

This appeal letter I received from Interfaith Worker Justice is not the ideal appeal letter–but it has one strong point.

The graphic says to the donor, “You are the key.”

The graphic stands out from the text.  It’s even more visible because the envelope bore the same graphic in the same color scheme.  My eye was trained to look for it before I opened the envelope.

“You are the key.”  That’s the message that made me, the donor, want to read the appeal letter, even though it could have been written much more effectively.  It’s also the message that makes a donor want to give.

How are you sending that message to your donors?

 

20 Ways to Thank Your Donors Throughout the Year

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If you’re a nonprofit, every day is Thanksgiving…or should be.

Yes, I know it’s been months since your end-of-year appeal.  You sent a thank-you letter to each donor back then.  (In fact, maybe you sent the ideal thank-you letter.)  But have you been ignoring them since then?

You do at your peril.  Donors notice when and how often you’re in touch.  If they say, “That organization only writes me when they want money!”, how likely are they to respond the next time?

Have you heard the rule that you should thank a donor seven times before asking him or her for money again?  Maybe you wondered how in the world you’re supposed to do that.  How many ways can you say thank you?

Here are 20 creative ideas for showing your gratitude, courtesy of our friends at Lifehack.

  1. Make a gift bag. It doesn’t have to be expensive–just personal.
  2. Give a toast. You don’t need a special event–you could do this over lunch. Make a video and send it to the donor.  Picture the smile when they see it!
  3. Write a poem. Say why they deserve your thanks.
  4. Send them custom gift labels.
  5. Give a gift card. (Get the gift card donated, too.)
  6. Send a hand-written letter.
  7. Use social media to give thanks in public.
  8. Make your own digital greeting card.
  9. Make a Youtube video.
  10. Bake cookies.
  11. Make surprise gifts for guests at your events.
  12. Put together a flower basket.
  13. Take a picture. Again, it doesn’t have to be professional, just unique.  The camera on your phone can capture priceless moments!
  14. Pay it forward.  Show them you care about what they care about too.
  15. Do something special for them.
  16. Help them when they’re the ones who need help.
  17. Be there for them.
  18. Listen to them.
  19. Say it another language…especially if they speak it.
  20. Show them some #donorlove, without being asked.

You can’t do all twenty for all your donors. Fine.  But which ones can you do?  Make a plan to say thank you to as many of your donors as you can, each month.  When annual appeal time comes around again, they’ll think of you as a friend.

Communicate More Often to Renew More Donors

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sheepish look

Don’t look sheepish. Let your donors hear from you often!

It’s a facial expression that’s become way too familiar. When I talk with nonprofit organizations about communicating with their donors, they give me a sheepish look.

“We know we should be in touch more often,” the Executive Director says. “But we have so little time, and there are so many ways people expect to hear from us.”

“Newsletters, annual reports, website updates, email, social media…not to mention local newspapers and community TV. How do we keep coming up with new ideas for stories?”

You don’t need to wear that sheepish look in your organization. There’s a simple way to make sure you always have the stories to tell your donors, and the messages to share: repurpose.

Find out how to get ten posts out of one great idea. Read my guest post on Fundraising Coach.

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