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You are here: Home / Fundraising / The Ideal Appeal Letter Begins With You

The Ideal Appeal Letter Begins With You

November 5, 2015 by Dennis Fischman 10 Comments

November kicks off the annual scramble for donations in the U.S.  Your mailbox fills up with appeal letters from groups you support (and some you don’t). But do any of them look like this?

Next StepNext Step appeal letter filled their letter to my wife Rona with signs they care about her.

  • Calling her by name.  (I’m amazed how many groups still use the salutation “Dear Friend.”)
  • Creating visual appeal.  The photo catches the eye.
  • Using a real story.  It’s not just a photo: it’s a person, looking you in the eye, telling his story.
  • Adding a hand-written note.  It’s actually on an orange sticky note, and the content is personalized to Rona.
  • Directing her clearly how to give.

All of these elements make the letter vivid, attractive, and appealing.  But the most important thing that Next Step did was starting the letter with “You.” 

Next Step understands that donors will give if they feel that their donation is doing the good work.  As Seth Godin recently wrote, the donor is the hero of the story.  That’s why they give.

Now, your letter doesn’t literally have to start with “You.”  It would be boring if every letter did!  But when you wrote your organization’s annual appeal letter, did you start with the donor?  Did you do everything you could do to make them feel the letter was personally written for them?  And did you place the donor at the center of the story?

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Filed Under: Fundraising, Nonprofit Tagged With: annual appeal, appeal letter, donor, end-of year appeal, Giving Tuesday, letter, Seth Godin, Thanksgiving

Trackbacks

  1. The Best Fundraising Letter of 2015 | Communicate! says:
    April 13, 2015 at 7:21 am

    […] And they used the magic word, “you.” […]

    Reply
  2. This June, think about December Donors | Communicate! says:
    June 18, 2015 at 5:37 pm

    […] you prepare in June, you’ll write a great appeal this fall…and you’ll see the results in […]

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  3. Will Your Donor Marry You? | Communicate! says:
    June 25, 2015 at 7:23 am

    […] your sweet donors may not be as eager as Rona was. You may have to go down on one knee and ask. But when the donor is ready, you should […]

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  4. Quora says:
    November 8, 2015 at 7:14 am

    What should be in a fundraising letter?

    Soni Valecha’s answer is how many nonprofits think, but it’s leading to fundraising letters that don’t raise funds, and here’s why. Donors don’t give because they like what you do. They give because they want to like themselves. If supporting your…

    Reply
  5. Quora says:
    November 30, 2015 at 9:05 am

    What are some best practices for nonprofit emails?

    Here’s an article about appeal letters that would apply just as well to emails. Make sure to keep those emails short, however! https://dennisfischman.com/the-ideal-appeal-letter-begins-with-you-2/

    Reply
  6. Fundraising Tuesday: Stop Talking about You - Communicate! says:
    February 2, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    […] the question your ideal appeal letter must […]

    Reply
  7. Fundraising Tuesday: The Key to a Good Appeal Letter - Communicate! says:
    March 29, 2016 at 7:23 am

    […] appeal letter I received from Interfaith Worker Justice is not the ideal appeal letter–but it has one strong […]

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  8. Fundraising Tuesday: Donors Give for the Wrong Reasons - Communicate! says:
    April 12, 2016 at 7:23 am

    […] Don’t show any emotion in your appeal letters. […]

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  9. Fundraising Tuesday: How Often Should You Ask? - Communicate! says:
    April 19, 2016 at 7:21 am

    […] that is! Smaller nonprofits may find it a big investment of time and money to send out the ideal appeal letter two, three, or four times a year. I’d urge you to make the investment, however. It’s […]

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  10. Fundraising Tuesday: A Great Email Ask - Communicate! says:
    August 30, 2016 at 8:57 am

    […] seen a lot of tips about writing the ideal appeal letter on this blog. That’s because direct mail still works. Even when donors go online to give, […]

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