12 Tips for Better Fundraising Letters
| Category: Copy Writing | Date: 2003-04-23 |
Writing fundraising letters is one most challenging marketing communications tasks. Unlike business direct mail, you’re not offering a product or service to your prospect that solves her problems. You’re appealing to the prospect’s desire to do good. But your cause must be compelling to persuade her to part with her money for something intangible like a “good feeling.”
Also, most potential donors only have limited income available for charitable purposes. And your letter is competing with numerous other charities seeking donations.
Here are 12 tips to create effective
fundraising letters.
1. Your letter should lead with emotions. Reach out and touch the reader’s heart. “An emotional appeal will outpull an intellectual appeal,” says noted fundraising copywriter and author Herschell Gordon Lewis.
2. Change from using statistics (impersonal) to using real life episodes (personal, emotional).
FROM:
“One in four people will die from this terrible disease every year…”
TO:
“Doug had just celebrated his 31st birthday with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. The family spent that happy day ice skating and talking about a summer vacation in California. A week later Doug was told he had only six months to live…”
3. People love to see immediate results. If you have a deadline, include this in your letter. And tell them what will happen if you don’t get the donations you need.
“If we can’t raise $20,000 by October 1, we will lose the matching government grant.”
4. When you ask past donors to give again, remind them how much they gave last time and ask for a little more.
5. You can never use the word “you” enough in a letter. Next to “free,” it’s the most powerful word in marketing, non-profit or otherwise.
People want to hear about themselves and how their donation is going to make a difference. Using “you” also creates a personal one-to-one communication between you and the prospective donor.
6. Be specific about your organizations past accomplishments and give details.
“Last year we helped feed 386 low income families every single day…thanks to donors like you.”
7. Offer a gift to the donor. Everybody likes to feel appreciated, so send a personalized certificate of appreciation to each donor.
Or let them know their name will be engraved on a plaque at your organization’s offices. Your gift doesn’t need to be expensive to be effective. Bumper stickers are popular and cheap to produce.
8. Don’t be coy about asking for money. Be clear you’re asking for a donation and make sure the request is at the beginning, middle and end of the letter.
9. Use donation option boxes. Instead of leaving the donation amount up to the prospective donor, include several amount options like $100___$50___$25 ___other $___. Circle one of the amounts and write above “You’d really be helping us with a donation of this amount.”
10. A postscript is a must! Next to a headline, the most often read part of a fundraising letter is the PS. Here repeat your request for help, remind the prospective donor about the urgency or deadline, and close with a “thank you.”
11. Ask for the next donation…but be subtle. Send a thank you note or postcard to the donor. Repeat how much the donation helped your cause. Close with a couple of sentence along the line of
“Supporters like you have made the differences in so many people’s lives. Please stay in touch.”
12. You might need to include a brochure. If you’re writing to past donors for another contribution, it’s not necessary to include one.
However, if you’re approaching prospective donors who are unfamiliar with your organization, you may
want to include a descriptive brochure with photos. This reinforces to the prospect how their contribution will help your cause.
About the author.
Dave Coyne is a copywriter, marketing consultant and president
of DC Infobiz
Get his FREE REPORT “Start A High Income, Low Risk Home Business And Never Create A Product, Write An Ad or Talk To Anyone.” Send a blank email to dcinfobiz@GetResponse.com
dcinfobiz@GetResponse.com
http://www.worldprofit.com
Also, most potential donors only have limited income available for charitable purposes. And your letter is competing with numerous other charities seeking donations.
Here are 12 tips to create effective
fundraising letters.
1. Your letter should lead with emotions. Reach out and touch the reader’s heart. “An emotional appeal will outpull an intellectual appeal,” says noted fundraising copywriter and author Herschell Gordon Lewis.
2. Change from using statistics (impersonal) to using real life episodes (personal, emotional).
FROM:
“One in four people will die from this terrible disease every year…”
TO:
“Doug had just celebrated his 31st birthday with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. The family spent that happy day ice skating and talking about a summer vacation in California. A week later Doug was told he had only six months to live…”
3. People love to see immediate results. If you have a deadline, include this in your letter. And tell them what will happen if you don’t get the donations you need.
“If we can’t raise $20,000 by October 1, we will lose the matching government grant.”
4. When you ask past donors to give again, remind them how much they gave last time and ask for a little more.
5. You can never use the word “you” enough in a letter. Next to “free,” it’s the most powerful word in marketing, non-profit or otherwise.
People want to hear about themselves and how their donation is going to make a difference. Using “you” also creates a personal one-to-one communication between you and the prospective donor.
6. Be specific about your organizations past accomplishments and give details.
“Last year we helped feed 386 low income families every single day…thanks to donors like you.”
7. Offer a gift to the donor. Everybody likes to feel appreciated, so send a personalized certificate of appreciation to each donor.
Or let them know their name will be engraved on a plaque at your organization’s offices. Your gift doesn’t need to be expensive to be effective. Bumper stickers are popular and cheap to produce.
8. Don’t be coy about asking for money. Be clear you’re asking for a donation and make sure the request is at the beginning, middle and end of the letter.
9. Use donation option boxes. Instead of leaving the donation amount up to the prospective donor, include several amount options like $100___$50___$25 ___other $___. Circle one of the amounts and write above “You’d really be helping us with a donation of this amount.”
10. A postscript is a must! Next to a headline, the most often read part of a fundraising letter is the PS. Here repeat your request for help, remind the prospective donor about the urgency or deadline, and close with a “thank you.”
11. Ask for the next donation…but be subtle. Send a thank you note or postcard to the donor. Repeat how much the donation helped your cause. Close with a couple of sentence along the line of
“Supporters like you have made the differences in so many people’s lives. Please stay in touch.”
12. You might need to include a brochure. If you’re writing to past donors for another contribution, it’s not necessary to include one.
However, if you’re approaching prospective donors who are unfamiliar with your organization, you may
want to include a descriptive brochure with photos. This reinforces to the prospect how their contribution will help your cause.
About the author.
Dave Coyne is a copywriter, marketing consultant and president
of DC Infobiz
Get his FREE REPORT “Start A High Income, Low Risk Home Business And Never Create A Product, Write An Ad or Talk To Anyone.” Send a blank email to dcinfobiz@GetResponse.com
dcinfobiz@GetResponse.com
http://www.worldprofit.com
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