Writing a fail-safe, fool-proof appeal
Notably re-quotable
“Your spirit is the part of you that is essential. It is separate from the imagination, and belongs only to you…. In some this vital spirit burns fiercely and in others it is a dim flicker, but it lives in all of us, and can be made stronger through daily devotion to the work at hand.” — Nick Cave [emphasis added], quoted in The Marginalian (“…a free Sunday digest of the week’s most mind-broadening and heart-lifting reflections spanning art, science, poetry, philosophy…” ~ I kinda adore it)
File under: “Get better at a key fundraising task”
Moving beyond guesswork….
Never write a lousy, low-performing appeal again? Yeah, it’s possible. You just need a foolproof recipe.
What the cover looks like, pretty much life size —
Authored jointly as a public service (IMHO) by Chris Davenport, Steven Screen and Josh Alcorn.
Every appeal is made up of ingredients. It’s likely your organization has a ‘recipe’ that it likes to follow. But some recipes work better than others.
Part 1 of this booklet shows you exactly how to write a so-called “Golden Appeal” (i.e., one that predictably produces a decent return).
But in some ways Part 2 is even more important.
Part 2 of this booklet picks apart “8 appeal types that harm [your] fundraising.” They’re all common. There’s a good chance you’re doing one or more right now.
Quoting from page 11 (the beginning of Part 2)…
…sometimes extra or flawed ingredients make their way into an appeal. [Those self-same ingredients] REDUCE how many donors give, and REDUCE how much donors give. [my emphases added]
Quoting from page 13, about “The Happy Appeal”…
THE FLAWED INGREDIENT ~ A story or picture that focuses on a beneficiary who has already been helped (rather than a beneficiary who needs helps today).
Quoting from page 17, about “The Organization Focused Appeal”…
THE EXTRA INGREDIENT ~ Overuse of the words We and Our which stems from org-centric thinking.
Quoting from page 21, about “The Pretty Appeal”…
THE FLAWED INGREDIENT ~ Design that emphasizes decoration (multiple fonts, reverse or colored text, and graphics) that distract from your main message.
GET YOUR OWN FREE COPY NOW. CLICK HERE.
Just last week, the authors of this amazing little recipe book decided to go for sainthood and make it FREE!
So you won’t have to pay for the book but you will have to pay shipping and handling (something like $5.50 for US delivery and $15.69 for Canada).
What do you get in return? A MUCH better chance at acquiring new donors, for one thing.
Legendary data guru, Roger Craver, estimates that a U.S. charity should plan to pay $35-$60 to acquire ONE new donor. Why that amount? Because (and no one on earth knows this data better than Roger C.) EACH retained new true believer in your cause will yield NET after 4 years something like $350-500 in gifts.
What this booklet promises in its promos:
This book is meant to be at your side as you write your fundraising appeals. ¶ The most effective fundraising appeals - I call them “Golden Appeals” - have specific ingredients and follow a proven recipe. ¶ You’ll learn the recipe for the Golden Appeal, and the 8 most common types of appeals that include ingredients that hurt fundraising. ¶ Trust the recipe, it really works!
Me, Tom Ahern, speaking to you:
I’m right now holding this delightful little guide (fits in your pocket; I plan to take mine hiking, where I like to work out copywriting questions).
Follow its guidelines … and I can sorta promise you that you will get one of the hardest of all fundraising tasks done exactly right, next time out: Crafting an appeal that actually works … via direct mail or digital.
I’m picky. I recommend just a few things. So when I tell you this booklet is shockingly helpful, it’s because I firmly believe, based on 40 years of experience and training, that this fast, no-nonsense booklet is actually worth a fortune.
If your boss or board have ever objected to what you’ve written in some appeal, now, finally, you have an expert in your pocket … and on your side.
Instant mood-boop?
Cats of Instagram. Resistance is futile!
HERE. Also available: DOGS of Instagram. Hat tip to Ashley Belanger and Amy Montali. Is it the whiskers? The hairy ears? The big eyes staring out of a leg of color-coordinated jeans?
The amazing Ira Glass … on his secrets of “can’t stop listening” storytelling
HERE. Hat tip to Alia McKee and Sea Change Strategies. She led me to this 4-part YouTube series by the incomparable public radio and TV personality, Ira Glass, host of the award-harvesting, long-running series This American Life.
5 EZ “donor love” ideas you can do today!
HERE. FREE download. From the nimble, oh-so-creative, “amazingly good at building your fundraising program from small-but-promising to wow-look-at-what-we-did! size” consultant, Julie Edwards. And VP Millie. Need help with your 2022 fundraising? Julie is just retiring one client. She temporarily has room for one more .org looking to EXPLODE!
Lose your script. It’s not helping you.
HERE. My all-time fave guru, Seth Godin, once again delivers the meat and potatoes for a better way forward. “The script might not be your fault. It might have taken a really long time to become ingrained. And it might be getting in the way…. The thing that gets us stuck isn’t us. It’s the script that we’ve decided is our only option.”
It’s fully back:
The awesome, in-person, beloved, nothing else like it Nonprofit Storytelling Conference
San Antonio, Oct. 27-29, 2022
HERE. I’ve spoken at scores of fundraising conferences, around the world. And honestly? The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference is in a class by itself … and always has been. ¶ There’s a different vibe. For one thing: it’s not just a conference. It’s a family affair, a true tribal gathering of fundraising like-minds facing similar problems … & seeking practical, proven solutions. ¶ For another: ALL the speakers are ALWAYS available. You want to discuss your local nonprofit’s special concerns? A hugely successful practitioner is at your service, eager to help, on YOUR schedule. Scroll down and check out the testimonials. ¶ Right now there’s a “SUPER early-bird special” that saves you $500. BTW: I make ZERO $$$ from this endorsement. I’ve spoken at many Storytelling Conferences, from the start. It’s a love fest. Alas: due to a conflict, I can’t attend in 2022.