I’ve been seeing a disturbing sample in fundraising appeals this fall. Good, well-meaning individuals are making the identical essential errors – and ignoring many years of confirmed knowledge about what truly works.
These nicely that means individuals are good, artistic, resourceful. However their fall fundraising letters are simply fallacious.
The Downside: Intuition Over Proof
I lately listened to Michael Bungay Stanier’s podcast Change Sign, the place he interviewed Dave Ulrich about braveness and decision-making. Dave raised an important query for leaders: “When do you belief your instincts versus when do you belief knowledge?”
“When do you belief your instincts versus when do you belief knowledge?”
– Dave Ulrich, on the Change Sign podcast
This query cuts proper to the guts of what I’m seeing with these terrible fundraising appeals.
Too many first-time fundraisers, program officers, government administrators, and board members are trusting their instincts as an alternative of wanting on the knowledge.
They’re completely ignoring that knowledge.
And now we have mountains of knowledge. We’ve been asking individuals for cash for millennia, and our analysis methodology will get higher yearly. We all know what helps it takes to speak clearly to individuals and encourage them to take motion.
But well-meaning leaders proceed to create appeals based mostly on what appears “logical” or “skilled”—utterly ignoring what truly works. Even organizations who’ve a monitor file of world class fundraising letters are throwing it away based mostly on uninformed, untested “hunches.”
The Three Greatest Errors which are Killing Your Fundraising Letter
Mistake #1: Attempting to Educate About Your Group
The appeals I’m seeing are attempting to teach donors concerning the nonprofit itself. They listing all of the completely different packages, describe numerous scholarships, speak about all the numerous outcomes, and element each great factor the group does.
This. Doesn’t. Work.
Schooling is required. However not educating about your nonprofit.
Appeals that elevate funds educate donors about the issue their reward will affect. Inform individuals about the issue boldly and clearly, with out suggesting it’s already solved. You’re inviting them to be a part of the answer.
If the issue is already solved, then your nonprofit is not wanted.
Donors don’t find out about the issue. It’s your job to inform them. Intimately.
Appeals that elevate funds educate donors about the issue not concerning the nonprofit.
Mistake #2: Thanking Donors
Thanking donors is extremely necessary. However not in an enchantment to boost cash.
Once you thank donors in the identical piece the place you’re asking for cash, you confuse them. They suppose, “Oh, you’ve bought this all set. I’m glad my earlier reward was useful. (Despite the fact that I don’t even keep in mind making a earlier reward.)” In order that they throw the letter away or delete the e-mail and search for a nonprofit that basically wants their cash.
That you must have the braveness to obviously ask donors to donate and be a part of the answer.
Not as a result of they’re superheroes.
Not as a result of they’ve extra energy.
Not as a result of they’re higher human beings than the individuals their reward will assist.
As a result of they are often a part of one thing significant. One thing that’s according to their values. And one thing human beings have been doing for millennia—serving to one another.
Mistake #3: Creating Graphically Designed “Brochures”
The third main mistake I’m seeing is that these appeals appear like brochures. They’ve a lot of colours, a number of fonts, design offsets, and fancy layouts.
They give the impression of being actually fairly. However they don’t work to boost funds.
Fundraising appeals that work are letters. Letters are despatched from one particular person to a different particular person.
When your enchantment seems like a cultured brochure, it alerts “accomplished factor,” “we’ve bought issues beneath management right here” relatively than a private request for a one other particular person to take motion. It’s not one particular person asking one other particular person to assist.
Worse, these graphically produced appeals are additionally extremely exhausting for older eyes to learn. And your finest responders are typically older donors. Use a serif font at 13 factors or bigger, not tiny sort squeezed right into a designer format.
5 Fixes for These Deadly Flaws in Your Fundraising Letter
Right here’s what truly works:
1. Write a letter
An actual letter, from one particular person to a different.
- Use their handle on the prime.
- Greet them by identify.
- Have a transparent P.S. that sums up the issue, the quantity you’re asking them for, and the deadline for them to make that donation.
And have it signed by one particular person, not a committee.
2. Clearly state the issue
Be sincere and inform donors that life shouldn’t be okay. Issues aren’t nice. There’s a fallacious that must be addressed.
Be intellectually sincere with out objectifying the individuals or scenario. Clearly give donors a cause to take motion.
3. Ask clearly and early
Put the ask up entrance: “Your reward of $50 will assist resolve this case.” And ask all through the letter.
4. Make your fundraising letter scannable
Use quick paragraphs, underlining, bolding, and bulleted lists.
Donors aren’t sitting round ready to completely learn your fundraising letter. They’re tremendous busy. In all probability studying your letter over the trash can.
It’s your job to assist busy donors rapidly grasp your message and simply perceive what motion you’d like them to take.
5. Weed your letter
After you have the letter, take away each reference to your nonprofit. As fundraising knowledgeable Steven Display says, “Donors aren’t silly, however they’re busy.”
They know you despatched the letter. They know the donation will likely be to your nonprofit. They’re not silly.
So take away all of the occasions you identify your nonprofit. Take away each “we,” “our,” and “ours.” In case your preliminary phrase is “your reward of $72 to our mission will…” cross out the to our mission to make the phrase: “your reward of $72 will…”
Donors know who you might be. Your brand is on the envelope. As an alternative, weed your letter so the reader can focus. They need to be pondering:
- “Oh, right here’s an issue. Will I assist?”
- Not, “Wow, that nonprofit appears nice.”
Belief the Knowledge, Then Belief Your Instincts
These three adjustments will drastically improve the outcomes of your fundraising appeals. We now have knowledge on this.
Donors have much more causes to be distracted this yr. Now shouldn’t be the time to belief your intuition with out checking the proof now we have on fundraising letters.
When you begin seeing the outcomes from following confirmed finest practices, then you may belief your instincts and tweak based mostly on what you’re studying. However begin with what we all know works—what hundreds of organizations have examined and confirmed over many years of direct response fundraising.
Your mission is just too necessary to disregard the proof.
