Your donors are moving fast, keep your fundraising materials simple

Here’s a suggestion to simplify your fundraising in 2016 . . .

Make sure every piece of donor communication is either an Ask, a Thank You, or a Report.

If the piece doesn’t do one of those things really well it probably isn’t worth sending. In fact, it’s most likely a waste of money because in fundraising if you’re trying to do two things at once you’re not doing either of them well.

Remember: donors are moving really fast, it’s rare that they give you more than a few seconds of their attention. So pick your ONE message for each piece. Make it big and prominent.

If you’re telling the donor that her gift had an amazing impact, start out with that and tell her why.

If you’re telling your donor that your beneficiaries need her help, start out with that and tell her why (and how her gift will help).

We’ve worked with hundreds of organizations and it really is that simple: the organizations that do the work to make each piece of donor communication an Ask, Thank, or Report raise far more money.

* Of course there are exceptions, like an invitation to an event. But the exceptions should be 10% or less of the total number of communications for most organizations.

Author Profile

Jim Shapiro

Jim Shapiro is the fundraising coach you’ve always wanted, the proven Sherpa who can help you get to the top of the mountain. Jim has 30 years’ experience raising money, including serving as the VP of Development for a global $100m nonprofit. He co-founded The Better Fundraising Co. to help small-to-medium nonprofits raise more money.