Before my time at The Better Fundraising Co, I used to be a Director of Marketing and Communications for a nonprofit. But then the nonprofit I was working at needed me to create their fundraising materials, and I discovered a whole new world of expertise — it challenged the beliefs that my nonprofit and I had for how fundraising worked.
But we started raising a LOT more money. Here’s a bit about my organization’s journey…
One thing that made a huge difference in our direct mail and email fundraising efforts was getting to the point fast in our communications.
First, a funny (slightly mortifying) story.
When I started learning about direct mail fundraising, I had to face an uncomfortable reality that nearly every instinct I had as a marketing and communications professional was wrong for fundraising.
I remember telling Steven Screen (co-founder of The Better Fundraising Co. and now my boss) that I used to include the fundraising “ask” at the end of the appeal as a reward for the people who read to the end.
I wish I could include a snapshot of the look on Steven’s face.
What I didn’t know at that point was that almost nobody reads to the end to an appeal.
So almost nobody had been SEEING the fundraising ask in our appeals.
Gulp.
We adapted our appeal and e-appeal format to get right to the point in the first four paragraphs. We shared the problem and the solution right away. AND we asked the donor to give in the first four paragraphs.
It was bold. It was uncomfortable. Internal staff didn’t like it as much. Wasn’t it —impolite — to get right to the point like that?
But it worked.
More donors started to respond to our appeals. And the average gift went up.
Over time, it felt less uncomfortable internally. The team started to appreciate the new approach to appeals and e-appeals. It’s amazing how raising more money can help a team get over discomfort.
If your team is struggling with trying a new fundraising tactic, it helps to acknowledge with your team that change is uncomfortable and be willing to try it anyway. Raising more for your mission is worth it!
Read the whole series:
- How a Strong Fundraising Offer Changes Everything
- Get to the Point FAST to Raise More Money with Your Appeals and E-Appeals (This post)
