‘Reducer’

Have you ever heard of a “Reducer”?

That’s what legendary music producer Rick Rubin calls himself:

From Johhny Cash to Jay Z, Rick calls himself a “reducer” because he “strips away all non-essential sounds to find a song’s core.”

This is similar to how the most successful direct response fundraising tends to get created: you strip away all non-essential ideas, trimming a letter or email down to being entirely about one main message/offer.

Note that I’m writing specifically about direct response fundraising here.  Direct response is different than an event when you have the room’s attention for 45 minutes.  Direct response is different than a lunch with a major donor. 

In the mail, email and online, you only have people’s attention for a few seconds.  You reduce the information you share with your readers in order to communicate one important thing clearly.   

That’s what helps you cut through the clutter. 

This is also why effective letters and emails are so rarely created when more than two or three people can speak into a project: each person adds what they think is important, which increases the number of ideas instead of reducing the number of ideas.

Stay focused.  Be a “reducer.”  Create small, easy steps for your donors to take.  You’ll be amazed at how many respond with gifts, and how many more donors you end up with over time.