Tag: impact

Focus Donor Attention on the Near Future

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Appeal focus.

The graphic above has been sitting in a folder on my computer for months because I’m not quite happy with it. 

But I’m following my own advice and “sending it out even if it isn’t perfect.”  I think it can help you raise more money this fall, and a lot of organizations need all the help they can get right now. 

Here’s the Big Idea; focus your appeals on the near future, not on the past.

To use the language I used in the graphic; you will raise more money if you focus your appeals on “work that needs to be done soon.”  You will raise less money if you focus your appeals on “work your organization has already done.”

Weirdly, nonprofits tend to relentlessly focus their fundraising on the past.  They share stories of people they have already helped.  They share statistics and lots of numbers from their past work.  They talk about the approach they’ve used.

I believe this comes from a good place – it’s an attempt to prove to donors that the organization knows what it’s doing and is effective.

But what I’ve seen from looking at fundraising results for 30 years is that individual donors send in more money when the focus of the appeal is on the near future, not on the past.

When you ask your individual donors to fund meaningful work that needs to be done soon, I think three things are happening:

  • Donors are thinking about something they can affect (the near future), versus something they cannot affect (the past).
  • Donors are thinking about the negative situation your beneficiaries are facing today, instead of a positive story of a person who has already been helped and no longer needs help.
  • Donors realize that their choice in this moment has consequences in the near term.

But really, even just those three bullet points overcomplicate things. 

It’s as simple as this little story … put yourselves in the shoes of a busy individual donor.  She’s at home, has a couple minutes, and is going through her mail or email.  She feels like making a gift.  Which appeal do you think she will give to:

  • “We’ve done work that’s important to you in the past, will you support us?”
  • “Work that’s important to you needs to happen two weeks from now, will you give a gift to help?”

Individual donors making quick decisions seem to be wired to support work that they care about that needs to be done soon. 

So focus your appeals on the near future – usually between the day you send it and about 8 weeks from then. Focus on meaningful work/service/help your organization plans/hopes to do in the next month or so.  Ask your donors to send in a gift to help fund that work. 

Save the focus on the past for when you are reporting back to donors.  Or when you are making a case to a Foundation for why they should give you a grant.

If our experience is any indication, you’ll be so pleased at how much money your appeals raise that you’ll never go back to focusing your appeals on the past.

‘But We Don’t Actually Do the Work’

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Middleman.

Earlier this week I wrote about focusing your fundraising to individual donors on what their gift will make possible, not on how your organization does its work. 

This advice immediately causes consternation for some organizations, particularly community foundations and what we might call “middleman organizations” that raise funds primarily to help other organizations.

For instance, I recently emailed with a woman who works for a local nonprofit that a) raises money to pay for the admin costs and staffing of a national program that runs in her state, and b) that national program engages the local community to c) utilize support provided by other nonprofits. 

Local foundations and organizations like the one above will say things like, “Well, we can’t tell donors that their gift will do anything specific because we don’t do the work.  We just make it possible for other nonprofits to provide their services.” 

However, I believe community foundations and middleman organizations can absolutely tell donors that their gift will make specific services happen.

I think what happens is that these nonprofits get too caught up in the difference between “what we do” and “what we make possible.”

As I wrote last week, individual donors are much more interested in what your organization makes happen than they are in exactly how your organization makes it happen.

There are lots of instances of this being true and completely above board.  For instance, international relief & development organizations usually have local/indigenous partners who “do the work” of feeding children, providing education, digging wells, etc. 

Medical research charities often outsource significant portions of their work, from bloodwork to testing to actually working with patients. 

My recommendation: don’t artificially limit what you say in your fundraising based on a belief that donors only fund your activities (how you do your work).  In our experience, donors tend to be more motivated by the outcomes your organization creates – what your work makes possible.

Your organization can absolutely make clear asks around providing specific services, even if those services are provided by another nonprofit/entity, as long as the donor’s gift provides funding that makes those services possible.

Deadlines and Consequences

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Deadline.

When I’m reviewing an appeal or e-appeal, one of the simple questions I ask is:

“Is there a deadline or consequences?”

Deadlines focus people’s attention – and cause more people to take action.  Consequences help people know what’s at stake – and cause more people to take action. 

So the next time you’re creating or reviewing an appeal or e-appeal, be sure to include a deadline or consequence.  You’ll help donors see how their gift to you is important and timely. 

And ultimately, it’s pretty simple: if you don’t give your donors a reason to give a gift today, you’ll get fewer gifts today.

Three Lessons from Remarkable Annual Reports

John Lepp  |  Report

The following is a hand-picked guest post from John Lepp.  Enjoy, and you can read more about John below.

* * *

I know we like to believe that one of our donors is sitting in their armchair, maybe beside a fire, with a hot cup of tea and their beloved cat purring on their lap waiting… listening… for that clang and tiny screech as the metal flap on their mail box shuts, thus ensuring the safe arrival of your latest annual report.

We imagine them flinging poor Ron, the cat, off their laps and jumping to their feet! “WOOHOOOOO!!!! My charity’s annual report has ARRIVED TODAY!!!!”

Don’t we imagine that?

What if I could tell you 3 ways you might be able to get your donor to do JUST that, next time you send them your annual report?

1. Do you want to read an ‘annual report’?

Probably not.

68 pages of 8 point reversed type that adheres to your soul destroying, dumpster burning, graphic standards that some art director from a commercial agency put together and that you now must religiously stick to so that – lord forbid – you do not go ‘off brand’… whatever that means.

68 pages of all of the amazing things that every board member has ever thought of in their entire life about their fantastic accomplishments, page after page of stats, people holding big checks, figures, infographics, pie charts and names of your most important donors (ie: the rich ones). Do you want to read that?

No? Shocker.

Consider, my friends, the idea of a gratitude report. In a nutshell, a gratitude report is only as long as it needs to be. A report that tells your donors a love-filled story about something they made possible by their giving, is filled with plenty of you’s, shares the nutshell successes of how you continue to meet the needs of your mission with their amazing support and is inclusive of all donors.

Not just the rich ones.

2. Can you tell a fantastic story?

I have 3 examples.

i) From a women’s shelter. We were handed Ana’s story, written by her own hand, telling of her abuse by her partner. It was a story of how she found herself in a country without any support from friends or family. This story was not watered down by the head of comms or edited by a committee of 8 people in a circulated, tracked changes word file… It was her story – from her hand to our eyes. And I wanted to honour her without sensationalizing her.

This was the cover of the report.

White handwriting on a black cover. No logo. Do you want to see what she shares next? Of course you do. You can download the whole report here.

ii) For a hospital foundation. Getting your donor’s attention isn’t enough. But it IS getting harder to do even that every day. And if we can get their attention, we must reward them for it. For this gratitude report we started with a simple illustration of a bandaid, covered in cupcakes and put that on the cover. It says:

“Because of you, I’m not just a flexible bandaid. And, I know I’m not the sort of thing you’d find on the cover of a report, but here we are. I may seem like a small and insignificant player in the context of a hospital, but with your help, I have a big impact. You give me the power of healing many humans, big and small. I think of River. She came in last week with her mom for her COVID-19 booster. River was crying and holding her mom’s hand, but the moment she saw me, all covered in cupcakes, she stopped crying. We soothed her. You and I. (Ok, maybe the cupcakes had something to do with it too.) Thank you for giving me that gift.”

Because of you.

Fully utilizing the full universe of interesting voices around you (beyond the blah, blah blah of your professional leaders) can show your donors a different perspective to their giving that they might not be aware of. Also, make sure to focus on the big and small ways that donor gifts can make a difference.

Hospital bed.

iii) For a hospice. Focus on ALL your donors. This report focused on why donors, giving big and small gifts, care so deeply about this mission and cause. It is filled with the emotional WHY they care and give.

This is a fantastic example of social proof. Your donor is sipping her tea and feeling echoes of her own feelings and thoughts about her connection to the cause.

I especially like this report because we used the visual theme of a quilt. For anyone who has had the pleasure of visiting (and even if you haven’t), you would see these quilts hung around various parts of the ‘house’. These quilts are tributes and symbols of the lasting memories of those beautiful souls that have passed on while in the care of this organization.

You can download the whole report here.

3. Who should get it?

We typically do a small print run. Yes, that’s right.

We actually mail out printed copies of the report. We put it in a 9” x 12” envelope with first class postage with a cover letter attached to it and a personal, handwritten note, ideally from a board member or ED.

We only mail it to the TOP 20% of your donors. Since you likely are getting 80% of your revenue from these folks day after day, you can make the case that they are the ones that care the most about you. Mid level to high level donors, monthly donors, legacy donors, loyal donors (of any gift size) typically fall into this category.

For the rest of your donors that you have a mail address for, send them a postcard with an image of your striking cover, letting them know you have created something JUST FOR THEM and they can call you or email you (an actual person please) and ask for their own copy.

Yes, post a version of it on your website. Yes, email a link for it to your donors that you have emails for, with a personal email suggesting why they might want to look at it and why you would be more than happy to talk to them about it if they have any questions.

Do you want to create annual reports that you hate doing and no one wants to read?

OR

Do you want to craft loving gratitude reports for your beautiful donors, these amazing humans that make your missions hopes, dreams and values come true?

Agents of Good are experts at bringing these reports to life – contact me, John Lepp, at john@agentsofgood.org if you want to talk about your next gratitude report that will leave your donors SPRINGING from their chair (and hopefully not harming the cat in the process!).

* * *

Steven says: “The following is a guest post from John Lepp, the co-founder of Agents of Good in Toronto. John has the best understanding of how fundraising actually works that I’ve ever met, and then he ‘turns it up to 11’ by being a great guy to hang out with. You should subscribe to his blog here.”

Three Editing Examples

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Editing.

We recently helped a nonprofit create a series of emails to raise money to help them recover from flooding at their facilities. 

The emails raised twice as much as any email campaign they’d ever done.

Because people always like our posts that feature “before and after” examples of fundraising copy, here are three simple edits I made to these emails, along with brief explanations for why…

Before #1:
“I couldn’t sleep last night worrying how the staff at the sanctuary will weather this storm, literally.”

After:
“I couldn’t sleep last night because I was worrying about the staff, the babies, and the equipment.”

Reasoning:
In direct response fundraising, specificity is your friend.  The initial copy was conceptual – about how the staff will “weather the storm.”  But the concept was hiding specifics that were meaningful and valuable!  Share the specifics because they are easier for a reader to understand quickly – and usually more meaningful, too.

Before #2:
“Potable water is especially important right now.”

After:
“Water that’s safe to drink is especially important right now.”

Reasoning:
Not everyone knows what the word “potable” means.  And even for readers who are familiar with it, many will have to think about it for a second to recall what it means.  In direct response fundraising, any time you use words that some readers don’t understand and other readers have to think about, you’ve almost certainly reduced how much money you are going to raise.

Before #3:
“Will you please make a generous gift today?”

After:
“As we scramble, would you please make a gift today to help?”

Reasoning:
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with “Will you please make a generous gift today” – in fact it’s very good copy.  But I have found that in an emergency situation, an email that sounds like a “breathless dispatch from the field” will raise far more money than email that sounds like every other email the organization sends.  

So I made sure the email sounded like it was written by a human (not an organization) who was being clear, but was clearly in a crazy situation. 

One of the ways you communicate to donors that the situation is not normal is by using language that is not normal.

Finally, as a bonus, here’s a subject line I worked on:

Subject line Before:
It’s time for immediate action

Subject line After:
Flooding – please help

Reasoning:
The initial subject line could be written by any nonprofit, anywhere, at any time.  The updated version referenced the flooding – something dramatic, concrete, and unique to this organization at this time.

I hope these example edits – and the reasoning behind them – help you with your next email or letter!

The Storytelling Technique That Puts Your Donor Inside the Story

Chris Davenport  |  Ask
Inside story.

(And Why It Raises More Money Than Any “About Us” Paragraph Ever Could)

The following is a hand-picked guest post from Chris Davenport. Enjoy, and you can read more about Chris below.

* * *

Great storytelling doesn’t just make you care.
It makes you feel like you belong in the story.

That’s the magic trick behind one of the most effective storytelling techniques in fundraising:
Write for the donor, not to them.

It’s a tiny shift in language that creates a massive emotional shift in the reader.

Because here’s the truth:
You’re not just telling a story.
You’re inviting the donor to step into it.

Why “TO the Donor” Storytelling Falls Flat

It sounds like this:

“We launched a new program to serve families facing housing insecurity.”
“Our staff provided shelter for 42 families last month.”

That’s writing to the donor.

You’re telling them what happened.
You’re reporting, not storytelling.

There’s no invitation. No emotion.
Just information.

The donor is outside the story, looking in — like reading a plaque at a museum.
They might nod. They might feel impressed.
But they won’t feel needed.

And if they don’t feel needed, they’re not likely to give.

Write “FOR the Donor” — and Watch What Happens

This version pulls the reader into the action — as if they were there:

“You can help a mom tuck her kids into bed tonight in a room that’s warm and safe.”

Now the donor isn’t reading a story.
They’re in the story.

They can picture it.
They can feel it.
And most importantly — they know exactly how to help.

Here’s How It Works:

The FOR Storytelling Framework

You + [emotion or physical action] + [specific outcome]

  • “You’ll hand a warm meal to a child who hasn’t eaten since yesterday.”
  • “You can be the reason someone whispers, ‘I finally feel safe.’”
  • “You’ll flip the light switch in a shelter room that’s been dark for too long.”

The goal? Don’t just describe what happened.
Describe what the donor makes happen.

That’s a story they’ll want to be part of.

Tiny Scene, Big Emotion

Want to take it one step further? Add a detail that locks the scene in their memory:

Instead of:

“You’ll provide winter coats for kids in need…”

Try:

“You’ll zip up a puffy red coat around a 6-year-old named Eli — just before the snow hits.”

That’s not just storytelling.
That’s cinematic fundraising.

How to Use This in Real Life

Next time you write an appeal, a thank-you letter, or a donation page:

Look for the sentences that begin with:

  • “We need…”
  • “Our goal is…”
  • “This program will…”

Rewrite just one using the FOR formula.
Make the donor the one doing the action.
Make them the reason something good happens.

That’s the storytelling switch that unlocks generosity.

Final Word

This isn’t fluff.
This is one of the most powerful storytelling techniques you can learn as a fundraiser:

Write the story so your donor feels like they’re in it.

Not watching.
Not applauding.

Acting.

That’s how you turn a reader into a giver.
And a giver into a champion.

Want more storytelling techniques like this?
You’ll find a whole library of bite-sized wins over in the QuickApply Collection—smart, fast strategies to help you write stories that move people and raise more money. No fluff. Just tools that work.

Go poke around. Your next breakthrough might be one click away.

* * *

Steven says: “Chris Davenport is the founder of the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference – the most practical and impactful fundraising conference there is.  Chris has trained thousands of Fundraisers to use story-driven communication to raise more money and build deeper relationships with donors.  Check out his ‘QuickApply’ library if you’d like to know more, and I hope to see you at this year’s conference!”

Three Stories that Move Donors to Give

Chris Davenport  |  Repeat
Stories for action.

The following is a hand-picked guest post from Chris Davenport.  Enjoy, and you can read more about Chris below.

* * *

A simple (and kind of genius) framework to help your donor feel amazing — and keep giving

Donor communications can feel like a grind.

Whether you’re writing an appeal, a thank-you, or a report — you’re constantly trying to find the right words to keep people engaged, inspired, and giving.

And if you’ve ever thought:
“How many ways can I tell the same story?”
“What do I even say in this update?”
“Does any of this actually matter to the donor?”

You’re not alone. And you’re not doing it wrong.

The truth is:
You don’t need endless stories.
You don’t need a brand-new emotional angle every time.
You just need a simple rhythm your donor can feel—and respond to.

You don’t need a million stories.
You just need three.
And they follow a simple, powerful path.

And yes — it works whether you serve people, protect ecosystems, fund the arts, or fight for policy change.

Maybe your organization protects forests. Or fights for clean air. Or keeps art alive in schools.

You might not think of your cause as having a “beneficiary,” but you absolutely have something (or someone) at stake.

The key is to treat that thing — whether it’s a river, a painting, a policy, or a species — as a character in your story.

  • What does it need?
  • What threatens it?
  • What changes if the donor steps in?

If a wetland is about to be bulldozed…
If a coral reef is hanging by a thread…
If a mural is being erased from a neighborhood…

You have a story.
You just need to frame it like one. And once you do, these 3 stories become your new go-to.

And once you do, these 3 stories become your new go-to.

1. The Story That Asks

What your donor’s gift WILL do

This is where the donor steps into the story — not as a bystander, but as the person who can change everything.

You share a real, unresolved situation. The stakes are high. The outcome is not yet written.

And the donor? They’re the missing piece.

Example (Human story):
“Right now, Mia is 7 years old and skipping school — not because she doesn’t want to learn, but because hunger makes it impossible to focus.
With your $25 gift, you’ll place a hot meal in front of her tonight.”

Example (Environmental):
“Right now, ancient trees that house hundreds of species are days away from being cut down.
Your gift will help protect this forest from permanent destruction.”

This is the story where their gift WILL do something powerful.
It’s full of urgency, emotion, and possibility.

2. The Story That Thanks

What your donor’s gift IS doing

Now zoom in on the moment of impact.

This isn’t a receipt or a vague “thank you for supporting our mission.”
This is a snapshot. A sigh of relief. A small-but-holy moment the donor made possible.

Example (Human):
“Mia sat down in the lunchroom with a hot meal on her tray — just like you provided. She picked up her fork, looked up at her teacher, and whispered, ‘Tell them thank you for me.’”

Example (Environmental):
“Right now, your gift is fueling a team of rangers patrolling the forest line — keeping the chainsaws out and the wildlife safe. Because of you, protection is happening today.”

This is where your donor feels the impact of their gift IS in motion — right now.

3. The Story That Reports

What your donor’s gift DID

Now you complete the loop.

This is the victory lap — but it’s not just celebration. It’s an invitation. You show what their gift accomplished and what still needs to be done.

Example (Human):
“Because of you, Mia is back in school and smiling again. She hasn’t missed a day in weeks. But this morning, a new child walked in late… head down, stomach growling.
Will you give again so they don’t have to sit through class hungry?”

Example (Environmental):
“Your gift saved this forest. You kept the chainsaws out — and the birds, the trees, the life here?
They’re still thriving because of you.
But the destruction didn’t stop. Just down the road, another ancient grove is marked for clearing.
Will you step in again?”

This story reminds them: You gave. It helped. Want to do it again?

Why This Works (and why it feels so good)

These three stories follow a rhythm that donors love — whether they realize it or not:

  • The Ask Story shows what their gift WILL do
  • The Thank You Story shows what their gift IS doing
  • The Report Story shows what their gift DID

That framework — WILL, IS, DID — comes from Steven Screen at the Better Fundraising Company. And once you start using it, you’ll never go back.

Because when your donor sees their gift in motion, it builds trust.
When they feel what they made possible, it builds joy.
And when they’re invited to keep going, it builds momentum.

This isn’t just better storytelling.
It’s better fundraising.
And it feels better to send, too.

Bonus Tip: Want more stuff like this?

You’ll love the QuickApply Library. [https://nonprofitstorytellingconference.com/quickapply-library/]

It’s full of fast, practical mini-guides to help you raise more money with better stories. These aren’t the same old tips — most of what’s in there is new, or at least totally re-framed to be easier and more effective.

No fluff. Just storytelling tools that work.

* * *

Steven says: “Chris Davenport is the founder of the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference – the most practical and impactful fundraising conference there is.  Chris has trained thousands of Fundraisers to use story-driven communication to raise more money and build deeper relationships with donors.  Check out his ‘QuickApply’ library if you’d like to know more, and I hope to see you at this year’s conference!”

An Idea to Help Your Donor Acquisition

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Bright idea.

When you’re talking or writing to people who are not donors, and you’re thinking about what to say, here’s a truth to remember: 

None of them care about your organization, but some of them care about your cause or beneficiaries.

So, don’t start off your speech or letter by talking about your organization.  Attempting to start a relationship by talking about something you know the other person doesn’t care about is not a successful tactic. 

On the other hand, if you start off talking about your cause or beneficiaries, then the people who care are immediately interested in what you have to say. 

Now you’re ahead of the game.

Now, the people who are most likely to donate are the people who are paying attention.  And they already know that you care about what they care about.

In the very first moment, you’ve established common ground with the people who are most likely to donate.

And I have to add, the “holy grail” is talking about your cause or beneficiaries and tying it to a value to everyone believes in.  Think opening lines like:

“No one should have to suffer from a disease when the cure costs $100.  And now that you know you can massively improve a person’s life for less than the cost a nice dinner out, let me tell you how you can do it and why it’s important.”

Now everyone is paying attention. 

Or you could start by telling everyone what year your organization was founded.

How a Strong Fundraising Offer Changes Everything

Sarah Lundberg  |  Repeat
Can you help?

I used to be a Director of Marketing and Communications for a nonprofit where I had minimal involvement with fundraising.

But then the nonprofit I was working at needed me to start writing their direct response fundraising, and I discovered a whole new world of expertise. This experience challenged the beliefs that my nonprofit and I had for how fundraising worked. But we started raising a LOT more money.  Let me share my journey…

The first thing that made an impact was developing strong fundraising offers for our direct mail appeals.

This meant we started being clearer about what the donor’s gift would do or promising what would happen when they made a gift, like “your gift of $50 will provide a food basket for a child while they are on school break.”

For years, we had been sending out appeals asking people to give but we weren’t that specific about what their gift would do. We asked people to give to help children in a certain country get an education. Or give to help support a church planter.

It sort of worked. The donors who were close to the organization and the mission would respond. But people who didn’t know the organization as well just didn’t seem to respond to our direct mail appeals.

“If they understood how important this is, they would give,” was a common phrase.

But how to get donors to understand?

When I started to learn more about fundraising offers, I brought back some new ideas, and we started approaching our appeals differently.

We started digging into the line items of budgets.

We started asking our program team detailed questions about how many people were participating in different programs, and every last detail they could give us.

This research meant we could put a dollar amount to doing a specific thing. And we could ask the donor to give to do that thing.

Instead of “give to help children in (country name)” we now had “give $35 to provide a backpack full of school supplies for one child in (country name).”

Instead of “give to support a church planter” we now had “give $5 so a church planter can reach one person.”

And suddenly our appeals started to raise more money.

The main change was that we were showing donors the difference they could make for one person with a specific gift.

I remember the first appeal we sent out with one of our newly developed offers. It was year-end — not a time of year you want to fumble things. I was… worried.

I remember saying to my boss, “What if this doesn’t work?”

“You know… it’s possible it won’t work,” he said. “But let’s still try it.”

Having a boss who was open to trying things differently was a gift. (I know bosses don’t always respond like that!)

But what it came down to was this… we could keep doing things the way we had always done them and get similar results. Or we could take a calculated risk based on best practice recommendations from an expert and raise more money for our mission.

And when things are only “sort-of” working, taking a calculated risk based on expert recommendations is a smart thing to do.

My organization went from raising around $10,000 from our direct mail fundraising appeals to raising $30,000, 40,000, and even $50,000 from our direct mail fundraising appeals.

Change can be scary, especially when you’ve been doing something the same way for years. But if you can work through the fear with your team, Better Fundraising can happen for your organization as well (see what I did there?).