Research suggests the best
way for nonprofits to stay closely connected to their donors – and to keep
supporters interested in your organization’s mission – is to send a newsletter
on a regular basis. Then again, one survey showed donors don’t read most
newsletters. That’s likely because most newsletters are boring. Of course, it
doesn’t have to be that way, as long as you avoid these six deadly sins that
kill donor interest.
1. Failing the “you” test
Most fundraising newsletters
take the approach of Toby Keith’s hit song: “I Wanna Talk About Me / Wanna talk
about I / Wanna talk about number one / Oh my, me, mine.” While some of that is
good, if all you’re doing is talking about “I” then your readers are tuning out.
On the other hand, talking about “you” creates glue with your audience. It
elevates their interest from “so what” to “so wonderful.”
Take a red pen and circle
every “you” in your newsletter (and its cousins: yours, yourself, you’re). Your page should be filled with a sea of
red. If it’s not, than consider rewriting in another voice.
Here’s is an example of how
powerful changing the target from “we” to “you” can be, and how it captures the
attention and emotion of your readers:
Before – “Instead of eating
out, we choose to feed the hungry in our neighborhoods.”
After – “Feed the hungry in
your neighborhoods or go out to eat again? It’s your choice.”
2. Lack of emotional triggers
Marketing experts believe
seven emotions motivate people to respond to fundraising appeals: fear, guilt,
greed, exclusivity, anger, salvation and flattery. While on the surface these
may sound ‘negative,’ they unleash powerful opposite emotions: hope, love,
faith, duty, compassion, caring, etc. By adjusting your style to stir a
negative emotion, you’ll help readers attach to your cause and inspire them to
right the wrong.
Here is an example of the
technique in action:
2009 Hospice of
the Rapidan Annual Fundraising Appeal
Smiles
were rare and oh so precious in Giselle’s home as her illness progressed. That
all this was happening during the holidays only made matters worse. Children
should be smiling at Christmas, don’t you agree? When death intrudes, things that we normally take for
granted can come to an abrupt halt, like gathering with family over a holiday
meal, watching children tear paper off gifts or counting on your child’s next
birthday.
Hospice of the Rapidan has been helping patients like little Giselle for
over 25 years, and is one of only a few hospices in the area that care for
terminally ill children. Giselle, her parents, and her brother and sister have
very different needs – and it was important to address each of them.
Attending
to Giselle’s pain and symptoms, and making sure her parents received some respite,
allowed mom and dad to recharge their batteries and be better, more loving
caregivers to their beloved daughter. At the same time, specially trained
counselors spoke quietly and reassuringly with Giselle’s brother and sister who
could not understand everything their parents were going through or even their
own natural feelings.
With
your help, Hospice of the Rapidan cares
for entire families, not just patients.
3. Neither news, nor letter
Sending a newsletter creates
a promise to your readers: that you’ll deliver something newsworthy and
interesting to them. Your goal is to provide inspiration, create loyalty and
motivate them to continue their monetary and time support.
The dominant stories should
be about your organization’s vision, achievements, needs and – remember this
one – stewardship with their funds (think: efficiency). Also, you’ll want to
recognize and celebrate supporters’ contributions. The best thing you can do to
create interest is to share stories that let donors know they’re changing the
world through your dedication and commitment to fulfilling your mission.
Turn to the people in your
organization who work in the trenches – those closest to the lives of the ones
you touch – to find stories that contain the human drama your donors want to
read about in each issue. On the other hand, limit things like “From the desk
of” your executive director, updates on staff changes and other non-emotional
fillers. Ask yourself this simple phrase: “Who cares?” If the answer isn’t
“donors” then you’re missing a great opportunity to connect.
4. Forgetting to make donors feel involved and thanked
Take every opportunity to
fill donors with joy by letting them know: “Everything happens because of you.”
There’s no need to hog the credit for your organization’s good works. Remember,
it’s all about them – so share the accomplishments to keep them engaged.
5. Too many words / Too little time
Your writers may provide the
greatest prose this side of Hemingway, but the likelihood is few of your donors
actually read their articles. (Newspaper editors believe 80 percent of their
audience only sees the headline.) Realize your readers mostly browse, skim,
glance – and occasionally read a few paragraphs and captions.
German researcher Siegfried
Vogele recognized the eye goes first to bigger, bolder and briefer… everything
that isn’t filled with copy. So make sure you have: captivating headlines;
sharp photos with excellent captions; clear charts and graphs; bullet lists;
and ‘pull’ quotes. This isn’t to say the words aren’t important – you still
have to have engaging writing and eliminate typos – just recognize your
audience isn’t going to sit down and read your newsletter front to back.
Things to avoid: colored
type; text over colored backgrounds; reverse type; and ‘sans serif’ type. Most
newspapers, magazines and books use Times Roman, because your brain reacts five
times quicker to that font than Arial and Helvetica. [Note: this isn’t true of
computer monitors, which don’t display the fine strokes of serif type as well.]
6. Numbers galore
Statistics speak to the
intellect; anecdotes speak to the heart. Focus on the heart. Trotting out a
bunch of big numbers doesn’t wow your readers. It overwhelms them. Limit your
stats to those that tie-in to your emotional appeal.
Here’s an example of a
powerful use of statistics by Hospice of
Chesapeake as part of a $5 million campaign:
Anne
Arundel and Prince George’s counties are about to get much older. In the next
decade, the 65+ population will explode, increasing by 25%, with no end in
sight. Hospice urgently needs to add
capacity.
Do you feel a sense of fear
after reading those two sentences? Fear is an emotion that motivates people to
act – and that’s the reason you’re writing your newsletter. Remember: “Heart
first and the head will follow.”
Summary
• Share the credit for all
your hard and successful work.
• Remember, reading is labor;
reduce the labor for your readers.
• Honor the emotional reasons
your donors came to you in the first place.
• Deliver the news… and
answer this question with passion and proof: “What did you do with the money?”
• Don’t over-think. It’s far
more important to get your newsletter out than to get it perfect.
• Write better headlines;
they produce most of your revenue.
Good luck!
Arvind Gupta
President – GRC Direct
GRC Direct –
Your Partners in Fundraising Success
GRC Direct helps you build more and better relationships with your
donors - and helps you protect the ones you have – by developing personalized
direct mail and e-campaigns. Nonprofit organizations that use your database and
personalized communications to connect with donors will continue to see
success. Others will slide. Let GRC Direct provide you expertise in choosing
targeted lists… and developing mail packages that include design, printing and
nonprofit mail processing – all under one roof. Send an email or call me at
866.648.0900 to inject energy into your next fundraising campaign.
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