| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
Write Effective Fundraising Letters By Being Conversational (Includes Examples & Samples)
I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer, trying to get my thoughts out of my head and into a written form that will help you make a decision. In this particular case, I am trying to write a few intelligent remarks about sounding conversational on paper. You know, how to write a fundraising letter that sounds like it came from the mind of a person and not an institution. I suppose the first thing I can tell you is that you should write the way you talk, unless, of course, you talk in halting sentences punctuated with "ya knows" and "like, you know what I mean?" And if you usually write fundraising letters that are signed by someone else, your executive director, for example, then you need to write the way that person speaks. The secret to sounding personal and conversational on paper is to imaging that you are actually having a conversation with your donor. A back-and-forth exchange where your donor asks questions and you supply answers. That way, your letter sounds like it is written by a living, breathing person, since it addresses issues that are important to the donor, and does so in a warm, lively style. Which reminds me, try to keep your sentences short. Not like the one that ended the last paragraph. What else can I tell you? Rhetorical questions are one device at your disposal. Rhetorical questions, as I am sure you know, are questions that are asked for rhetorical effect, not expecting an answer. You can use one or two in your letter if you like. Rhetorical questions create the sense that a conversation is taking place between you and your donor. I don't have to tell you that another way to sound conversational is to use the first person a lot. That means you say, "Your gift today means a lot to me," instead of saying "Your gift today means a lot to us," or, even worse, "A gift from you designated towards our Annual Fund will be appreciated at this time." Remember, people give to people, not to establishments, so you want to sound like a person, not an organization when you write your donor appeal letters. I just thought of another one. Without being fake or insincere, mention that you thought of your donor today, or yesterday, or recently, showing that there is a relationship between the two of you. Naturally, only say "I was thinking of you this morning" if you actually were. Otherwise you will be making stuff up. You may be relieved to know that that you can be colloquial, too, which is a humdinger of a way to establish rapport and sound genuine. If your donors know what a humdinger is, then by all means throw one into your letters at least once a year. You goal, if I may say so, is to sound authentic without being overly familiar or coarse. Another way to sound conversational is to be open in the way you talk about things. Give your donors a glimpse into what life is like at your organization. You probably want an example of what I mean, so here it is (here are two examples, actually): Institutional: "Your membership is about to expire."Conversational: "I see from our records that your membership is coming up for renewal soon." Institutional: "Prayer meetings were held today at head office about Hurricane Katrina." Conversational: "All of us here at the office in London met this morning to pray for the victims of Hurricane Katrina." Another sure way of avoiding "bureaucratic-speak" is to say everything in the active voice. Don't say "funds were raised" when you can say "we raised funds." Avoid writing "100 scholarships will be created" when you can instead write "we will create 100 scholarships." See the improvement? Passive voice sounds institutional. Active voice sounds conversational. I suppose if you went back to the start and began reading this message again, you'd pick up a few methods that I did not mention (using parentheses like this, for example, which look as though you are lowering your voice and whispering a piece of inside information to your donor). I hope that these tips help you write effective fundraising letters. Ones that come from your heart, and are effective mainly for that very reason. About the author © 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Marketing and Advertising Techniques of Super Bowl Advertisers Each year, advertisers with super sized budgets sink millions of dollars into Super Bowl advertising. While most of us do not have a large enough budget to advertise on the Super Bowl, the commercials -- both past and present -- demonstrate several marketing techniques we can apply elsewhere. What Can Star Wars Teach You About Creating a Buzz for Your Business? Many people think marketing is some type of mystery that only a few select people know the secret too. In fact if you look at the entertainment industry you will find some of the best models to follow. Guerilla Marketing Lesson 2: Why Do People Call Me? Before we begin, I want you to think about how many times you actually sought out an advertisement. How did you know where to look for it? Why did you choose that one? Whether you know it or not, the number of times you were exposed to the message has a huge impact on you. Networking Basics Turn Yourself Into A Profit Making Giant I would like to introduce you to one of my brick and mortar business I run. It is called AFM Computer Repair. 8 Secrets to Marketing Success The profits of a business are totally dependent on marketing. Otherwise few, if any, sales will be generated. Beware of Magazine Style Yellow Pages Ad Design. I have been designing Yellow Page ads for the past 15 years. I have been fully submerged in the medium. Hello, My Name Is . . . What Your Name Tag Says About You When you attend networking functions, what kind of name tag do you wear? One of those sticky things you scrawled your name on, or something a bit more sophisticated? For just a few cents to a few dollars, you can have a classy, customized name tag that will draw attention and comments and help you make the most of every networking opportunity.Instead of relying on those disposable sticky tags, you can get your own engraved or imprinted name badge at your local office supply store. The Advantage and Consequences of New Economy Marketing Some of the research that has been done today gives us alot of information on the values of today's society. WhatI'm referring to is a lifestyle in which there is more todo in generally less time in which to accomplish it. Measuring the Return on Your Direct Mail Investment In direct mail lore, there's a rule stating that you can measure the success of your efforts by a minimum response rate of 1-2%. In other words, if you send out 10,000 pieces, you'll have a successful mailing if at least 100 recipients respond to your offer. Customizing Booklets By Industry or By Company Customizing booklets can be done by industry or by company."110 Ideas for Organizing Your Travel Business Office" or "110 Ideas for Organizing Your Beauty Salon" or "110 Ways for Organizing Your Fitness Center" are examples of customizing a generic booklet about organizing your business life according to specific industries. The 10 Cornerstone Principles of Marketing There are four parts to a marketing system and they rest on ten cornerstones. Marketing results are only as powerful as your marketing systems. Ready, Aim, Fire...Oops...Wheres The Target? Everywhere you go on the Internet you find the words, "target market." What do they mean? What does it have to do with you? Well it has everything to do with your success in sales. 10 Steps to a Great Newsletter A newsletter can be a wonderful, economical way to communicate with prospects, customers, employees or distributors. Just follow these ten easy steps for newsletter success. A Common - Yet Easily Avoidable - Marketing Mistake December is a month in which many organizations make plans for the coming year. Now is a great time for you to look at your marketing systems for attracting and retaining customers. Differentiate or Die Sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it? Well, I can tell you from personal experience with both my own business and with my clients, "differentiate or die" is not an exaggeration. Whether you're a small one-person shop or a large government agency, solvency and the future of your business rely on you standing out in a competitive marketplace. Business Marketing Strategies For many small business managers, finding the time and commitment to develop business marketing strategies is difficult. There are so many other obligations vying for our attention it is tempting to push formal strategy development to the back burner. Benefits of Developing & Maintaining a Database A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additional information, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements. Budget Marketing: Managing Your Marketing Money Wisely! There's a saying that half of all marketing efforts are wasted, but it's impossible to tell which half!I know from hard won experience how easy it is to waste money on marketing.When I first set up my own business in 1998, I spent tens of thousands of dollars employing the best graphic designer and printing a great glossy brochure. Mission Statement Impossible Dant dant da da dant dant da da. Dant dant da da dant dant da da. Ten Effective Ways to Capture Market 1.Evaluation of Existing Products / Therapies2.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
