The Activist Attitude: 5 Ways to Fundraise like an Activist

Earlier this week, I talked about cultivating an Activist Attitude. Now we're going to get down to the nitty-gritty: what can you do in your fundraising to frame your organization in a more activist, we're-changing-the-world way?

Here are 5 ways to fundraise like an activist:

1. Include an Involvement Device.

For more traditionally activist organizations, this is often a petition to a person in authority. They work. Not only do they inspire people to respond to your direct mail or your email solicitation, but they also show you who your most passionate and engaged supporters are.

But you don't have to do a petition to involve your donors! Try a survey. Ask donors what they think about various aspects of your work or the issue you're focused on. One client had such good results with the survey they used in Acquisition, that they included one in a renewal effort, as well.

Another great involvement device that doesn't get used often enough is asking your donors to sign a Declaration of Support. This gets donors signing on to your mission, making them a key player in your work. And you can use these signed declarations in a variety of ways, from delivering them to a decision-maker or displaying them prominently in your headquarters as a Wall of Support.

2. Have an Urgent Call to Action. 

You know urgency is key to fundraising, so pair it with a call to action. For many activist organizations, this is tied to a specific campaign, but if you've got your Activist Attitude turned on, you'll see many ways to use it.

Your donors have full lives, so you need to give them a reason not to set that fundraising piece down on the “I’ll get to this later” pile.

Make your asks urgent. Tell your donors you need their help NOW. Better yet, give them a deadline by which to act. And make it sooner rather than later. Plaster that deadline on the outer envelope, on the reply form, in the letter and on the reply envelope. Explain to them why it’s so important that they act fast.

And give them specifics about what you're asking them to do. Tell them how much you want them to give or what you want them to sign and what that action will do.

Instead of "You can feed the hungry this winter", think: "Respond within 14 days to feed hungry families this month!" Or "Your gift of $XX will feed YY hungry families -- give now!"

3. Find an Enemy. 

Your enemy doesn't have to be a political leader, as it is for many activist organizations. An enemy can be abstract, like the weather. Or it can be systemic, a bureaucracy that your organization helps people navigate. Enemies are fundraising gold. Is someone trying to stop you from accomplishing what you need to accomplish? Is there a system standing between you and success?

People love rooting for the little guy. When you have powerful forces arrayed against you, your donors will want to help you.

Need a softer "enemy"? Think roadblocks or obstacles instead. Staff stretched too thin? Funding troubles? Lack of awareness about your organization or a particular program?

All of these roadblocks can be cast as enemies, forcing your audience to wonder how you can possibly overcome. (And of course, you’ll tell them that THEY are the key to solving any problem that comes your way!)

4. Empower Your Donors.

You already know you need to be donor-centric, right? Well, a really great way to be donor-centric is to tell them this truth: they are changing the world. Every time a donor makes a gift, volunteers, or takes an action on your behalf, they are saying, "Yes, I want to help your organization solve this problem!"

Activist organizations understand this inherently, and they let their donors know that their enthusiastic embrace of their missions makes a difference. They give them many opportunities to participate -- from telephone town halls, to news updates via email and in the mail, to gatherings with organizational leadership, and social media engagement.

Your donors are your tribe, the heroes who make your work possible. Your donors wield a great deal of power to re-shape the world in the way you're working to reshape it. Engage them in conversation, listen to their voices, and give them as many opportunities as you can to use their power!

5. Embrace Your Righteousness.

You believe your cause is important, right? You are passionate about the work you do and believe that it is critical to creating a better world for us all. Embrace that.

Successful activist organizations stick to their messages because they know without a doubt that they are right. They own it, and they don't back down -- they fight hard and don't compromise their beliefs. And that righteousness breeds trust in those who share their vision.

Don't be afraid to stand up for your mission. And don't apologize for your passions. Yes, there may very well be causes that are more life-and-death than yours. But your donors are looking to you for leadership on your issue. And your work is right.

Above all, embrace your Activist Attitude!

With a little more activism injected into your fundraising, you just might see more energy among your staff, your supporters and your fundraising.

You Are an Activist

If you work in the nonprofit industry, you want to change the world. Whether you're trying to find homes for abandoned animals, feeding hungry children, working to cure an incurable disease, or committed to bringing more art into your community, you're out to create a different world than the one we have today.

The status quo isn't good enough for you. You want the world to be better.

You are an activist.

Funny thing is, when I use this word with a potential client, I can tell right off if we're a good fit by their reaction. Some fundraisers embrace their activism, understanding that whether or not they are petitioning Congress or staging demonstrations, activism is inherent in everything their organization does.

Other organizations shy away. They prefer to think of themselves in terms of social good, community benefit, outreach or education. Anything but activists.

Forget for a moment about what you think your organization does. What does your donor think? Does Verna give because you're doing good work? Or does she give because you are changing the world?

After almost 20 years working with a broad spectrum of nonprofit clients, I've come to believe that if you want to raise more money and encourage more loyalty in your donors, cultivating an Activist Attitude is where it's at.

A Case Study of Environmental Organizations

Let's put this in real terms by talking about two different environmental groups.

Group A is a venerable institution in the environmental world, with a 40-year history and a host of achievements.

Group B is a newer organization with a fierce passion for their work.

Both are international in scope. Both stage protests and work collaboratively with other organizations. Both do a fair amount of cage rattling at the national and international level. Both have impressive track records in their areas.

Group A wants to be seen as on-the-ground activists, out to fight for our planet. Group B insists on presenting their work as education and community outreach. Even their protests and petitions to governments and governmental bodies is couched in terms of local empowerment, not activism.

Group A has doubled in size in the last two years. Group B has...not.

A Case Study from the Arts and Culture World

An acquaintance works for an arts organization that has always struggled to raise money. They can articulate why art is important, they believe in the critical importance of their work, but they were in danger of disappearing because they couldn't get the funding they needed.

We discussed their problems, and I asked if she'd ever thought of making the case that the organization was addressing very real and persistent problems in the community -- that it was changing the world through its work.

They tiptoed into a more activist tone in their next appeal, and it garnered the best response of the year.

Later this week, I'll post more about how to fundraise like an activist organization. But for now, take some time to remember that you wouldn't be doing the work you do if you didn't think the world needed to change. Don your Activist Attitude!

You are an activist. And you can fundraise like one.

The Big Rush

This past week we did a lot of rushing in my family. From piano to birthday celebrations, from haircut to dinner to middle school tour, from futsal to more birthday celebrations…it was a whirlwind. As we rushed from activity to activity, I also did some rushing in my work life. And it got me thinking about how compressed our schedules have become in the last few years. What used to be a six week process of strategy-research-outline-draft-refine-review-perfect-mail has, too often, become a mad dash from outline to draft to review to mail -- with no time to strategize, thoroughly research, refine or perfect anything.

I see it all the time in news reporting. It's almost impossible to read a news article today without finding at least one typo. Even larger news outlets have become so quick to publish that they do their fact-checking after the story's out.

I am not a technophobe, and I don't hate progress. I do not want to go back to the days of stinky blueline proofs and camera-ready copy. I love being able to type, copy and paste my way through drafting and editing.

But I do wonder if we've hit the limit of how fast we can go.

Now, I know computers can and will do things faster. They'll continue to advance, and my children or grandchildren will likely wonder how we managed to get by with such clunky interfaces as keyboards and mice.

But true creativity and excellent, thoughtful work still take time.

Before I write a word, I like to take time to absorb the information and notice what bits and pieces stand out for me. If I do my research and then step away, my brain helps me out by sifting through things and organizing it all, so that when I do sit down to write, the words flow more easily.

And the same principle works once the copy's written. My best direct mail letters need rest before they're ready for the world. I have to step away for at least a day -- ideally for three or four days -- so that I can see clearly what needs work.

Yes, I can -- and often do -- turn things around on a dime. I've written, directed design and sent to the printer direct mail packages in the course of one business day. (With a lot of help from clients, graphic designers and printers!) And many of those packages were successful.

Some of them were not.

The truth is, my best, most enduring packages have been those that I was allowed to spend weeks on.

As you rush to meet deadlines, consider if there might be a value to slowing down. I'm a firm believer that done is better than perfect, but that doesn't mean I don't try to be as perfect as I can be -- and sometimes that means taking an extra day or two.

Sometimes, the best way to beat the rush is to slow down and let it pass you by.

I do not think that means what you think it means

Earlier this year, my friend and colleague Amy Blake posted a fantastic musing about storytelling and her concern that it has evolved (or devolved) from a valuable tool in the fundraiser's toolbox to a meaningless buzzword-du-jour. As I've  made my year-end rounds, I've noticed that it's not just storytelling that's getting the magic bullet treatment. As I've mentioned before, right now is a fantastic time to be a fundraiser. There's so much information out there. But be careful when you're implementing all that free advice because there are nuances to using story-telling, donor-centricity, compelling emotion and all the other keys to great fundraising. And those nuances could mean the difference between a blockbuster campaign and a dud.

Being donor-centric doesn't mean putting yourself in your donor's shoes.

Because you can't. You know too much, you've taken the red pill (The blue one? I can't remember.), you're in too deep. You're already sold on the issues you care about, and it's really hard to be objective enough to take a step back and understand how those issues appear to your donor.

Instead, try to remember the last time you tried to learn something new. How did it feel to not know anything about a subject? What key pieces of information did you need to help you understand the subject and what was required of you? What kind of encouragement did you need? What spurred you on to learn more?

Even the most devoted donors are not as well versed in your issues as you are. Being donor-centric means understanding what your donor needs -- emotionally and intellectually -- to spur them to give.

Storytelling is not a magic bullet.

I'll tell you a secret: storytelling will not singlehandedly save your fundraising.

Donors do not read stories and automatically open their wallets. In fact, stories without context not only don't help you fundraise, they actively hurt your fundraising efforts. And sometimes, even stories with context don't work in fundraising -- if they're not the stories your donor wants to hear.

One of my clients launched a big storytelling push last year. It bombed. In reviewing what went wrong, we realized we weren't telling the donors the stories they wanted to hear. We were telling them the stories we wanted to tell. The difference cost the organization a lot of money.

Guess what? How your donor helps your cause IS a story. Two lines of copy addressing what's at stake IS a story. And often it's those stories-that-don't-look-like-stories that are the most effective in fundraising.

You need the right kind of emotion.

One of the biggest mistakes I see with organizations is confusing pathos for emotion. I feel sorry for a great many people and sad about a great many situations in this world. But I don't -- I can't -- fix them all. Emotion is no good to a fundraiser if it doesn't move a donor to act.

Anger is a prime motivator to action. Outrage makes us jump out of our chairs and get things done. Positive emotions like hope and gratitude are also super-motivators. Pathos, sympathy and sorrow might push people to act, but they're far more likely to  make donors feel overwhelmed or depressed.

One of my favorite things that Tom Ahern says about fundraisers is that it's our job to "deliver joy." There's no joy in a sad story if it doesn't make the donor feel like he or she can do something to alleviate the sadness.

Get that information -- and go deep

The volume of information we have and our almost-instantaneous ability to get it can sometimes encourage a broad but shallow understanding. But our fundraising can be so much more effective if we deepen our knowledge. Track what moves your donors, continue to refine that knowledge through tests, and listen to what your donors say about your organization, your cause, and the other things that interest them.

In the end, it is your donors -- not experts like me! -- who will tell you how best to fundraise.

5 Direct Mail Myths

I've written before about the direct mail "rules" people like to toss about. The truth is, every one of these "rules" will fail to garner the response you expect at some point along the way. And accompanying these "rules" are some persistent myths about direct mail.

I often hear versions of these myths when I'm working with a client for the first time. And like most myths, these are stories that have been passed down through the organization so long that people don't even question them anymore.

5 Direct Mail Myths I Hear Again and Again

1. People don't have time to read long letters, so we should keep it to one page.

2. A closed-face Outer Envelope always beats a Window Envelope with a teaser.

3. Direct Mail is too old-fashioned looking/sounding for our donors.

4. Direct Mail only generates "small-time" donors.

5. A Premium always boosts response.

Let's Bust that First Myth

A lot of organizations, especially those starting out in Direct Mail, will listen to board members, staff, or their own guts when it comes to letter length. And that is exactly the wrong approach. Because most of us would say that we'd prefer a short letter that gets straight to the point, but when it comes time to respond to direct mail, we rarely act as we say we will.

That's why most Direct Mail consultants will recommend trying a 4-page letter for most direct mail. It's a pretty standard recommendation, and it comes with a mountain of data behind it. The fact is, even though we say we want shorter letters, for most organizations, longer proves better.

But not all organizations...and maybe not yours.

Direct Mail Fundraising expert Mal Warwick says that a Direct Mail letter should be "as long as it needs to be to make your case for giving." That means that you have to look at why you're writing the letter -- is it an acquisition? A special appeal? A renewal? -- and jot down a list of what you're trying to accomplish with that letter.

Need to squeeze in a story, a couple of asks, a strategy and your history of success on the issue? Then you're probably going to need four pages.

But if you just want to remind your donors why the gave in the first place and  of the importance of giving every year to support your work, one or two pages will probably suffice.

But even with those guidelines, you still don't really know how long your letter should be until you test.

Your letters should be exactly as long as your donors tell you they want them. And they tell you not with their words, but with their actions. When you get the most donors to respond to your letters, you'll know your letters are the right length, whether their two, four, six or some other number of pages.

Questions about letter length? Post them in the comment section. And be sure to check in next week as I bust Myth #2!

The Two U's of Fundraising

One of the things I love about my job is the chance to be creative. People often complain that direct mail letters are formulaic, and yes, there is certainly a well-tested format for them that can easily make them feel stale. But like a sonnet, within that strict formula, your letter can range as far and wide as your imagination will take you.

But there are two things you must have in your fundraising copy -- the two "U"s of fundraising.

YOU

I've talked about this before, but a direct mail letter is a personal letter from one person at your organization to one donor. Ideally, it's the opening (acquisition) or continuation (renewal or special appeal) of a critical conversation about your organization and your cause.

And when you're having a conversation with someone, you use "you" a lot.

In fact, it's the most important word in your letter (unless you're personalizing, and then the most important word is the donor's name)! It tells your donors that you know who they are, that you're talking directly to them and that you care about their thoughts and opinions. It makes them feel important.

Use your "YOU"s!

Urgency

Life is busy. This week, in fact, two of my children start soccer practice, all three children have piano lessons, my husband starts a new job, and I have five conference calls, two playdates, school supplies and soccer cleats to buy, and a kid's bedroom to finish painting. And all that is on top of working, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, exercising and spending quality time with my family.

Your donors have full lives, so you need to give them a reason not to set that fundraising piece down on the "I'll get to this later" pile.

Make your asks urgent. Tell your donors you need their help NOW. Better yet, give them a deadline by which to act. And make it sooner rather than later. Plaster that deadline on the outer envelope, on the reply form, in the letter and on the reply envelope. Explain to them why it's so important that they act fast.

If they're anything like me, your donors' "I'll get to this later" piles probably morph pretty quickly into the "Let's just recycle all of this" piles. Use urgency to get them to act immediately, and you'll receive more gifts.

Use your "U"s!

Using you and urgency will give you better results in your fundraising letters -- and make your creativity in the rest of the letter pay bigger dividends.

Yoda, Direct Mail, and How to Follow Fundraising Advice

Last week, John Lepp at Agents of Good and FundraiserGrrl Rory Green, inspired by FundraisingYoda, got together and posted a Direct Mail 101, walking readers through some of their go-to suggestions for creating a great direct mail fundraising package -- all with a funny Star Wars theme. Awesome. The piece was so fun and charming and terrifically clever that I feel terrible objecting to any of it...but in my experience, some of their advice came from the dark side of the Force.

Let me repeat the key part of that last sentence: in my experience.

You see, all direct mail advice should be taken with one of those giant blocks of Himalayan pink salt. What works for your donors may be like sending the Death Star to visit mine. The only way you'll know if you've found the fundraising Force for your donors is to test.

That means, of course, that you have to have data you can read -- more on that next week! -- and a big enough pool of people (or a few months worth of mailing the test). It means you might have to do twice as much work on a few mailings. But that will be worth it when you discover what really works for YOUR donors...not just what works according to experts like me.

So, what was the Direct Mail 101 advice you'd never catch me giving?

On the Outer Envelope

- Should be almost anything other than a white, #10 envelope with a window (or whatever the standard size that 99% of charities are using in your country). This is a 9″ x 6″.

Not in my experience. Several of my clients have tested 9x6 envelopes...all have failed spectacularly. Nearly all of my clients have tested colored outers...which performed no better or worse than a standard white envelope. I've had far bigger boosts from testing various teasers and design treatments than stock colors.

Now, to be totally honest, a 9x12 envelope did routinely beat a #10 for one of my clients, but the cost became so prohibitive that it negated the improved results.

Standing out in the mail is a noble goal and could possibly bump up your revenue and response. But it might not.

Bottom line: if 99% of charities are doing something...it's probably working for a lot of them.

- No window usually beats having a window on your envelope. Windows subconsciously say “bill”.

Again, a couple of my clients have tested this over and over again, convinced that the conventional wisdom that says a closed OE will out-perform a window must be true for them, too. And while a few of those tests have fallen in favor of the closed OE, the tepid results simply couldn't compensate for the increased costs. And most of the tests were decided in the window OE's favor.

There are some nuances here, and my two biggest clients continue to test variations on this, hoping to discover when it's worth the added expense of a closed outer, and when a window with a screaming teaser is the best option. I'll let you know if we discover anything definitive.

One last thought: what's so bad about looking like a bill? I don't know about you, but I don't open all of my mail...but I do open all of my bills.

On the Letter

- Font: courier. As big as possible – 13 point here. Courier is likely one of the most – if not THE most effective font in direct mail. It works! I can practically hear the letter writer sitting in the dark quickly hammering this out on her typewriter. 

Again, been there, tested that. Courier and Times New Roman performed equally well every single time, over multiple tests. (We just couldn't believe the results, so this test was repeated several times!) I will say that font size did make a difference for one of my clients whose list runs older than most. But even though we thought Courier would be a hit with those older folks, it didn't make a lick of difference.

Elsewhere in the Package

No mention of the reply envelope.

UPDATED: the reply envelope was added in after I read the post with spot-on fantastic advice!

This was one component they left off their tutorial completely -- and although it's tempting to treat the reply envelope as an afterthought, I'd urge you not to. Whenever I can, I try to include a message on the RE -- usually in the upper lefthand corner, depending on postal regs -- that reiterates both the urgency and the contents of the ask. (RUSH: Petitions Enclosed is a favorite with my activist clients.)

If you can, address the RE to a person at the organization. If you're using a BRE that won't be possible, but with an RE you can include your letter signer's name above the address, which makes your donor feel more like they're communicating with a person and not an institution.

When you're using a BRE, a "Your stamp saves us money" message really can save you money on postage costs -- and just might up response, as well.

NOTE: John tells me that there's been substantial testing refuting this, and I trust that. I have a client who has had success with it, but I prefer to use the space for a more ask-oriented message anyway. 

Trust the Force.

I'm being nit-picky here. Most of the advice John and Rory compiled was stellar and matches my experience. And delivered in a fun, friendly, fantastic way. Plus, YODA! Honestly, I loved it.

And while my experience might have diverged from theirs in those few specific areas that I cited, that doesn't mean that yours will. In fact, I urge you to try all of their suggestions -- and you can bet that I'll be recommending that a few of my clients revisit these ideas down the road. As lists, tastes and fashions evolve, it's important to keep evaluating what works best.

No matter what advice you're getting, the most important thing is to make sure that it works for YOUR unique set of donors. Test, test, test. Even with a tight budget, pay attention to what YOUR donors want, and keep the rest of the advice in your back pocket. Then you will truly be using the Fundraising Force.

Three Ways to Make Your Writing More Conversational

I stumbled into the world of nonprofit copywriting by happy accident. I needed a job, any job, and a "Nonprofit Marketing Firm" in my town was hiring a receptionist. My six-month stint answering phones at an answering service gave me a leg up in any receptionist job, so I applied. In the course of the interview with the owner of the company, I mentioned my love of writing. They hired me as a copy editor, and a career was born.

A few weeks later, I had my first solo writing assignment. I was terrified as I handed my boss the piece. She had a reputation for wielding her red pen with wild abandon, and I was so, so green.

She glanced at it long enough to read two-thirds of the first sentence, crossed out the entire page, and said, "Make it more conversational."

Making your copywriting conversational is one of the biggest challenges for every copywriter. We all talk to people every day, so why is writing like we talk so darn challenging?

Here are three sure-fire ways to make your copywriting sound conversational:

1. You, you, you.

When you're having a conversation with someone, there's none of that stilted "When one brushes one's teeth, it is critical to reach every tooth" business.

Contrast that with something more like this:

You and I both know how to brush teeth. You make sure you get every tooth.

Which one sounds friendlier, more personal? And which one sounds like an expert handing down dictums from on high? Now, you're probably not writing a whole lot about tooth brushing, but the principle applies regardless.

And if this makes it easier to use "you", remember, even if your letter or ad will be viewed by thousands of people, you should aim to write as though you're talking to ONE person. 

2. Read Your Copy Aloud

This is probably the most re-hashed and basic advice that any writer receives. And you'd be shocked at how few writers heed it. (Confession: I have been known to skip this step myself...and I always regret it later!)

Even when you think you're doing a bang-up job writing readable, conversational copy, I guarantee that you will have a few passages that sound awkward when read aloud.

So lock yourself away in an office and read it like it's a bedtime story you're reading to a 6-year-old. Any sentence or phrase or word that trips you up -- go back and fix it. You'll have more conversational copy in moments.

3. Axe the Jargon

Please tell me you're going on jargon patrol each and every time you write copy! If not, you need to add this step to your revision process right now. I don't care if you use terms like capacity-building, participatory action, leveraging stakeholders or value proposition in your conversations at work (though your colleagues might), but please don't use them in your copywriting.

Donors want to hear what you're accomplishing with their donations. They've invested their time, attention, resources and passion with you, and they want to know you're worth it. They can't know that if you're holding them at arm's length with insider language they don't understand.

Use one of your revision passes to replace any words or phrases that would be more at home in a conference room with those that would be heard in a donor's dining room.

I used those three steps to revise that first piece of copy. My boss still tore it up with her red pen, but on the second time around, she read the whole thing.

Adding to My Resource Library

I spend as much time as I can spare trying to learn from my colleagues. Here are three great posts, articles and other resources that I'm loving these days: 1. This amazing post by Stuart Glen packages 10 solid gold copywriting tips into a wise and fun tribute to Dr. Seuss. The legendary children's author and I share a birthday, so I'm a sucker for anything Seuss-related, but there's a lot of great information here for non-Seuss-fans, too.

2. The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation is dedicated to bringing people together to create real progress for their communities. Their Harwood in Half an Hour worksheets are a great package of tools to help you zero in on your goals and make them a reality.

3. After going through huge re-branding campaigns with several clients, I have a lot of ideas about branding, public awareness campaigns and the near-constant pressure on organizations to raise their public profile. Jeff Brooks sums it up nicely in this post.

Anything I've missed? Post it in the comments or send it my way on Twitter or via e-mail!

The Secret to Excellent Donor Communication

I've seen a few posts, tweets and other advice on the secrets of donor communication recently -- Gail Perry had this great post on the most boring words in fundraising last week -- and I couldn't resist offering my two cents: You're talking to a person, so act like a person.

It sounds simple, but for organizations and businesses that have developed their communications strategies around press releases, official statements and copy-by-committee, treating your donor like an actual person is challenging.

This has become exponentially more important with the rise of social media. Social media is all about personal relationships and one-on-one interaction. It's about hearing what other people think and having a conversation with them.

Far too many organizations tweet from up on high, but social media is really about getting down in the trenches with your constituents and geeking out with them about the things you share in common -- ideally a passion for your cause. Really, it's a matter of sounding like you are an individual, a person who actually cares about about what you do. Is that really so difficult?

You can find more lengthy articles with detailed dos and don'ts if you need them. And definitely read everything that Tom Ahern has ever said about donor communication.

But for me, it all comes down to remembering that one fundamental thing: you're one person talking to another.

Asking Well

The other day, one of my neighbors sent around an email asking to borrow a large duffle bag. The family was heading to Hawaii for 9 days, and they really wanted to take their boogie boards with them but didn’t own a bag large enough to pack them in for the plane trip. They didn’t want to have to buy or rent boogie boards when they got to Hawaii.

Full disclaimer in case said neighbor reads this: I totally would have leant you the bag if I had one like that, and I’m sorry for using your well deserved family vacation as an object lesson for how not to ask for things if you’re a nonprofit. I hope you had an amazing time.

Now, for my nonprofit readers: you can perhaps imagine what my initial, gut-level reaction was upon reading my neighbor’s request. If not, it went something like this: The only way I would be digging around my attic to find a giant duffle bag is if I was going to Hawaii. Buy your own damn bag.

Of course, my rational, altruistic self then kicked in, and I realized that I would love to help, but I don’t own a bag like they needed. And probably someone else did, so really, I didn’t need to go digging around in the attic to make sure.

And then another email came in from a friend looking for childcare so she could go to a party with her husband – their first date in the two years since their son was born.

My gut-level reaction to that request? YES, I would LOVE to help you out.

When you’re asking your donors for money, are you making the right pitch?

Both my neighbors and my friend were asking for something that wasn’t completely necessary. There were no lives at stake, just convenience and fun.

My neighbors made a practical, extremely logical pitch: It would be a waste of money to have to buy new boogie boards when we could just take ours with us if we had a bag. That logic got my brain working, but it didn’t exactly make me feel like being generous.

But my friend made an emotional pitch: We haven’t been out alone together in two years! That heartfelt request moved me to immediate action, and I thought, “I can make that happen for her.”

When you’re asking your donors for support – or your friends for a favor -- remember: emotion wins the day.

Celebrating Milestones

A funny thing happened to me last week. My oldest child turned 10. I know, really it happened to her. But it's strange for me to think about the changes the last ten years have brought to my life as a direct result of her presence. In a very real way, I owe her much of my progress as a writer and creative consultant to nonprofits. Having her was an earth-shattering, highly focusing experience.

So after the dust settled from her sleepover party and all-around over-the-top birthday celebrations with family and friends subsided, I decided to take a few minutes to celebrate my own journey over the last ten years, reflect on what I've achieved, and plan for the next decade.

The process is ongoing for me, but it also made me think about my clients and their upcoming milestones. So much excitement and opportunity -- so how can we take advantage of it?

Does your nonprofit have a big anniversary coming up?

Anniversaries are a good time to reflect on the past and set new goals for the future -- individually and for nonprofit organizations. Sometimes you find you simply need a course-correct. Other times, a full-on reinvention is required. And while much of this work will be internal, there are ways to celebrate publicly...and perhaps induce your donors to give even more to commemorate your milestone.

Here are my key suggestions, cautions and ideas for celebrating your nonprofit's anniversary with your donors:

• First up, you have to remember that donors generally don't care as much about the anniversary as you at the organization do. With a few exceptions, they're not going to give solely because you've suddenly reached 25 years (or whatever anniversary it happens to be). It doesn't mean you can't celebrate it with your donors, but I would caution against making huge projections based on it being an anniversary year.
• See if you can get a challenge grant from a major donor in celebration of the anniversary. You know that a good Challenge Grant will spur other donors to give, and pinning that challenge to a big, sentimental anniversary might give it a bit extra oomph.
• Can you segment out charter/founding donors? If so, give them special treatment for their longevity. These are your most loyal donors and the ones most likely to be invested in your anniversary, so make sure they know they are the reason you reached such a monumental milestone.
• You might consider designing a special anniversary edition of your logo, to be used just for that one year. Using that in all donor communication will help remind them that it's a special year/exciting time for the organization. Maybe even try using a retro look -- old fonts/logos that were used/popular the year you were founded. Anything you can do to make your donors feel sentimental (read: emotional) about your organization will inspire more giving.
• Consider revisiting some of your early success stories. Tell donors again about the people you've helped, the battles you've won, the previous milestones you've celebrated. Can you profile someone whose life you touched early on, give a "where-are-they-now" update? Even better! Remind your donors why they gave to you in the first place, and they'll be more inclined to give again and keep giving.
• Above all, try to use the anniversary as a way to remind donors of all the great work they've accomplished over the last xx years and then tell them your plan for this year (and the next xx years). As always, keep it simple and compelling. Remind them that they made this anniversary possible.

Anniversaries are a great opportunity for your organization as a whole, and they can also be a good hook for fundraising as long as you always remember this key: it's all about your donor. Stick to what your donors care about in fundraising, avoid showing them the internal details of your reflection, and make them feel like a part of your organization's past, present and future.

Is That Really True? Storytelling Ethics Part 2

Well vacation and a mountain of work came between two pieces I had hoped to post a little closer together, but I do want to follow up on my earlier post on storytelling ethics, with a set of basic rules to follow for nonprofits. Those rules are a great start, but I don't think that's the end of the discussion at all. Because when I was asked the question, it brought up a lot of other, related ideas about storytelling, ethics and the nature of truth and fiction that I think are valuable to explore.

What is truth?

If you work for a nonprofit of any size, you probably see hundreds of stories coming through your organization each year. And I'm willing to bet that many, many of these stories have a commonality to them that can, sometimes, make them seem indistinguishable from each other.

It's probably easy for you to generalize about the people you serve: "Our clients are predominantly [insert three adjectives that describe the typical constituent here]."

So is that generalization true?

What if you put the generalization into story form by creating an amalgam? Could you give it a name, a set of circumstances and a story arc and still call it "true"?

I've worked for organizations that had no problem with this definition of the truth, believing that slavish adherence to the details of the stories in their organizations undermined the true spirit of their work. I've also worked for organizations that would never, ever consider using an amalgam, certain that it was lying to their donors.

Truth in Fiction

It may be because I am a fiction writer as well as a copywriter that I fall more into the first camp than the second.

Think about memoir for a second. Memoir is generally considered to be a form of nonfiction. But memoirists also take liberties with dates, places, names and timelines in order to create a more cohesive story, while staying true to the overarching themes of their work. Looking at it another way, memoirists lie to preserve the truth.

And some of the "truest" writing I've read is fiction. Sure, the facts may not be there, but truths of what it means to be human are often found in fiction, and can serve to inspire as well as -- or sometimes better than -- nonfiction.

But...

But we're talking about nonprofit storytelling here, not memoir, not fiction. Making up stories whole cloth and pretending they actually happened in your organization will not serve your purpose well.

Lying is a crummy thing to do to your donors. It betrays their trust and is an extremely poor way to repay their generosity.

Still, it is extremely easy to turn a compelling story into a boring collection of facts. And while your donors never deserve to be lied to, you certainly don't want to put them to sleep.

So as I mentioned earlier, use the constraints of the truth to up your creative game. Remember to hit as many of the five senses as you can. If you're interviewing someone, really listen to what they're saying about how they felt so you can convey that to your donors.

Your organization's storytelling ethics deserve careful thought and consideration. Make sure you can justify your stance -- to your board, to your employees, and above all, to your donors.

And, as always, be creative about how you tow that line. Nonprofit storytelling should be about taking your donors on a journey with you, not just about telling a story and asking for money.

Is That Really True? Storytelling Ethics Part 1

I've been quiet recently -- a combination of end-of-the-school-year craziness and looming deadlines. Now, summer seems on the verge of appearing here in the Pacific Northwest, and in between sunny runs by the reservoir and neighborhood cookouts, I'm going to try to put in a few more appearances here at the blog. During the non-stop action of the last month, I've been spending a lot of time mulling over a few really interesting questions someone recently asked me about storytelling ethics.

How true does a story we use in fundraising have to be? Can we change names? Can we fudge details or timelines? Do people ever make up stories entirely?

I gave a fairly evasive answer: how literally truthful you are in your organizational storytelling is up to each organization to decide.

But I was curious how others might answer that same question. As I began researching the issue, I started contemplating ideas of truth and fiction and where we draw the line between the two.

Let me say up front that I still don't have a better answer to the original question. I do think it's a discussion each organization needs to have internally and then convey to any consultants or writers they bring on board.

But I did find some helpful basic guidelines to follow as you have these internal conversations.

A Basic Ethical Stance

In my initial burst of research, I came across this article by Joanne Fritz on the ethics of changing details in stories. She interviews two noted experts -- Lisa Sargent of Sargent Communications and Pamela Grow of Simple Development Systems. Both take a firm stance on changing details, agreeing that it is sometimes necessary to protect the identities, particularly of young people, of those whose stories you want to share.

They urge nonprofits to take three key steps: get written permission, alter or hide key personal details, and be transparent with your donors.

This is great advice, particularly for nonprofits working directly with clients, such as a nonprofit helping clothe foster children, or a drug addiction support organization, for two examples. Activist groups and other large-scale groups may be gathering stories that are of a less personal nature, so they may not have to worry about protecting identities as much.

But from what I see in the mail that comes across my desk, the toughest thing about these standards is the transparency portion. Sure, you can simply add a disclaimer into your letter. But please be clever and creative about how you do that.

Because as soon as you say, "some of this story isn't 100% true" your donor is going to stop reading your pitch and start examining your story to see what details sound made up.

And once you lose 'em, you lose the chance of a gift.

If you need to use a disclaimer, weave it into your story. Instead of a an asterisk next to a message saying "Details have been changed to protect identities" try appealing to your donor's sense of empathy:

"Joanie was really nervous about people learning her secrets. But she knows how important it is to get her story out there, so she's agreed to let me share it with you, as long as I protect her privacy."

Adhering to strict ethical rules does not have to kill your creativity, nor should it. Always try to push yourself to find the most organic and natural way to adhere to your standards, and your nonprofit copywriting will shine that much brighter.

The rules I mention above are a great starting point. But I think storytelling ethics deserve more thoughtful consideration. So please check in later this week for more thoughts on storytelling, ethics and where (and how!) to draw the line in your own organization.

All Aboard! Use storytelling to unite and inspire

I had the good fortune to present at the Willamette Valley Development Officers fundraising conference in Portland, OR earlier this month. My friend and business partner Amy Blake and I debuted Super Storytelling, our comprehensive how-to on storytelling and story-collecting for nonprofits. (If you attended that session, thank you so much!) You can see the slides from our presentation here, and we hope to offer the presentation again live and on the web soon. (Stay tuned here and at the ARC Communications website for details!)

In the course of preparing for the presentation, I did a lot of research about the power of story to get the word out, educate and inspire. And since there wasn't time in the presentation to talk about all the exciting things I discovered, I thought I'd do a little brain dump here.

One of my favorite resources was Story Proof: the science behind the startling power of story by Kendall Haven. In the first couple of pages, I learned that people have been sharing stories for 100,000 years. (Not being up on my pre-history, I was pretty impressed humans had been around that long!) All that storytelling has left our brains hardwired to learn through stories and to think about life in story terms.

Haven spends a lot of time in the book going through actual neuroscience studies that clearly show that we learn better, engage more and remember details through stories. Psych studies back this up, too. And if that isn't enough for you, he includes dozens of anecdotes showing just how well it works. From schools, to corporations, to the World Bank, people have discovered -- by accident and by painstaking work -- the power of storytelling.

For nonprofits, one passage in particular stuck out to me:

"Want to develop a sense of belonging and buy-in in your organization? Collect and refine the stories of your group members that best embody the attitudes and outlook you want to promote. Actively tell these stories and encourage others to create and share their own."

If you want to get your donors to remember you, if you want them to understand and appreciate the importance of your work, and above all, if you want them to give, all the statistics in the world aren't going to work for you as well as one good story.

Make stories a key part of your fundraising strategy. Engage everyone -- fundraising folks, program people, volunteers, board members, execs, constituents and even donors -- in collecting and sharing stories. Value all contributions and share stories wherever and whenever you can.

Once you do, you'll find -- as Haven reports in anecdote after anecdote -- that the effort pays off in remarkable ways. People love stories, and when you foster a culture of storytelling, it builds on itself. People become more engaged and committed to your mission, and they pass on that engagement and commitment to newcomers.

Bottom line: Create a community of storytellers in and around your organization, and you'll inspire your staff to greater heights, lead your donors to greater giving, and ultimately, enhance the effectiveness of the critical work your organization performs.

The Simple Truth About Direct Mail Rules

Fundraisers new to direct mail often ask me about "the rules". Do we always need to write 4-page letters?

I've heard you should always include a P.S.

What do you think about premiums? Should we make a tote bag?

We have this great program that people love, so I know it will make a good appeal theme, right?

And they are invariably surprised when, instead of the one- or two-word answer they expect, I send them a 300-word mini-essay answer to their simple questions.

Because the simple truth about Direct Mail "rules" is that until you test them on your donors, they're not "rules" at all.

Yes, I -- and any other consultant with a few dozen campaigns under their belt -- can make recommendations based on what we've learned to be true through mountains of experience. I would say, for example, that for most Acquisition and special appeal mailings, a 4-page letter will probably do better, you should include a P.S., and let's have some longer conversations about premiums, programs and what you hope to accomplish.

But those of us who have worked with multiple organizations over the years can also probably point to that one client whose campaign results consistently forced us to toss all our hard-won direct mail wisdom out the window.

You have to start somewhere. So start with the generally accepted rules of direct mail creative. But make sure you test them. Test everything. Test tote bags against t-shirts. Test four-page letters against two-pagers. Test photo-filled packages vs. plain-jane packages. Test different themes. Test, test, test!

Find out what YOUR donors respond to, and you'll have your own set of rules for direct mail.

Passionate Persuasion

"Passionate people are the only advocates which always persuade. The simplest man with passion will be more persuasive than the most eloquent without."

~Francois de La Rochefoucauld

When I interviewed the executive director of an environmental organization recently, he was extremely eager to give me statistics about Congressional budgeting as it relates to the environment and to talk about specific legislation winding its way through Congress – down to the subcommittees and staffers involved. I think we can all agree that only the most wonky among us have that level of interest in environmental legislation.

So I asked him why he cared so much. There must be a reason he was willing to delve so deeply into the minutiae of the legislative process on this one issue, right? It took him a few minutes to shift gears, but once he did, he talked about what prompted him to become an environmentalist, his outrage at what he sees as the immoral way government is spending taxpayer money, and his fears for the future of humanity if we ignore Global Warming.

In just a few minutes, we went from a dry fact piece about Congressional spending on the environment, to a Control-tying acquisition letter based on an impassioned plea for moral and humane fiscal decisions.

It’s easy to get caught up in the facts about what you’re doing – and for a lot of people working in nonprofits, people who face desperate circumstances every day as a part of their job, it’s an important method of self-preservation. But when you’re trying to get people to support your mission, you have to be able to recreate that initial surge of passion. Because all the facts in the world won’t get you as much support as one good, emotion-driven story.

This is where that old writing rule “Show, Don’t Tell” comes in.

Need an Example?

It’s easy to tell your story like this: “Every week we see more than 50 homeless, often ill, dogs come into our shelter. And tragically, fewer than 20% of those are adopted. As our canine population grows, our needs grow, too, and today, we’re facing a crisis situation. We urgently need an infusion of $XX to house, feed and care for the dogs we currently have and those we expect in the next few weeks.”

You’ve got the numbers, it’s pretty emotional, and your core group of donors will probably respond.

But consider this approach: “Zoe cowered in the back of her dog carrier, shaking. I looked at her check-in sheet: She’d been abused in her previous home, and she suffered from malnutrition and a bad case of fleas. I got down on the floor, my eyes fixed on her big brown beauties, and coaxed her forward. It took a while, but eventually, she scooted out of her carrier, calmed her shaking, and placed her head trustingly in my lap. One small triumph…that will be replayed more than 50 times this week. You can help Zoe – and all the dogs of XX shelter – make this challenging transition…”

Who can resist a pitch like that? By painting the picture of one dog the shelter has helped, you give your donor the chance to feel like they are there with you. What’s more, this approach breaks down an overwhelming problem – 50 dogs a week that need homes – into a small, do-able task. They may not be able to help every dog that needs them, but they can help this ONE dog.

Very few people dive into the nonprofit world without having some passion. So don't forget why you chose nonprofit work in the first place. Communicate that in your fundraising, and you'll find others flocking to your organization as well.

Fighting the Formula

The other day, one of my Twitter pals -- Kevin Monroe from X Factor Consulting -- asked me what copywriting tips I like to share with fellow consultants. It wasn't something I'd actually considered much before he asked, since a) I work in my kitchen and b) I'm usually on the receiving end of writing advice. But his question did touch on something that I have been thinking about off and on over the last couple of years. During the course of my 14-year copywriting career, I've dabbled in other kinds of writing, including publishing several feature articles and neighborhood profiles in The Oregonian and having a short story appear in VoiceCatcher.

During times when multiple deadlines were looming, I wondered if that moonlighting was hurting my main money-making endeavor, and I have downplayed my extracurricular writing in my professional life.  But I now think all that second-guessing was a mistake.

In fact, I think one of the reasons I have been so successful in my copywriting is because I have a richer web of writing experience to pull from.

Fight the formula

I have written hundreds of direct mail letters, and there is definitely a formula for the successful ones. But in following a formula you should never become formulaic. The minute you do, the letters you pen become stale, lacking the passion and verve that are absolutely necessary to convince people to give their money to your cause.

When I feel myself treading an all-too-familiar path in my copywriting, I know it's time to fight the formula. So I take another look with my fiction-writer's glasses on. Are there themes I can weave through this letter more effectively? Is there a character begging to leap off the page?

Then I put on my features-writer glasses. How can I make my descriptions more vivid? Are there sights, sounds, tastes and smells that would make the issues in this letter come alive for the reader? Perhaps I'm rambling and need to tighten everything up with a journalist's editing eye.

Let's face it, there is a LOT of writing advice out there, and good writing is good writing, whether you're penning a direct mail letter, a slick advertisement, or the Great American Novel. Sure, there are degrees, but the rules are the same: use action verbs, aim for clarity, be as specific as you can, tickle all the senses...

But knowing the rules and using them well are two different things.

Tap into a different part of your brain!

Try writing poetry to hone your ability to use imagery to make a point. Write a short story to put yourself in a different person's shoes and sharpen your storytelling. Become a blogger to learn how to encapsulate big ideas and personal feelings in 500 words. Try your hand at literary criticism or movie reviews to learn how to identify weak spots in your writing and in others'.

Above all, love writing, all writing. Play with language, revel in how words get put together, rejoice in how they can connect, inspire, educate, and move.

And don't just write. Read! Starting with this article about the business benefits -- it's scientific, people! -- of reading fiction.

Testing in a Tight Market

One of the joys of working with a large nonprofit is the ability to test -- from how you visually present your message, to who you choose to mail to, and what special offers you make, when you're mailing for the big guys, you have the chance to really hone in on what works best for your audience. But what if you're a small shop with a small list and a smaller pool of resources to devote to direct mail? How can you test and refine your mailings until you know you're getting the most bang for your buck?

You may not be able to do a split test on any one mailing, but if you're clever and creative, there are still ways you can tell what's working and what's not in your direct mail.

Use Your Swipes

Those of us who work in direct mail are obsessive about checking our own mailboxes because that is one of the best places you can go to get ideas about what's working in today's direct mail.

And I'm not just talking about keeping an eye on the nonprofit organizations you give to. For profit companies -- from banks and financial institutions, to magazines and catalogs -- mail millions of pieces of direct mail each year and have budgets for testing that most nonprofits only dream about. And sure, you might not be able to include a handful of inserts, but can you crib a few ideas about what works from them and apply them to your own packages?

Bonus tip: if you're not on the lists of other organizations in your sector, sign up! A small donation gets you a fine sample of renewals, special appeals and cultivation mailings that can give you a really great picture of what's hot in your niche.

Cheap and Easy Tests

If you can divide your list but don't have a lot of money to spend, there are a few things you can test with little-to-no up front investment.

• Try a lasered upgrade message test on the reply form. You're already lasering donors' names and addresses (and if you're a very small shop, you might be printing everything on your desktop printer!) so it shouldn't cost you much, if anything, to test two different lasered messages.
• Play with color. Too many organizations get stuck in a color rut, which can be great for sending a strong branding message...but might get you ignored in direct mail. Try substituting a different color for black -- dark blue or dark green, maybe. If you absolutely have to limit yourself to approved logo colors, try using them in unique ways -- a graphic band at the top of a page, highlight specific words in the text with color, or use screens to create a layered look.
• Along those same lines, use graphic elements to call attention to your pieces. Give your designer freer reign within the same cost parameters. Bands of color (or black), reversed out headlines, handwriting and other specialty fonts, and color screens don't generally cost any more than more straightforward design, as long as you're not bleeding off the edges or adding colors.

The Long Haul

If you've got a small list but a little money for testing, try testing the same thing over several mailings. That way you can get a more statistically significant pool of results than you can on one small mailing that might include a surprisingly large gift, or have its results impacted by things outside your control.

Bonus tip: if you're testing something on a component that doesn't need to change from one mailing to the next -- say, a colored stock reply envelope -- you can print ahead for the second mailing, which will save you money due to economies of scale.

Bottom line: money's tight for everyone. Even the big organizations are cutting back. But you can still find ways to be innovative and creative and continue testing, even on the most constrained budget.

Tips & Tricks: Letter Length

The other day, I sent an acquisition letter to the new development director at an organization I've worked with for several years. The letter had gone through the rounds with her predecessor, but we wanted him to make sure he was comfortable with the language, the tone, and most importantly, the facts as laid out in the piece. His #1 comment? This letter is too long! Nobody's going to read all that.

How long is too long?

The only good answer, of course, is as long as it needs to be. But there are a few general guidelines you can follow.

There was a time when 6-page letters were not unusual, but these days, most direct mail is 2 pages or 4 pages. Why not 3? Paper costs -- there's simply no good reason to have a blank page (the back of page 3) in your package. That's space that could be better used to sell your cause or make your case. If you're running 3 pages and can't cut, make sure your margins are nice and big, your paragraphs short. Try adding one more testimonial, or a personal story from the signer. But don't waste that last page!

A 2-pager

I like 2-page letters for simpler, more straightforward campaigns. Those that have easy-to-understand asks with no need for a lot of explanation or history work well in shorter letters. Urgent actions -- we have 14 days to save this animal's life!, for example -- are perfect for 2-page letters.

Sometimes financial constraints can dictate a shorter letter. If you need to save money, getting rid of that second piece of paper is an easy way to do it. But make sure you can still make your case in those two pages.

A 4-pager

There's a reason this has been the standard for so long: it works. No, people may not read every word, but they do skim through, and if they can see that you've used those four pages well -- with testimonials, facts, a story or two, and urgency -- they'll feel good about giving to you, knowing that you are knowledgeable and passionate about your issue.

Especially when you're introducing someone to your organization or asking them to take a specific action, it's nice to have that extra space to tell them why their support is so important right now.

Test, test, test!

Letter length is a fantastic test. You may think your donors like the short-and-sweet letters you've been sending out, only to find out they really do respond better when you tell them more. Often, organizations "cheat" on letter length by narrowing the margins and running paragraphs together. Test and see if more air in your letter -- even if it runs to 4 pages -- bumps up response.

Conversely, if you've been sending out 4-page letters for years, you might save a bundle by switching it up to 2-pagers.

Many of my clients like to switch it up depending on a number of factors: how many people are getting the mailing (the smaller mailings often get 2-pagers to save on up front costs), the subject, the action required, the signer, the printing turnaround (there are some 2-page formats that can be turned around in 48 hours at the printer), etc.

The message

Above all, the message you're communicating should drive the letter length. Donors don't like it when you pad your letter with boring repetition, just so you can fill out 4 pages. And they don't like feeling like you left out important details just to keep your page count down.