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.

Are You a Non-Profit Rock Star?

Independent musicians are often technological trailblazers. From their embrace of social media, to their march toward different ways of engaging fans and selling their music, a lot of indie bands have been on the cutting edge of the intersection of technology and commerce. So I like to keep an eye on what they're doing. This post caught my attention last week, and although it's written specifically for indie bands, I think it has a lot of great lessons for nonprofits as they try to navigate high-tech waters and engage their donors -- particularly the next generation of donors.

So here are my suggestions for nonprofits who want to make the leap to nonprofit rock star:

Rethink the Way You Build Your Donor Base

This isn't going to happen overnight, but a lot of organizations are already starting to look at how they're acquiring donors and how they can do it better. Direct mail is still a viable way to go, and the Web is certainly upping its numbers ever year. But what else could you do?

• Deliver quality content. Too many organizations send out email blasts because they're on the schedule, not because they have something important, interesting and actionable to say. Send emails your recipients want to open. Try surveys or petitions to get them involved. Link to articles you found interesting. Send a video greeting from your ED or a celebrity supporter. And please, resist the urge to bombard them with asks for money.
• Be social on your social media. Engage with your followers. Start conversations, send good wishes, share cool information or funny videos. Don't be so scripted and regulated that you sound like an institution -- let your organization's unique charm and personality shine through.
• Give your donors the Thing they want. Why do people give to your organization? What do they hope to accomplish? Why YOU? Deliver that. Tell stories, stream video, thank them. Make them feel like a vital part of your work.

Find New Revenue Streams

This isn't just for indie bands. Nonprofits need to get creative with their fundraising if they want to raise more money. And today, there are as many ways to do that as there are organizations.

Of course, there are the tried and true ways to expand your revenue stream. If you're not already maintaining a Sustainer program, encouraging Planned Giving, and working on upgrading current members to higher giving levels, well…get on that!

But consider these other ideas, too.

• Crowdfunding for specific campaigns, or for events like birthdays, weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and anniversaries.
• A "store" that sells itemized portions of your work. $25 to feed a puppy for a month. $100 to save five acres of rainforest. You get the idea.
• If your ED or board members travel, consider asking them to host members-only house parties or other events in the cities they visit. It's a great opportunity for some face-to-face fundraising, and it makes your donors feel valued.

Stop Believing in the Magic Bullet

There is no magic bullet. There is no one fundraising solution that will work for now and for always. You're going to have to continually reinvent your fundraising as new tools become available and as donors become more sophisticated. That doesn't mean throwing out the tools that got you where you are today, though.

You need to have a whole catalog of songs, oldies and new releases, to play for your donors if you want to be a nonprofit rock star.

You Are Not Your Brand

The other day, I spied an interesting conversation on Twitter about author branding. And while the conversation revolved around those who write books for a living, I think many of the ideas apply to nonprofit organizations as well.

Here's the tweet that started it from author Chuck Wendig: Referring to your "brand" is another way of saying "here's the carefully constructed, safe, corporate lie I need you to believe about me."

One of the things I love about writing for nonprofits is that, when I get it right, it can take all those meetings and reports and outreach that you do each and every day and make it all personal. The donors reading your direct mail -- or, really, any marketing or fundraising copy you write -- should be able to feel the conviction, passion and tireless effort behind what you do and get a sense of the personality behind your organization...not the brand.

So here's my PSA for the day: Stop talking about branding!

It's boring. It's obnoxious. And your donors don't care.

Instead, talk about who you are -- your identity.

Your brand is an image. It's helpful when you want people to recognize your organization at a glance. It's great shorthand for marketing. But it's not who you are.

Your identity is the soul and vision of your organization, what you hope to achieve, now and into the future. What does your organization care about? Why do you care? Why is it so important? What will be better in the world because you're working on this issue?

That's what your donors care about. Branding is just the fancy icing your marketing and communications team puts on the delicious cake that is your organization.

Don't let the marcomm team tell you "That issue isn't part of your brand." That gets you stuck in a rut, and there's no better way to stop caring about what you do than to make it so rote and routine that it ceases to matter -- to you or to anyone else.

If you're working on it, and you care about it and it will make the world better, it's part of YOU.

Are you a scrappy band of rabble-rousers? Or a firmly established group making changes from the inside? You may be tempted to straddle the line or try to be all things to your donors, but if you want your identity to be authentic -- and you do -- you have to make a choice about who you are as an organization. And then stick to it in all your copy.

As Chuck Wendig said a bit later in the conversation, "Just be the best version of yourself. Let everyone else worry and talk about your brand."

Celebrity Endorsements and You

A lot of organizations I've worked with are fortunate to have celebrity supporters and allies, so I've spent my fair share of time discussing how best to leverage that kind of high-profile support. It's not always clear or easy to take advantage of a big name on your donor roll, so I wanted to share some of my thoughts.

First, a "celebrity" isn't just a famous actor or musician. It can be anyone related to your specific community who has name recognition and credibility. For a health-related nonprofit, that might be a super-star physician, for a science advocacy group, a former astronaut or Nobel Prize-winner. For fundraising purposes, a "celebrity" is anyone your supporters will recognize and relate to.

So, you've noticed a prominent person has started giving to your organization. Or you've got a famous board member. Or a celebrity tweeted their admiration for your mission to their 600,000 followers. How can you use their support to generate even more love for your cause?

Five Ways to Use Your Celebrity Supporters

• Ask them to be the Chair (or Honorary Chair) of a specific Membership group, probably a high-dollar giving group. This can involve anything from simply signing fundraising materials directed at the group, to taking a more active role, depending on their interests, time and level of commitment.
• Ask them to sign a Prospecting Letter or a Lift Letter in your Acquisition package. NRDC and Friends of the Earth both use celebrity signers -- actors known for their environmental passions -- in their acquisition packages to great success.
• Ask them to make a video expressing why they support your organization and asking others to do the same. You can post this on the Web or send it in your e-mail newsletter as an extra endorsement for what you do.
• Ask them to host (even in an honorary capacity) a major special event. A good name will draw more people to your event, and their participation can lend a "stamp of approval" that inspires others to give.
• Present them with an award at a major special event. An alternative to asking them to host, this technique can also up attendance at your event. And it could be a first step to a more fruitful relationship with that celebrity, ensuring they help you more in the future.

There are, of course, some sticky issues with using celebrity supporters to assist in your fundraising. If your celebrity becomes embroiled in a scandal, for example, your association with them could hurt your organization more than help. Alternatively, if their notoriety doesn't add credibility to your cause with your donors, then it might not be the best fit. And obviously, you should always treat these supporters with respect and gratitude. Don't push them to do more than they're comfortable doing, and don't take them for granted.

But if you have a loyal celebrity supporter or two who is willing to use their acclaim to call attention to your cause, and you target that attention in one of the ways listed above, you can give your fundraising a boost.

Unforgettable

People don't remember me.

It sounds like an insecurity complex, but I swear that it's true. One example (of many): the wife of a former colleague of my husband's spent two evenings sitting across from me at a restaurant, conversed with me at an office party and even invited me to her wedding. My husband and I later attended a party at her home, and when I saw her I walked right up and said, "Thanks so much for inviting us!"

She smiled, held out her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Tahnee. What's your name?"

My neighbor -- a really lovely woman -- and I were talking the other day, and she mentioned that she suffers from the same forget-ability. It's hard for me to understand how anyone could forget her, and I don't think I'm flattering myself when I say that she seemed surprised that people would forget me. But it's true. It happens more often than I'd like.

Not that I let it get to me, not too much, anyway. I really think it's Tahnee's loss that she can't remember the very nice conversations we shared. But I'll admit that her indifference made me loathe to spend any more time with her and her husband.

Now, imagine how your donor feels when you misspell her name…when you reference a gift amount he never gave…when you call, email or send mail when he expressly asked you not to…when you show that you have no idea who they are or why they gave to you in the first place.

Frankly, it's insulting. And no one wants to spend time or money with someone who insults them.

Know your donors. Show them that you know who they are, that you understand why they give and that you share their passion for solving the problem your organization is trying to solve. Let them know that you rely on and appreciate their commitment to your cause.

Never let them feel forgettable.

How are you making your donors feel like you know who they are? How do you show them they're valued? Share your ideas in the comment section!

Social Media and Your Non-Profit

When clients and potential clients ask me to help them with their social media, I often groan (silently) and wonder what I should say. Your social media tells a story about your organization. Are you telling the story of an active and dynamic organization that is mobilizing and engaging supporters in the passion of their mission? Or are you telling the story of an organization that would prefer your supporter hand over their money and let you get on with your work?

Social Media is not just another leg on your marketing stool. It's a whole different seat at the table.

The problem most non-profit organizations and for-profit companies have with social media is the social part. This isn't old-school, get-your-message-out promotion… Creating a successful social media presence requires you to actually interact with your customers, constituents and supporters.

Which is why I cringe when nonprofits ask me to bid on writing their social media content. I write my own tweets, Facebook posts and LinkedIn updates for my consulting practice, and I really believe it's critical that you have an organizational insider conducting your social media.

It's easy for a consultant to come in and say something like, "You should make sure you tweet your message XX times per day." or "Engage your supporters in conversations on Facebook."

But an outsider will have a much harder time creating engaging social media content and building authentic relationships than an insider will have.

Social media is another way of telling a story -- the story of how your organization functions on a daily basis. How do you treat supporters and staff? How do you view your mission? How nimble are you when news breaks or a crisis rises up? Social media is a big plate-glass window into all of these areas.

And an outside consultant -- even one specializing in social media -- cannot deliver that authenticity you need. A consultant will never, for example, be able to walk out of an energizing meeting and tell your donors and supporters about the excitement in the air around the office.

When you have an actual social media professional leading your SM efforts, you'll get

• Someone with their finger on the pulse of the organization.
• Someone who can seamlessly integrate the rest of your marketing, communications and fundraising plan into your social media.
• Someone who can explain social media to those in your organization who might not understand what it can do…and what it can't.
• Someone who can be the "voice" of your organization on a ground level.

Better yet, make sure your social media person also has a working knowledge of donor-centered fundraising, so they can give your SM-savvy supporters a more personalized, high-touch experience.

Of course, social media isn't (yet) a fundraising powerhouse. But like fundraising, social media is about creating and nurturing relationships. And investing in key relationships is something that all successful nonprofits are committed to.

Social media isn't going away, and it is increasingly the way people are checking out the organizations they decide to support. What are you doing to make sure your social media plan is as engaging and authentic as it can be?

Tourists or Travelers?

This past weekend, my husband and I took our three kids up to Seattle for what we called a Tourist Weekend. Living so close to the city, we've often popped up there for ballgames or concerts, or just to spend a day or two in different surroundings. But we generally make it a point not to travel like tourists, preferring to ferret out the spots where locals go, the neighborhoods where people actually live. So it had been years since we'd done any of the typical tourist things that visitors to Seattle often do.

We booked a hotel near the Seattle Center, visiting every tourist attraction we had time and energy for. I'd forgotten what a vibrant and fun city Seattle is for travelers, and how much history and knowledge there was for my kids -- and me! -- to soak up.

Our Tourism Experiment got me thinking, though, about how donors experience their interactions with the organizations they support.

Are they tourists, visiting the highlights on your website, giving to the flashiest campaigns?

Or are they travelers, enjoying the chance to feel like insiders in your cause, proud to support efforts that might not be popular, but are just as deserving?

And when was the last time YOU acted as a tourist to your own cause?

As we head into the last rush of year-end madness, it might be a good time to take a fresh look at how your donors experience your organization…and how you experience the organizations you support.

• Log onto your website -- or another organization's -- with a specific question and see how long it takes to find the answer.
• Try giving a gift over the phone.
• Ask a friend to read your newsletter and report what stands out to her -- without coaching!
• Browse through a few old blog posts and see how long it takes you to read them -- and what you retain.
• Respond to one piece of direct mail, taking time to note how easy or difficult it is to follow the instructions. Track how long it takes to receive an acknowledgement.

How does this Tourist Experiment make you feel? Excited about the cause you're touring? Or exhausted and ready to curl up in your generic hotel room?

There is room in most organizations for both Tourists and Travelers, and the most successful organizations are adept at catering to both. And the easiest way to figure out how well you're doing is to take a tour yourself.

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.

Are You Relying on Events for Fundraising?

Many, many nonprofits rely on big events for much of their fundraising. For several months of the year, their staff is engaged in seeking out sponsors, securing locations and donations of food, decorations and other necessities, publicizing the event and working tirelessly to make sure it goes off without a hitch. But from a purely fundraising standpoint, is all this energy well spent?

I've been reading Situations Matter by Sam Sommers, and one of the studies he cited jumped out at me:

In one creative set of studies, researchers instructed participants to visualize themselves in a crowded theater or out to dinner with thirty friends. After answering several unimportant questions...participants moved on to an ostensibly unrelated charity survey.

Having just pictured themselves in a crowd, respondents pledged smaller donations compared to participants who had earlier been instructed to visualize an empty theater or more intimate dinner for two.

The emphasis is, of course, mine. But it seemed important enough to call out on my blog.

Big events can be fun. The wining and dining, the camaraderie and kinship, the fancy clothes and entertaining speeches by luminaries -- all of that can be an intense and excellent bonding experience for your donors. They can also call attention to your cause and engage the public.

But are they really good fundraising?

If the results of that study cited in Sommers' book hold true for your donors, events might actually reduce the amount of money your supporters are willing to give. You know that you'll get more from a one-on-one conversation. But might you also raise more money simply by catching your donors alone at home?

It's definitely worth considering.

Busting Direct Mail Myth #5

The last Direct Mail Myth I want to bust is the one that is the most true: Premiums always boost response. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but adding a premium to an acquisition package very often will boost your response rate. And while I have less experience with premiums in house mail, it's certainly true that a well-chosen premium can increase both your average gift and your percent response. But premiums in direct mail come with a host of complex issues, and the truth is they don't always work.

Here are three things to consider when you're looking at premiums:

-- How much do they cost? And I'm not just talking about the cost of the actual premium. What will your costs be to fulfill the premium? If it's an up-front gift -- a magnet, notecards or address labels, say -- will the added weight up your postage, or will the item itself distract from the real purpose of your package, which is, of course, to get a gift? If the premium is something you're sending out once people donate, how much will it cost to mail it to them? Some seemingly cheap premiums have hidden shipping costs that make the item prohibitive.

-- Is the added cost worth it? If you get a boost in response -- either in larger average gifts, or more donors -- you need to do the work to see if that pencils out against the cost of the premium and fulfillment. And how do those donors renew? Are they joining just to get the premium, then dropping like flies? Or are they sticking around, ensuring that the added costs are made up by their years of giving?

-- And most importantly: How does the premium fit with your mission? An environmental organization that sends address labels may acquire more donors, but that extra paper is sending a subtle, unintended message that they may not be quite as green as they claim. On the other hand, an environmental that promises a tote bag is putting their money where their mouth is -- and getting more effective advertising when donors carry the bags in public. Carefully consider what your chosen premium says about your organization: is that a message you want to send to your potential donors?

To me the biggest question to ask yourself about premiums, encompassing all the things I discussed above, is this: Do you want donors who support you because you shower them with gifts, or because they believe in the importance of your mission?

Busting Direct Mail Myth #4

I've worked with many organizations whose development directors desperately wanted to move them toward a more member-supported structure, rather than relying exclusively on grants, foundations or one or two heavy-hitter donors. And one of the biggest stumbling blocks they've faced has been trying to convince reluctant board members and executives that $25 direct mail donors are worth pursuing.

It's one of the most persistent myths of direct mail: that the "small-time" donors will never amount to anything significant for the organization.

Direct Mail Donors Have Hidden Depths

Sure, they may start out giving only $25, but treat your donors right, and they may just grow with you. Many of the largest organizations' major donor lists are made up primarily of people who started out giving small amounts -- people who tested out the organization with a $25 or $50 gift, then gradually gave more as they liked what they saw.

And who hasn't heard a story about a nonprofit receiving a massive bequest from a donor who'd never given more than $30 a year while alive?

When you show your donors you know who they are, you appreciate your support, and you're using their money wisely, they reward you by continuing to give -- and perhaps even increasing their donations.

Direct Mail is a Volume Business

One $25 donor might not ever give you the same amount as one good foundation grant. But many $25 dollar donors will. And not only that, these are the people who can create a groundswell of support for your cause, who will tell their friends and family and neighbors about the good work you do, and who will -- if taken care of properly -- be your most loyal and vocal public advocates.

Of course, that means you must invest in your outreach to these "small-time" donors so you can collect and retain a large enough number of them to support your work.

Embrace Your Smaller Donors -- and Bust Those Myths!

For more busted direct mail myths, check out my earlier posts here and here. And stop back next week when I bust the 5th and final direct mail myth!

Busting Direct Mail Myth #3

I spend a lot of time reading up on the latest "musts" of direct mail and talking to fundraisers about their programs, and I've noticed quite a few direct mail myths that just won't die. You can read my earlier posts debunking the first two big myths here and here. Today, I want to talk about the third common myth: Direct Mail is too old-fashioned for our donors.

Believe me, I understand where this one is coming from. We all want to think that our donors are different. They're special, more sophisticated than the average donor. They don't need all those underlines and bold and emotional language.

Wrong.

A few years ago, I wrote a letter for an organization run by a very respected, very intelligent scientist. He was widely published in prominent scientific journals and national newspapers and magazines. He was a great writer, and he hated the letter I wrote for them. Ripped it to shreds. He deplored the overly emotional tone and the use of 2nd person point-of-view. He was adamant that his donors would see through such a hackneyed ask and leave the organization in droves.

Naturally, I was upset. I had worked extremely hard getting the complex technical details in the appeal right and melding those with the kind of impassioned, personal plea I know works in direct mail.

The development staff and I sat down and discussed how to proceed, and eventually, we convinced the executive director to test his approach vs. my approach. The results were definitive in my favor.

Now, this guy was a Ph.D. He had a couple of decades of experience in writing about his subject on me. But he didn’t — at that time — know direct mail at all.

He took one look at my appeal letter and saw all the things a good academic writer is trained to avoid like the plague: hyperbole, simplified language, lots of “you”, too much bold and underlines.

But those things work.

Which isn't to say you can't inject some sophistication into your direct mail. Many of my clients routinely fundraise for incredibly complex and technical issues, and they get great results. But they use tried and true direct mail techniques, as well.

Remember, your primary goal is to get your direct mail opened and responded to, so make it easy for people to understand what you want them to do. That means bold important passages, underline key points, bullet your arguments, and include an emotional P.S.

And yes, dome of your donors will be put off by direct mail. It's important to remember that a large percentage of the population is not direct mail-responsive (including me!). Which is why it's critical to have many channels and opportunities for your donors to give.

Next week, I'll bust Myth #4 -- so stay tuned!

Busting Direct Mail Myth #2

Continuing my post from last week talking about 5 myths of direct mail, today I'm going to talk about a myth I really wish were true for my clients.

Myth #2

A closed-face Outer Envelope always beats a Window Outer Envelope.

I have heard this myth time and again, and I really do want to believe it. Honestly! If this would prove true for even one of my clients, I would be forever grateful because I hate writing teasers.

But time and again, I have urged clients to test this to no avail. The Window Envelope with teaser wins every time -- with both a higher percentage response and a lower investment per donor.

Now, I know other organizations have tested this and found the opposite results, so please, please, please don't take my word for it. Test it for yourself. Because remember, it's not a rule until you test it yourself.

But don't become wed to one way of sending out your packages. Instead, remember the function of the Outer Envelope: to get opened. If it doesn't get opened, you don't get a gift. It's that simple.

So if the personal touch -- a closed envelope, the signer's name in the cornercard, maybe even a handwritten font for the donor's name and address -- is getting your direct mail opened, then keep using it.

But if your response rates aren't what you'd like, try mailing a Window Outer Envelope with a teaser. But make it a good one. A great teaser can do a lot of heavy-lifting by setting up your letter -- and your ask -- all in a handful of well-chosen words.

Your teaser and envelope graphics can also do double-duty by drawing donors' attention to their own names. We're all self-centered creatures, and even the most moving teaser probably won't thrill us quite so much as the site of our own names. Many of my clients find that a small teaser above the window that leads the eye to the address block gets their envelopes opened -- and boosts response

As with the first myth, the key to busting Myth #2 is to test, test, test.

Check in next week for more Myth-busting. And until then, leave comments below!

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!

Three Key Statistics for Fundraising

A fundraising consultant I know asked me the other day what data I felt was the most important to pay attention to when running a membership program. The question caught me a bit off-guard because I am so intensely focused on the creative end of things for my clients that it becomes very easy for me to gloss over the numbers side of things. But my colleague's question reminded me that I do, in fact, pay close attention to a few key metrics. After all, how do you know what really works for your donors if you can't measure your results?

Here are 3 key measurements I look at when developing a creative strategy:

Percent Response

This is a big one because it tells you what portion of your membership is responding to your fundraising efforts. If you're keeping a close eye on this number, you can learn which subjects your donors are most interested in funding, or which renewal effort is not pulling its weight.

That said, if you don't know what other organizations in your sector are getting percentage-wise and you don't have years of data about your own organization, then the number can be a little meaningless. Is a 4% response on an appeal good or bad?

That's why it's critical to track this number over many mailings and a long period of time. It's a great starting point for knowing how your creative efforts are performing.

Average Gift

A high average gift could show you what your donors feel most strongly about. Say you sent one appeal asking for money for a physical project, and one asking for program support and both received the same percent response from your donors. If one of those asks garnered a $50 average gift while the other only reached $35, then you have a good indication of what your donors think is important.

Of course, you often get a higher average gift when you're sending to your most loyal donors, so don't get too excited until you compare your populations. And remember to toss out any unusually high gifts before you calculate this number. One $1,000 donation can skew your data.

Lifetime Value

Since I'm most decidedly not a data expert, I turned to this post on the Donor Perfect blog to explain this stat and how to calculate it.

Knowing your donors' lifetime value is a key part of a good long-term strategy. From deciding when to mail and how much to spend, to developing donor cultivation and retention plans, this number will help you refine your fundraising efforts.

Find your data experts

I am the first to admit that I am not a data pro. But I know that these statistics can help me hone a creative strategy, so I listen to the data experts in my life.

Data folks: what did I miss? Are there other numbers I need to start paying attention to? Help me and my fellow creative types create the best fundraising packages we can by sharing the numbers we need to know!

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.

When Your Hands Are Tied

I've posted a lot of advice in this space, and I read a lot of fantastic advice from my colleagues and mentor-types around the world. I really believe that if you want to excel at copywriting for nonprofits, now is the best time to be working -- there's simply never been so much easy access to top-notch educational resources as there is today. But what happens when you're not allowed to implement all this world-class free advice?

There are a lot of obstacles to doing your best work. Organizations hire me to help them do their best work, and even I face huge hurdles in implementing the changes I know are necessary to push my clients' efforts into the stratosphere. I know you know what I'm talking about:

• Board Members who think their corporate expertise translates to fundraising.
• Program staff who don't understand that fundraising is as important as what they're doing in the field.
• Databases and antiquated computer systems that are virtually unusable.
• Executives who are unwilling to invest in best-practice acquisition and retention.
• A basic lack -- of EVERYTHING! Not enough staff, crumbling infrastructure, too few resources...the list goes on.

I do love Tina Fey's advice to go "Over! Under! Through!" the things or people standing in your way. But for non-profits, sometimes, unfortunately, these obstacles prove insurmountable. So what's a savvy fundraiser to do?

Focus on what you CAN do.

So you can't segment your list properly, or your CEO refuses to give you staff to make thank you calls. Instead of moaning about what you can't do, try coming up with ways to work with what you do have.

What about hand-selecting 100 (or another doable number) of your most loyal donors for more personalization than your database can offer? Can you write a script for volunteers and put them on the phone with your donors?

There are usually several different ways to come at a problem. Venture outside your comfort zone and see if you can find one of them. And if you still can't solve your problem, then focus on doing the best job you can with the resources you have while continuing to...

Educate everyone at your organization.

Let them know what is possible. Remind program staff that you are on their side -- working tirelessly to get them the money to fund the amazing and selfless work that they do every day. Paint a picture for your leadership of what your organization could accomplish with the right equipment, experts, or staff. Provide your Board with information about fundraising best practices and show them your plan for bringing your organization up to that level.

Just as you keep your donors informed about the work your organization is doing, you should keep everyone at your nonprofit informed about what your department is doing. Open the lines of communication on your end. Be an example of how things could be.

Keep doing your best work.

I have worked with people and organizations that did not want my advice. I've also worked with groups that wanted me to swoop in and save their direct mail creative, while doing everything they could to tie my hands. It's not fun.

But regardless of the dysfunction around you, the absolute best thing you can do for yourself and your organization is to do the best work that you can do. It may become clear that you need to part ways, but until then, take advantage of all the wonderful free advice that's out there and do your best to excel.

Because really, the only thing you can control is your effort.

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.

The 20-year-old Thank You

This week, I sent a thank you note that I should have written 20+ years ago.

When I was applying to colleges, I asked one of my English teachers for a letter of recommendation. He wrote it, I'm certain I at least said "Thank you" when he handed it to me, and I included it in my applications.

A few months later, I blew out of that suburb and didn't look back.

Now...fast-forward a couple of decades. Picture me in my sweats, sitting on the living room floor surrounded by dusty boxes from the attic. I pulled out a file and found the original letter of recommendation from my English teacher.

It was quite a letter -- one tight-margined page filled with praise for me as a student and as a person. It was clear as I read it that Mr. Lewis hadn't relied on boilerplate recommendation language, replacing another student's name with mine. He'd put thought and effort into that letter. And I am sure I was one of dozens of kids who had asked for his recommendation. 

As I read the letter, I knew I hadn't fully appreciated what he'd done for me back when I was in high school, and my verbal "thank you" felt entirely inadequate.

I wanted to thank him properly. But what were the chances he'd remember me out of thousands of kids he's taught over the years? What difference would a heartfelt thank you note mean now?

I decided it didn't matter if he remembered me or not. (To be perfectly honest, I probably wouldn't be able to pick him out of a line-up either!) I knew from years of working with nonprofits that sending a thank you is always the right thing to do.

So I did it. And he responded with a kind note of his own. I don't think he does remember me, but that doesn't matter.

The important thing to me is that I was able to acknowledge his generosity.

Now, clearly, I should have written that note many years ago. I blew it then...just like so many nonprofits blow it each and every day when they fail to acknowledge their donors' generosity.

But it really is better late than never. So if you are still sitting on a stack of thank you notes from your year-end giving drive, for pete's sake, send them out! Better yet, take a few minutes out of each day to telephone those donors and thank them profusely for their support.

They don't have to give to you. They don't owe you anything, just like Mr. Lewis didn't owe me such a stellar recommendation letter.

But you do owe them something: a sincere and timely thank you.

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.