How to Create a Donor-Centered Fundraising Letter
Are you wondering how to really nail a donor-centered fundraising letter?
Are you trying to create a letter for your annual campaign that can grab hold of your donor’s attention quickly?
And do you want to write a letter that just makes your donor feel wonderful that they are part of your cause?
Everybody wants to create a donor-centered fundraising letter!
But few people actually get it right.
It’s so hard.
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Why? Because most nonprofit communications take the wrong approach.
They are all about how wonderful your organization is, how hard you all work, and what fabulous results you create.
They brag and brag. They show off.
They are organization-centered, not donor-centered.
These organizations are not particularly concerned about their donors’ happiness, much less their donors’ satisfaction with their giving experience.
Tom Ahern’s version of donor-centered fundraising letters.
A couple of weeks ago, I opened up Tom Ahern’s regular blog feed and was astonished at what I saw.
Here right in front of me, was a list of some of the most powerful donor-centered writing that I’ve ever read!
Find out how we can help you achieve your fundraising goals with world-class consulting and custom training.
“Aha,” I thought!
“I’ve got to share these on my blog.”
I was thinking that if more organizations could write like THIS, then they’d nail the year-end fundraising season that is about to come off.
I am frankly hoping that every single nonprofit leader who reads this post will run as fast as they can to RE-DO their next appeal letter.
Tom Ahern believes that you need to make your donor the HERO of your story. That’s what your appeal letter is really about.
- This is how to make your letter totally and completely donor-centered.
- Here’s how to awaken your donor’s passion and commitment to your organization and your work.
- Here’s how to make your donor feel so, so appreciated!
So, with Tom’s permission, I am sharing his poignant, emotional and passionate words, phrases and sentences.
Take a look at this list of 15 lines.
Can you incorporate any of this language into your appeals, thank yous, and newsletters?
Here’s Tom’s language. It’s out there a bit, I’ll admit.
Can you possibly go this far and talk to your donors like this?
What would happen if you did?
Can you say these things?
This is how to show your donors some love:
Thank you.
You make it possible.
Thank you … SO, SO MUCH.
This mission depends on you UTTERLY.
And you know, here’s a little secret I shouldn’t reveal: at board and staff retreats, we always end up talking about YOU, the donor, the true believer, the supporter, the family member.
We talk about how important you are.
We talk about how these special, compassionate, selfless, kind people LIKE YOU make so much possible.
Frankly, we gush. I hope you don’t mind.
We gush shamelessly.
Because you joined the fight. You consulted your heart. You felt those crazy “caring” enzymes rise inside you.
You glowed like an incandescent bulb of doing good.
You flared into a star of doing good.
You screamed with righteous purpose at the very moment you made your gift.
So we hope.
Because of people like you, we continue to hope.
BOTTOM LINE: This is how to nail a donor-centered fundraising letter.
The secret, my friend, is to send tons of love and affection to your donor.
Make her feel like she is your true partner in the cause.
You can do it, I know you can.
You might also like these related posts:
- Your Donor-Centered Appeal Letter Checklist
- #1 Tip to Create a Donor-Centered Appeal Letter
- An Appeal Letter Makeover: From “Organization-Centered” to “Donor-Centered”
And if you are tackling your year-end fundraising campaign and want to nail a donor-centered fundraising letter, check out these this online workshop:
- Donor-Centered Appeal Letter Workshop (online training with Jen Love)
I do appreciate where this is coming from but as a donor to several charities myself, receiving letters with this language just somehow doesn’t feel genuine. It feels forced. And I am not sure it is the right fit for every organization. I would argue that this works very well for organizations that can utilize the emotional heartstrings to stoke those “caring enzymes” but not as well for organizations that lack that emotional pull but are still charities requiring funding ie art galleries. Am I the only one who feels this way? Surely it is possible to make donors feel appreciated without making our letters, asks and appeals so saccharin? I’d be curious to hear some responses on this. And God forbid we all cut and past Tom’s words into our annual appeal and donors start getting multiple letters with the same lines! ;-) Because nothing says authentic and genuine like cut and paste! ;-)
Hi JL!
I agree in many ways with your comment. This language can only be used by certain organizations. And I am certainly not suggesting that you cut and paste anything I give you without appropriate edits! Every single thing needs to be adapted to your nonprofit’s culture, it’s donors and it’s environment. Always.
However, I would make the case that these words below are generic. They can and should be used by everyone:
“Thank you. You make it possible. Thank you … SO, SO MUCH. This mission depends on you.”
While we all may consider Tom’s prose as overly colorful – I would rather see an organization head in this direction instead of sending out the dry-as-a-bone, jargon-full, organization-focused stuff that comes out of too many nonprofits.
Check out the Agitator.com blog today: “Because of you . . . ”
http://www.theagitator.net/communications/because-of-you/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_content=388628&utm_campaign=Express_2016-09-09_01%3a30
Open your heart, JL. I sense a great constriction in your Force.
Haha! Trust me – I wear my heart on my sleeve. But still don’t think every organization can do this.
Then it’s down to A/B splits. Try 2 ways. See what works best. Let me know … please!
I agree, JL. My tactic is to FEEL these feelings toward my donors inside, but write more appropriately to both my cause and my audience. That gratitude comes through without gushing.
I agree, JL. My tactic is to FEEL these feelings toward my donors inside, but write more appropriately to both my cause and my audience. That gratitude comes through without gushing.
I agree, JL. My tactic is to FEEL these feelings toward my donors inside, but write more appropriately to both my cause and my audience. That gratitude comes through without gushing.
I agree, JL. My tactic is to FEEL these feelings toward my donors inside, but write more appropriately to both my cause and my audience. That gratitude comes through without gushing.
I agree, JL. My tactic is to FEEL these feelings toward my donors inside, but write more appropriately to both my cause and my audience. That gratitude comes through without gushing.