CONSERVATIVE FUNDRAISERS ARE IN STORMS
Continued #4…
Last week I gave you 14 items from a checklist my company uses for its 20+ clients. I have continued this list below.
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Monthly giving. If you do not have a monthly giving program, start one. To help you understand best practices, I recommend reading Monthly Giving Made Easy by Erica Waasdorp and/or Hidden Gold by Harvey McKinnon.
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Website. Make sure that the subject of your current fundraising mail is properly covered on your website. If you have a new, exciting, urgent program and people go to your website and there’s no mention of the program, that’s a problem.
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Develop a unique landing page for each new housefile and/or project. Remember about 1/3 of the people who consider donating will first go to the internet to check you out. They may go to your website and/or a search engine.
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Pubnote. Since you will need to write and print postal mail far ahead of time, it may be out of date by the time you mail the letters. A partial solution to the problem is to include a pubnote, usually 7 X 10 and 8 ½ X 11 that includes current information that is signed by someone besides the letter signer. Because it’s a small piece of paper and easy to print, this can usually be printed shortly before the mailing is inserted.
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Buckslip. The typical Buck Slip is 3 ½ X 8 ½ and is not signed. Sometimes they have a marketing message on both sides. Sometimes the state disclosure is printed on the back side.
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Projects. Most conservative postal fundraising mail falls into a category I call cuss letters. “Democrats are doing bad things, send me money.” Of course, a good cuss letter can raise some money. However, a mailing that identifies a serious problem and offers a specific, serious, and substantial project to solve the problem will raise much more money. This is true for postal mail, email, one-on-one solicitations for major gifts, etc.
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Vision. The Bible tells us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” :… Be sure to paint a picture of how things will be much better if your organization has strong financial support.
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Newsletters. An organization’s newsletters are important for a number of reasons, including they allow you to be in touch with your donors without always including a strong appeal for money. It’s okay to ask for a donation in a newsletter, just make it a soft request, and also have a section of the newsletter that encourages them to include your organization in their Will.
Since the number one secret of advertising is repetition, this gives you an opportunity to tell them once again the many good things your organization is doing.
My last installment of this blog series on “storms” will be posted next Tuesday.
Until then - wishing you a Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
