A good friend recently returned a book I lent her a while back. How many books are sitting in your bookcase that you read so long ago their lesson has faded from your memory?
The book, The Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications by Jeff Brooks, is a simple guide on how to better communicate to your donors so that they give generously, wholeheartedly, and repeatedly. As I re-read this book after some five plus years, I was dumbfounded to see how many lessons I had forgotten – and more importantly – how I had fallen back into my bad habits. I also re-learned the most important lesson in fundraising.
And the most important lesson is this:
“The writing style of fundraising is different.”
Brooks breaks down the book into four sections providing guidelines on the writing style you should use, to the content and design of fundraising, and even to the mental game of fundraising. The author goes on to admit that while the guidelines “annoy me” … “my responsibility is to raise money for good causes and neither you nor I have the right to impose our tastes or preferences at the expense of raising funds.”
So how often should you communicate, in the written form, with your donors? Often. Very often. We think we are annoying them. Research says the opposite.
- Donors donate.
- They give because they want to.
- They want a connection with your cause.
- They know giving feels good.
“And yet too often we forget this and approach our donors as if asking is an imposition. It isn’t. Fundraising, (giving) is a welcome part of most donors’ lives,” reminds the author.
And a last reminder – you know those annoying PS’s at the end of fundraising letters?
P.S. – Did you know that post scripts are most likely the first thing read by the donor?
P.P.S. – Why did I underline, highlight and bold in my blog? You’ll have to read the book.
