This rule is essential to success. More accurately spelled out, “you” before “I” is the key for compelling communication. Let’s take ministry newsletters for an example.
When a donor reads a newsletter, what are they hoping to find there? At first, it would seem the answer would be is that they want to read about the ministry. In a sense this is true, but there’s more to the picture. Donors want to read about the ministry and see themselves as part of it.
What does this look like? It’s the concept of “you” before “I.” A ministry can list all its services and accomplishments, but that begs the question “So what?” Listing characteristics of the ministry is just talking about “I.” To switch the perspective, a ministry must think of how their donors were active in these accomplishments.
A simple starting point for this switch in perspective is the title of “donor.” Without donations, many of a ministry’s accomplishments could not be achieved. In newsletters, it is a helpful technique to tell donors how their donations made a difference. There are a variety of ways to do this.
Stating statistics through the lens of “you” is an important one. For instance, a ministry that runs a soup kitchen could write “In 2010, your donations served ___ amount of meals to ___ amount of people.”
Following up this statistic with a story increases the strength of this communication even more. The newsletter could continue on with the story of someone whose life was changed through the ministry and ultimately “your” donation. Suddenly, the donor is no longer just reading a blank statistic; they have become part of the story. They know they made a difference. It’s like they were the ones holding the ladle of soup, graciously serving the long line of worn faces and weary hearts.
They know they played a part in the story and that they have made a difference—and that is what so many donors want to hear from ministries.
--Jessica High manages research and marketing at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is a subscription database of foundations that provide grants to faith based organizations. iDonate.com is a website (www.iDonate.com) that allows ministries to receive non cash gifts online