Communications Help
Articles with advice for better communication. (emails, newsletters, appeal letters, etc.)
Developing a clear and concise mission statement early in an organization’s development is critical to its success. The first three benefits stated are tied to the process of creating the mission statement itself.
First, the process of creating a mission statement is tremendously valuable to the founders. This process helps define the company's goals to a concise and clear statement that is easy to share with the internal organization as well as to its customers.
Second, the process of defining the mission statement will help founders determine the scope of their effort; helps clarify competition and focus...
posted @ Wednesday, September 07, 2011 12:32 PM |
The Generous Donut
Donuts can be generous.
Let me explain. More than 17 years ago, my wife and I decided we’d pick a place and go there year after year for family vacations. That place was Estes Park, CO. The kids have enjoyed it, appreciate the routine and things they call ours—family traditions.
Well, one of the places we’ve come to appreciate is the Donut Haus. The Donut Haus has been in business for more than 30 years. They make handmade donuts and pastries. They say their hours are 6am to 12am, but in truth, they are usually sold...
posted @ Wednesday, September 07, 2011 12:00 AM |
As a grant writer, your challenge is to be donor-driven NOT donation-driven in your asking strategy. God’s work done God’s way will produce God’s results and will NEVER lack His resources.
posted @ Tuesday, July 12, 2011 12:00 AM |
Not long ago a ministry approached me wanting a grant. This is not a new happening. I’m used to the idea.
posted @ Tuesday, May 10, 2011 8:45 AM |
The online world is here to stay for ministries. For that reason, it’s a good time to evaluate your website from a donor’s perspective. Here are 10 tips:
1. Be concise. Most donors are scanners. Big blocks of text scare people off. Use bullet points and small paragraphs.
2. Use pictures. Show the story. Don’t just tell it with text. Pictures produce emotions, and let your readers “feel” your mission.
3. Highlight your vision, mission and key objectives. Make sure that people know where you are going, how you are going to get there and your 3-5 mission critical activities.
4. State the problem clearly. Make sure that your donors know what problem you...
posted @ Tuesday, November 30, 2010 6:24 PM |
Not long ago, I sat in a ministry presentation. The ministry was clearly trying to win the crowd to gather support for its ministry.
It was a fairly typical presentation. They described who they were, and they listed the numbers behind the impact they were making. And they made a call for support.
But they failed to present the big why. Most importantly, they did not understand that their ministry was not the big why. It never is.
What is the big why? The big why is the overall strategic reason for the organization’s existence. For instance, Young Life is...
posted @ Thursday, September 23, 2010 3:31 PM |
How to reply to emails is an overlooked topic, because it seems basic. However, that second contact can be critical. You have just invested a lot of time in sending out a great email campaign, so make your response equal in quality. Having received and responded to many emails from ministries, I want to share some of my insight and perhaps a few humorous examples.
1) Do write in a black standard font, size 12pt or 11pt—
I will never forget an email that I received once: Most of it was written in CAPS LOCK, each paragraph’s font color alternated between pink,...
posted @ Wednesday, July 28, 2010 10:42 AM |
After building your email database, it is time to prepare your first campaign. Here are some basic rules:
1) In the time leading up to the campaign, especially invest in relationships—be sensitive to needs and larger situations occurring during that time of the year etc.
2) Determine your objective, and let this drive your entire campaign—Remember, if you are sending multiple versions of the campaign, the objective may vary slightly. Nevertheless, keep a clear focus so that people know your purpose in writing.
3) Make the desired action clear—People need to know what to do with your message. If you are wanting them...
posted @ Monday, July 26, 2010 9:55 AM |
The best online fundraising practices and plans of action will be included in this next series of posts. With experts’ advice in a simplified format, this guide will help you easily start or grow your online giving.
Part 1: Email Campaigns
Some people suggest that email will soon be yet another dying form of communication. However, trends do not show this at all. Rather, it is a fundamental tool to communicate with an ever on the move society. This does not mean it is the only tool, but it still is a valuable one, so let’s get started.
Step 1) Choose...
posted @ Friday, July 23, 2010 9:34 AM |
Do you want to receive grants? This is the one change you need to make.
Here in the non-profit world, we have become quite adept at following rules and completing instructions. I am not here to advocate throwing all these off, but I do fear that we have lost our sense of story. Think about it. Why are social networks flourishing? People want to know about what is truly occurring, even if just in 160 characters or less.
It’s time to listen to what donors and research are telling you. Story-telling. It is becoming vital to fundraising success for ministries to rethink...
posted @ Friday, June 18, 2010 11:24 AM |
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...
posted @ Friday, June 11, 2010 9:30 AM |
“If you give people what they need, they will give you what you want.” When I took a class on Business Communication, my professor continually repeated this phrase. It transformed my outlook on how I communicate. Using this phrase as a starting point, let me walk you through writing fundraising requests.
Let’s compare your fundraising request letters to the example of missions support letters. These letters all detail great projects and at the end they give you an amount of money that they need to raise. If you are writing a support letter, what is going to make yours stand out from...
posted @ Friday, May 28, 2010 10:10 AM |
Organizations often are so caught up in their worries of “getting their message out there” that they begin ignoring some of the fundamental rules for successful fundraising. Take some time to review today:
--- Keep your message simple and concise—The clearer and shorter your message, the more likely people will be interested in what you have to say. People will not be motivated to join your cause and support you if they cannot understand the basics of what you are doing and what you hope to accomplish.
Imagine a scenario where you only have a short amount of time to share...
posted @ Monday, November 16, 2009 8:24 AM |
Before foundations accept grant proposals, many require letters of inquiry. When you submit a letter of inquiry, there are some basic tips to remember:
Scheduling—make sure you submit your letter far enough advanced according not only to the foundation’s guidelines but your project’s deadlines.
Contact person—Confirm with the foundation the correct person to whom your letter should be sent.
Mailing—Submit your letter through regular mail. Be timely in your mailing, not squeezing it in last minute.
Writing the letter—
Summarize: You only have a short amount of space so use it wisely. Provide a brief synopsis of your project and funding amount in one...
posted @ Monday, October 26, 2009 7:56 AM |
As you meet with donors, you will encounter various groups and will need employ various styles of communication.
First, you need to know who your groups are. Narrow it to a few core groups (2-4) and identify their basic communication style. For instance, are young adults one of the groups you are involved with? An online approach might be the best form of communication to reach them. Think through all your groups—it’s not just about style, but about content and its quantity.
Once you have those core groups, focus on those. It is not always wise to expend your effort or...
posted @ Wednesday, October 21, 2009 6:56 AM |
One of the important steps to maintaining funding is to retain your donors. One time gifts are nice, but having a consistent and strong donor base is important. Some basic steps to retaining donors:
Make personal phone calls to ask donors to renew. Involve your staff and even board to make this contact.
Develop a newsletter. Whether sent by email or direct mail, it is important to keep people informed. Let donors know the stories of what is going on in your organization. People want to know their money...
posted @ Monday, September 28, 2009 8:35 AM |
Your name is the face of your organization.
That could be a rather daunting statement as you are looking to choose a name for your organization. Actually, it simply is an opportunity. Names are important and it can be enjoyable deciding upon which one to use.
Joanne Fritz, a writer, encourages nonprofits to ask some basic questions as they think about naming their organization. She writes, “A lot rests with the name of your nonprofit and even on what you name your projects and programs. Will your name become a household word? Will it convey quickly and eloquently what you do? Or...
posted @ Monday, September 14, 2009 7:51 AM |
“The bad economy is a good time for nonprofits to retool their technology and the way they use it for fundraising,” says Todd Cohen, a writer for the Philanthropy Journal.
Spending money on technology or software during a bad economy might seem to go against common sense. However, this is a misconception. One of the strengths of the software and technology available is that it helps improve communication and ultimately relationships. In a down economy, maintaining strong relationships is the number one key for success.
So how does technology help in this process? Cohen writes, “Nonprofits’ goal in using their technology should...
posted @ Friday, August 14, 2009 10:19 AM |
Email newsletters are quickly becoming a popular option in addition to direct mail. However, with the huge growth of email usage, it is becoming harder to get readers to open emails and view the content, much less avoid spam filters and junk email folders. Jakob Nielsen did an in-depth study several years ago, analyzing email newsletters and the readers’ habits. From these results, we offer several tips for you:
1) Keep the sign-up process simple—In Nielsen’s study, he found that if websites would simplify their subscription process for the email newsletters, they could increase their subscription rate by nearly 25 percent....
posted @ Wednesday, August 12, 2009 9:52 AM |
There is a lot of talk about social media, but it is not the only option. Traditional media (newspapers, magazines, and television) are still viable options. The key is to have a balance of both types of media. Today’s post will focus on how to use traditional media.
Let’s start with a question: “Did you know that the average American watches 153 hours of television a month?”
AC Nielsen’s Three Screen Report shows that this statistic has been increasing over the past two years. Immediately, you can see there is a large opportunity here. Television is not the only option though.
75% of...
posted @ Friday, August 07, 2009 10:02 AM |
With summer winding down, ministries are gearing up for the fall fundraising, planning for the year end giving, and many other things. It has been quite a year already, but there still are some things that need to be accomplished.
1) Use social media—If you have been following our blog for awhile, you may have noticed that we have spent a fair amount of time following the trends in social media and making you aware of the best practices. Your job now is to do something with this information! Get set up on Twitter, start a Facebook cause, or begin your...
posted @ Wednesday, August 05, 2009 10:18 AM |
How people give is continuing to change rapidly. This next set of givers is being referred to as “Web 2.0 donors”. Web 2.0 refers to the second generation of web design and development. The Web 2.0 users value communication and networking. It is not a change in the Internet, but how it is being used. It is a huge change, and nonprofits need to know now how to reach this set of users.
Most nonprofits understand that social media is one of the important tools to reach this new audience. However, it is necessary to understand the people you are trying...
posted @ Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:50 AM |
Psychology and the words associated with it often convey a sense of hazy, mystical hocus-pocus. However, there is much to be learned from psychology when relating with donors and encouraging them to take action.
1) “Frame an action as preventing a loss”
People are more motivated to take action when they are preventing something from being taken away as opposed to receiving something of equal value. (For example, people will put more effort into saving $1 than they will into attempting to gain $1.) So, instead of writing, “Help ensure our children have a better future,” say, “Don’t let them take away...
posted @ Wednesday, July 22, 2009 3:30 PM |
Nonprofits are doing well in involving their boards and finding major gifts, but overall there is room for major improvement.
Adrian Sargeant, a professor of fundraising at the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University says, “There is a whole range of things we’ve done very badly and it’s masked because people in the U.S. are very generous and getting more generous.”
Retaining donors, online giving, securing pledges, and knowing donors are some of charities weaknesses, according to Sargeant. In order to improve fundraising, charities need to focus on their donors and what matters to them rather than being caught up in finding...
posted @ Tuesday, July 21, 2009 9:04 AM |
You’ve all opened e-newsletters that were so long and boring that your hand cramped and your eyes glazed over before you even reached the middle of the email. You don’t want your organization to join the ranks of those who consistently have their newsletters deleted or even worse, their email provider frozen because of excessive spam reports. With that in mind, here are some tips about the length and frequency of e-newsletters.
Most nonprofit e-newsletters are too long, especially those whose organizations have just switched from print to electronic formats. In general, people do not scroll very far. They skim...
posted @ Friday, July 10, 2009 1:45 PM |
When you begin writing a grant proposal, one of the most important things you need to consider is who is reading your proposal. Tom Ahern, author of How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise More Money, defines the four basic personality types you will encounter as amiable, expressive, skeptical, and bottom-liner.
Ahern suggests some of the best ways to appeal to these types:
Amiable—this side of people responds to faces and their stories. There is the desire to nurture and help people.
- Include photos of faces in your letters (whether these are of the person signing the letter or candid shots...
posted @ Wednesday, July 08, 2009 11:04 AM |
Professionals in the for-profit community are observing non-profits, and they do have suggestions. It is important to listen to these ideas because many ministries fail to balance their passion with the practicality. Business ideas and vision are necessary. John Klein, a marketing professional, who works with nonprofits and for-profits, offers his suggestions as a summary of the for-profit community’s thoughts in order to “help create stronger and more resilient nonprofits as we emerge from our current economic situation.”
Klein’s suggestions:
1) Nonprofits should utilize social media—Many professionals are noticing this trend as nonprofits began to move towards using these tools. However, it...
posted @ Tuesday, June 23, 2009 10:56 AM |
In the marketing of any nonprofit, storytelling plays a crucial role. Donors are ultimately humans with human emotions, and they want to know why they should become involved with your organization’s mission. What does it mean to them? Why should they care? With the unstable economy causing increasing numbers of donors to tighten their belts, making a human connection is more crucial than ever. That is just the point addressed by Mark Royner of SeaChange for Network for Good.
According to Royner, nonprofits commonly either neglect to tell their stories or, out of a desire to seem professional, savvy, and...
posted @ Wednesday, June 17, 2009 2:13 PM
One of the most important things an organization can do to build fundraising is to create a clear face for themselves. Think of it like the Starbucks culture—many people are drawn to Starbucks because of personalization, the unique experience. Say “Starbucks” and people don’t just think of coffee. People will talk about the friendly baristas, hanging out there, the food, custom drinks, etc. Starbucks has created a face for their organization that draws people in and gains their loyalty. So how can this be applied to your organization? Personalization and emphasizing the unique facets of your organization are...
posted @ Monday, June 15, 2009 10:17 AM |
--“Looking for grants? Read these tips for an effective proposal!”
--“Want to build your donor base? Visit our website for more information.”
These phrases represent just a few of the many ideas presented to nonprofit organizations. There is a constant flood of information, and especially in difficult economic times, the ideas only continue to grow.
However, too many people get lost in the technology craze, articles, and books. Instead, nonprofits need to take a step back. What is the larger perspective? It is not easy to implement various strategies effectively if there is not an understanding of the larger need.
Having been blogging...
posted @ Thursday, May 28, 2009 10:03 AM
A year end appeal letter? Many ministries don't do them despite the fact that the wise ministry recognizes that 30-50% of an organization's funding may come in the month of December. So suffice it to say, it is wise, if not imperative that you write a year end appeal letter to your donors.
What are some of the basics in writing a year end appeal letter? They are as follows:
1. Keep it short. No more that 1 and 1/2 pages.
2. Tell a story. People like stories. Jesus used stories. Better yet, people share stories.
3. Use pictures. A picture tells a...
posted @ Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:19 AM |
A lapsed donor can be defined as a donor who has not made a contribution to your organization with in the last 1-3 years, while those who haven’t contributed in 3 years can be classified as former donors. There is value in pursuing lapsed donors because they are not unfamiliar with your organization’s mission – they cared enough about it to donate at one time, after all. Kent Dove, author of Conducting a Successful Fundraising Program, says that the typical rate of response from mailing to lapsed donors is 11%. As you are creating your appeal letter to...
posted @ Tuesday, August 12, 2008 10:22 AM |
The NonProfit Times recently conducted a survey which shows that twice as many donors research a charity online after receiving a direct mail solicitation than they did three years ago. The NonProfit Times had Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) repeat a study that it did three years ago for The NPT. ORC asked 1,000 adults, “When you receive a mail solicitation from a charity, which of the following places on the Internet do you look at before deciding whether to give money?” The options were these – look up the organization on the Internet; visit the organization’s website;...
posted @ Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:20 AM |
We all know it’s important to make your organization’s message clear. This is especially true as you begin making plans for figures at the year’s end. Now is the time to take a look at the identity of your organization and the way that identity is being communicated to the masses. What makes your organization stand among myriad others? What makes it worth a donor’s attention? There are a few places you can start in making an evaluation of your organization’s exceptionality. -- Be investigative – think about the people who make up your...
posted @ Tuesday, July 22, 2008 5:28 PM |
Yesterday’s blog outlined ways to maximize your website -- the first of four steps to make your online fundraising efforts as effective as possible. This blog will discuss the next step: developing an email strategy. Your goals with your email communication should be to get organized and to continue to uphold content as your focus. Planning 1. Stay in touch with donors and potential donors through an email messaging program, which may include e-newsletters, event updates, and action alerts. Provide subscribers with useful and interesting information so they’ll want to read more. 2. Create...
posted @ Wednesday, July 02, 2008 10:51 AM |
Fundraising in New York, a one day philanthropy conference, recently addressed the issues direct mail fundraising causes. Here are some experts' tips for fundraising by direct mail.
Length of letter depends on audience
Potential donors prefer longer letters (4 pages)
Current donors want shorter letters (2 pages)
Give letters a customized feel
Do not make it blatantly obvious that the letter is an all-inclusive, generic mailing
For example, a study showed that donors responded more positively to an annual campaign letter that did not just address them as “Dear members”
Be real
For example, fundraising letters with a real cloth ribbon received better responses than letters...
posted @ Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:00 AM |
When raising online funds, you should keep in mind that maintaining a blog is a vital part of your efforts. Here are nine ideas on writing a successful blog.
1) Read other blogs. In order to write meaningful blogs, you must understand the current issues in the non-profit sector. A feed aggregator is a useful tool which reads the blogs you specify and displays all the updated content in one browser screen. Bloglines (www.bloglines.com) and Google Reader are common aggregators.
2) Blog daily. A steady reader base is formed by consistent blogging. Mix articles about issues that affect your organization with...
posted @ Tuesday, June 10, 2008 12:00 AM |
In order to receive a grant from a Christian foundation, the essential element is a clear message.
A clear message means that you have a clear mission, vision and objectives. I like for mission and vision statements to be 20 words or less. The vision statement ideally should have "jazz"--it should elements of transformation. In other words, why will the world be different because of the work of your ministry. There are many complicated versions of what a vision statement should be, but I describe it simply as "what only God can do."
A mission statement on the other hand is...
posted @ Sunday, June 08, 2008 12:00 AM |
There are many donors and resources for foundations to utilize, but what will compel those people to give? Sometimes, it comes down to the simplest things. People want to hear your story, to hear about tiny miracles, to get a sense of your passion. It is one thing to provide statistics, but often the connecting point for donors are those small stories.
The David and Lucille Packard Foundation conducted a survey to see how much individuals knew about the foundations serving in their community. The general result was that these foundations were “little known among key players in the efforts they...
posted @ Thursday, June 05, 2008 12:00 AM |
It is not as simple as one might think--getting a grant from a Christian foundation. On the other hand, it's a lot simpler than many people think. Most Christian foundations start out with some key areas where they want to give grants. If you fit into those key areas you have a better chance of getting a grant.
How do you find out those focus areas? Look at grants that the foundation has given to in the past. Typically, a foundation has a pattern of organizations that they fund. If a foundation has only given to overseas international organizations and you...
posted @ Tuesday, May 27, 2008 7:55 AM |