HAVE YOUR DONORS DISAPPEARED

AND TAKEN THEIR CHECKBOOK WITH THEM?

Continued #4…

 

Post #95  

January 14, 2025  

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Today’s blog post is a continuation of the recent posts where I have been re-printing previous blogs to help improve your postal/digital fundraising results.

 

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I left off this series with the 16 ideas that make up my list of the 20% marketing ideas that when implemented have the potential to increase your donors and income by 80%.

 

Many of these ideas apply to other channels of fundraising, especially digital/email, phone, and personal one on one solicitations.

 

For the next several blog posts I will list my ideas that make up the 80% that will be responsible for 20% of your income.

 

The 16 that make up the 20% are summarized here:​

 

1. List

2. Brand

3. Project

4. Involvement Techniques

5. Tagline

6. Testimonials

7. Advisory Board/Friends List

8. Website

9. Celebrity Letter/Pub Note Signer

10. Inline

11. Urgency

12. Keep Package Costs Low

13. Thank Yous

14. Push/Chase Postal Mail

15. Front End Premiums

16. Select a Hungry Market

 

In the next few weeks, I’ll give you more marketing ideas, which will improve your fundraising results.

 

I put these 70± ideas in the category of 80% ideas that will produce an additional 20% of your income.

 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that these ideas are not important.  The additional 20% often means the difference between success or failure, especially for acquisition/prospect mail.

 

1. Many nonprofits struggle for lack of credibility and trust from the public.  Therefore, they need to do what they can to communicate the idea that they’re a real organization doing real things with a serious chance of success.  Number 7, 8, and 9 from the 16 on the 20% list help, as well as the additional four items below.

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a. Have someone whose name denotes trust sign your letter.

b. Have someone whose name denotes trust sign a pub note.

c. List your board of directors with names and titles that denote trust.

d. Report on press/media coverage.

 

2. Instead of always using a #10 carrier envelope, vary the size of your carrier (7 ¼, 7 ¾, #12, #14, 9x12, etc.).

 

3. Consider a carrier with impactful colors (bag kraft, black, etc.).

 

4. A carrier with a photograph in the upper lefthand corner or a label with a photograph on it.

 

5. Produce an annual report at the end or beginning of the calendar year or your fiscal year.

 

6. Send an annual donor/supporter/member appeal.

 

7. If your organization has a debt, consider sending a debt reduction mailing. 

 

8. If you don’t have a debt but are significantly falling short of your budget, write about a budget shortfall that will seriously impact the effectiveness of your organization if not corrected.

 

Your feedback is helpful, appreciated, and needed.  Please email me at rviguerie@americantarget.com with any thoughts or comments you may have.

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