4 Quick Steps to Improve Any Fundraising Letter
Do you want a super quick four-step process to make almost any year-end fundraising letter better?
Here it is:
Step 1.Write the letter.
Step 2. Do as many rounds of edits as it takes until you’re happy with what you’ve got.
Step 3. Count how many times you invite the reader to give.
Step 4. Write down the number.
If the number you wrote down is FOUR or more, you might be asking too much. Can you find one ask to cut?
If your number was THREE, pat yourself on the back. You’re a natural at this, and you’ve probably asked enough for this one letter.
If you asked the reader to give TWICE, can you insert one more invitation to give somewhere else? (I recommend asking twice in the body and once in the P.S. though there are certainly other places that work.)
If you only asked ONCE, can you ask one more time in the body using slightly modified language and then again in the P.S.?
What if you read your letter and find you have NOT asked the reader to give?
That’s okay, but you have not written a fundraising letter. Now… not every letter has to be a fundraising letter. There are plenty of other reasons to write to people.
But don’t expect your reader to respond with a gift if you have not asked them to give.
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BONUS STEP: After you’re done making sure you’ve asked enough times, count how many question marks you used in your invitations to give.
Unless you’re using a giving button in an email, questions usually work better thanstatements.
“Will you give today?” almost always outperforms, “Give Today.”
For invitations to give that you’ve worded as statements, can you take a few minutes to convert any of them into questions?
That’s all from me today! If you use these simple steps to make your fundraising letter better, let me know. I’d love to hear about it.
Happy Friday and GO CHANGE THE WORLD!
