Description
Book SynopsisHow to Write Successful Fundraising Appeals
Now in a completely revised third edition, this classic book shows how to create winning appeals that will realize the full potential of direct mail and online fundraising. Written by fundraising guru Mal Warwick, with assistance from Eric Overman, this comprehensive resource gives nonprofit fundraising staff the information needed to write compelling fundraising appeals for any medium. If you follow Warwick's guidelines, your direct mail and online fundraising campaigns will produce better results, year after year.
Written in an easy-to-read style, the book is filled with practical techniques, proven approaches, and illustrative examples of both successful and unsuccessful appeals based on the authors' wealth of experience fundraising for hundreds of nonprofits. Step-by-step and appeal by appeal, the book shows how to navigate the fundraising appeal process with ease. To meet the demands of today's socially connected dono
Table of Contents
Preface to the Third Edition ix
About the Author xiii
Introduction: Why You Should Read This Book 1
Part One Motivating Your Audience
1 Why People Respond to Fundraising Appeals 9
2 How a Fundraising Appeal Is Like a Personal Visit 21
3 What Donors Really Think about Fundraising Letters 35
4 Characteristics of an Effective Fundraising Appeal 41
5 A Leisurely Tour through One Successful Appeal 47
Part Two Your Plan of Action
6 What to Do Before You Write Any Fundraising Appeal 71
7 Eight Steps toward Successful Fundraising Appeals 85
8 The Cardinal Rules of Fundraising Letters 95
9 You’re Writing for Results—Not for a Pulitzer Prize 115
Part Three Customizing Your Appeal 10 Recruiting New Donors: Starting Intimate Conversations with Strangers 127
11 Recruiting New Supporters: Beginning the Cultivation Process Online 133
12 Welcoming New Donors: Treating People Like Part of the Family 141
13 Appealing for Special Gifts: Bringing Your Case Down to Earth 155
14 Asking for Year-End Contributions: Making the Most of the Holiday Spirit 167
15 Recruiting Monthly Sustainers: Offering Small Donors a Chance for Greater Impact 185
16 Soliciting High-Dollar Gifts: Framing the Case for Major Contributions 191
17 Going for Bigger Gifts: Persuading Donors to Make an Extra Commitment 203
18 Seeking Annual Gifts: Building Long-Term Loyalty, One Year at a Time 213
19 Thanking Your Donors: Friend-Raising before Fundraising 219
20 Promoting Legacy Gifts: Seeking the Ultimate Commitment 233
Part Four Reinforcing Your Appeal
21 Rounding Out Your Appeal with Online Media and More 245
22 Writing Online Appeals 261
23 The New Keys to Success in Fundraising Today 297
Part Five The Appeal Writer’s Toolbox
A Sample Multichannel Campaign Calendar 313
B Twenty Great E-mail Subject Lines 317
C Sixty Successful Outer-Envelope Teasers 319
D Fifty-Four Strong Leads for Fundraising Appeals 329
E Ninety Ways to Use the Word “You” in a Fundraising Appeal 331
F Sixty-Three Ways to Handle Awkward Copywriting Transitions 335
G Forty-One Powerful Ways to End a Fundraising Appeal 339
H Fifty-Eight Ways to Start a P.S. in a Fundraising Appeal 341
I Fifteen Ways How Not to Get Results 345
Index 353
