The Little Words Mean the Most

Rue the passing of artists

"big" or not so; the makers, the interpreters, the surprisers who are no longer with us

I am caught between

a 'rauc' and 'ous' place

Sayonara is so easy

A high-octane, impressively successful donor communications program will make EVERY donor feel FABULOUS, no matter how much they give annually.

            And if you don't make me feel that way? There are SO many other charities to consider. They all come to my door. Sayonara is so easy.

"Corporate" communications are DIFFERENT from "donor" communications.

 

Maxi-effective donor communications are SOLELY about how GREAT the DONOR is.

True Confessions: An Ahern audit in progress

No. Right now, you're shooting blanks. You're wasting your money.

            Emotional triggers are your best hooks. Do you have them for the 50,000?

            The fall 2014 front cover was a failure.

            How about page 2? Great photo. Goes nowhere interesting for donors.

            Or page 3?  A bad visual joke on readers.

            Page 4? Enjoyable to lots of donors (at last).

            Page 5? Poo-bahs.

            Page 6-7? Unhelpful graphic design.

            Page 8? Self-mailer, the worst choice.

            RE: that last point. If you want to see donor revenue leap, then switch to stuffing your print newsletter into a #10 envelope with some kind of message on the envelope like, "Dear Wonderful Person, Dear Compassionate Heart, Dear Hero, enclosed with everyone's deep gratitude is your latest newsletter. I hope we did not disappoint you...." Or similar

Here's the most important SECRET I can share with you:

            A newsletter that makes donors happy is never really about the organization.

            It's really about the donor's self-image, sense of pride, self-esteem; about feeling the pleasure of pitching in; expressing their values; doing something about a problem; getting a spirit-expanding quick shot of dopamine because "I did something for someone else and my human evolutionary software rewarded me!"

            Like your thanks and welcome kit, your newsletter is a HUG you send into the privacy of your donor's homes and hands several times a year. The newsletter is a plush toy. It throws its cute arms around the donor and hugs tight!

I've got a client with 50,000 donors

 

A properly done, donor-centered newsletter can "frack" the base.

You will find a lot more support inside your army of generous, empathetic hearts.

And ... it's a renewable resource!

Another orphan idea ~ I don't have a client right now to try this on but I'm pretty sure it would work because there's interactivity: I release you to the world! FLY idea! FLY free!

 

At the top of your landing page, there's a click-thru option right away.

"Dear Potential Do-Gooder: Not sure your gift really matters, start the game." Visitor clicks thru and encounters a pinball machine: lots of lights, things moving and making noise. The big, shiny ball represents the donor. It's labeled YOU.

The visitor launches the ball with a click ... and YOU-ball goes on a wild journey that shows all the ways compassion has made things better, lighting up all sorts of cool messages that will make donors feel good. You're needed! You're wanted! "You know, you're beautiful when you're generous."

"By the way, between us, dear donor? It's not about the money. It's about you. I'm not staring at your wallet."

"Yes, you are."

"Well, it was a mistake. This is about you."

Lesson ends: and the lights go off in Donor-Centricity Theatre.

Now I know why I don't exercise enough...

It makes the wine splash out of the glass

Change takes risk

Risk takes heart

Heart always wins

The end

Do gooder (proud of it)

Kill the tame (in you)