The Little Words Mean the Most

My whiskey flight at Three Oaks

 

Ate at Gold Cash Gold, Detroit

Simone does Marilyn M.

Alene tells us like it is; read the T

a facial fixes everything

long day. we all did masks. Paul and Marilyn, Detroit.

shall we?

excerpt

 

1. You tell me how to buy. Same. Make all forms easy and inspiring! Inertia and doubts are powerful demons to overcome in fundraising. The most critical thing you can say on your donation page should be something vaguely like this:
2. Thank you. You make it possible. Thank you ... so, so much. We need you desperately. We love you so much, it's embarrassing. The fates of so many children and puppies in need [insert YOUR problem here] hang on your kindness today. Are you having a good day? Well, you know, what if you're not! You deserve a break! Still, just so you know: if you make a gift today this WILL be one of the best days of your life, I can pretty seriously promise you. Please, I beg you. Get involved! Your gift right now puts you on the front lines immediately. Where you're an inspiration to others! Let's be frank: your compassion makes our hair stand on end. You wake us up in the morning. Your belief in this mission is humbling. I hope we can live up to your expectations. Tell us when this mission goes wrong for you. Please! The most important gift you can give us? Your utterly honest appraisal.
   

Memphis on the Mississippi with Dan Murrell, champion planned giving officer at the University of Memphis; dry rub can also be used to keep deer off the squash; at a bar shaped like a guitar

Fell into the trap!

 

Master a modest handful of so-called "emotional triggers" ... and you will master probably 95% of what you need to write effective fundraising appeals, donor newsletters and giving pages on your website.

These emotional triggers work because of preexisting factors in the typical human brain, so it doesn't matter whether they're delivered via print or digital (or in person, for that matter).

The biggies, cited often by direct mail experts, include these (in alpha order, not in order of potency):

• Anger - "How can you kill a dolphin? I'm furious about this. Why does stuff like keep happening? I wish somebody would do something about it." Enter charity, stage right.
• Exclusivity - "That would be a good group to join." Enter President's Circles, legacy societies and events.
• Fear - "Are my grandkids going to be able to go outside without a gas mask in the future?" Enter charity, stage left.
• Flattery - "You said something very nice about me. You made me feel good. I'll do something nice back." A gift emerges.
• Greed - "I want to live in the best place on earth. But there are problems here, too. And I can do something to help." Call it "good greed" or maybe enlightened self-interest. Why do I give to my local volunteer fire department? Because they've already saved me twice.
• Guilt - "I wish I hadn't done that." And a lifelong attachment to supporting a certain mission is born.
• Hope - This is what charities actually sell to donors. Many, if not most, charities are solving problems. In an industrialized world, nature needs lots of protection. Millions don't have clean drinking water. The arts struggle to survive. Whatever the cause, the charity sells hope that the situation can be remedied, fixed, ameliorated, changed, improved.
• Salvation - "We're all sinners." Doing good is the responsibility of all good people. There's a chance we can save ourselves from our base nature.