My brief official bio goes something like this ... at the moment:
In 2016, the New York Times called Tom Ahern "one of America’s most sought-after creators of fund-raising messages." In 2021, author and respected legacy expert, Richard Radcliffe, said: "Tom Ahern is possibly the greatest non-profit copywriter on the planet." Tom's recent cases range from massive campaigns with a $1 billion goal to local community chests hoping to raise small amounts. He has authored 7 highly-rated how-to books on donor communications. He speaks internationally. During the pandemic, he collaborated with the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy (UK) to devise a best-selling online course for charity copywriting.
Client responds to my bio:
Perfect! Shameless if it is true!
Me:
Yeah, it's true. I have more credentials and achievements than a porcupine has quills. NOT to brag ... because it was mostly about clients agreeing, "We're getting out of your way. Do what you think is best." Then we BOTH succeeded ... because EASY gains were just sitting there on the table, ready to be plucked.
Typically, my partners and I have more lay-psychology training than our nonprofit clients. Which meant THEY were guessing ... and we were only SEMI-guessing. We felt (knew-ish!) we could maybe reliably extract more money from their supporter base ... as long as clients allowed our uninhibited appeals and such to go free-range.
No mysteries. No magic.
Our confidence came from neuroscience; other recent research. A lot has changed in fundraising since the 1990s. NOT because of shiny new things ... but because we understand donor behavior MUCH better now.
love mushrooms
~ tom