Making an application list

Create Impact Now: 4 Key Appeal Ingredients That Move Donors to Act

Making an application list

Let’s say you’ve done everything thus far suggested in this fundraising appeal checklist.

✅ You’ve done the groundwork.
✅ You’ve focused your message.
✅ You’ve made it about the donor—not your organization.

Now it’s time to bring it home.

Because no matter how clear or well-structured your appeal is, it won’t inspire action unless it moves the reader.

Emotion—not logic—is what compels people to give. And that emotion is sparked by how you make your donor feel.

Do they feel seen? Valued? Needed? Inspired? Uplifted?

Transform Your Appeal from a Simple Ask into a Powerful Invitation

The final four steps of this 8-step checklist are about speaking to your donor’s best self, inspiring compassion, and stirring urgency.

These are the emotional ingredients that turn intention into action.

Let’s explore them.

In Part 1 we looked at the first four:

    1. You
    2. Easy
    3. Welcome
    4. Heart-awakening

Today we continue with four more.

    1. Best Self
    2. Uplift
    3. Unconditional Love
    4. Urgency

5. BEST SELF

What if part of the reason our sector has so little understanding of our supporters is because we think we’ve done the work of understanding by slapping the activist, volunteer, donor (insert other generic label here) on people?

— Kevin Shulman, Founder, DonorVoice

Donors have their own sense of identity; they’re people first.

Trying to categorize them neatly into donor “personas” (e.g., “Wanda Widow,” “Busby Business Man,” “Suzy Soccer Mom,)” doesn’t work nearly as well as helping them express their best self or selves.

Details
Leave a commentAnnual Giving
Hand writing checklist

Fundraising Appeal Checklist: 8 Essentials to Review Before You Write

Hand writing checklist

Before you write a single word of your annual fundraising appeal, pause.

Take a deep breath.

And think about the person who will open your letter or email.

They’re not just a “donor.” They’re a person with hopes, fears, dreams and values.

  • Someone who cares.
  • Someone who wants to make a difference.
  • Someone who, in a world full of distractions, is about to give you their attention—and maybe even their trust.

When you think in this broader context, it’s clear your appeal is more than a request for money. It’s a chance to build a bridge between your donor’s values and yours. To spark hope. To remind someone of the good they can do—through you.

This Checklist Will Help You Avoid Common Missteps

Too often, well-meaning appeals are ignored—not because the cause isn’t worthy, but because the message misses the mark. Maybe it’s too vague. Too organizationally focused. Or simply doesn’t make the donor feel like they matter.

That’s where this 8-step self-test comes in.

These first four steps are designed to help you lay a strong foundation before you write. They’ll keep your message clear, focused, and deeply donor-centered—so your appeal doesn’t just get read, but truly felt.

Let’s dive in.

We’ll review the final 4 steps in Part 2.

1. YOU

“The most beautiful thing in the world is you.”

— Alvin Ailey, choreographer and dancer, (1931-1989)

This gets to who you’re writing to.

Not to yourself, program staff. or your board of directors. You’re writing to ONE donor. It’s about their ego, not yours. Their needs, not yours.

Take a good hard look at your letter. How often do you use “I,” “my,” “our,” “we,” or the name of your organization vs. “you” and “your?”

Fix this! Here’s a “you test” you can use from Bloomerang.

Here’s a “don’t” example:

Details
Leave a commentAnnual Giving
Kids sharing a secret

So You Want More Major Gifts This Year? Here’s the Secret!

Kids sharing a secretAll you’ve got to do is ask!

Seriously. The number one reason people don’t make a major gift – or any gift for that matter – is no one asks them.

But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.

Before you can ask, you have to know a few basics:

  • Who will you ask?
  • What will you ask for?
  • When will you know they’re ready to be asked?
  • Where should you ask?
  • How should you ask?
  • Why are you asking?

Let’s take these fundamentals one at a time.

Who will you ask?

Not everyone in your donor base is a major gift prospect.

Even if they were, you probably don’t have the bandwidth to cultivate and solicit all of them right now. It’s just common sense to prioritize those donors with whom you’re most likely to succeed. There’s no hard and fast rule as to how to pick this priority group.

I generally advise starting with

Details
Leave a commentMajor & Legacy Gifts
Frankenstein drawing

Are These Fundraising Appeal Best Practices Holding You Back?

Frankenstein drawingFull confession: I’ve used the franken “best practice” appeal structure for years. And honestly? It works — especially if you borrow generously from the best of the best appeal writers. I’ve even taught these practices at conferences, on webinars, and through consulting engagements.

You probably know the formula:

  • Lead with the beginnings of a story illustrating your mission.

  • Introduce a compelling need or problem.

  • Offer a specific, credible solution.

  • Ask.

  • Provide more context about the need.

  • Share more details about the solution.

  • Ask again.

  • Suggest a hopeful conclusion — one the donor can help create.

This structure isn’t wrong.

It’s a well-intentioned attempt to do all the right things.

But over time, something gets lost. It becomes less of a cohesive narrative and more of a checklist — a stitched-together collection of tactics. And like any Frankenstein’s monster, it can start to look and feel… unnatural.

You Can Do Better Than Franken-Fundraising

Here’s the truth: I know better now.

Details
Leave a commentAnnual Giving
Mirror image

Would You Donate to You?

Mirror image

Let’s flip the script. This week, you’re not the fundraiser—you’re the donor.

For five easy, eye-opening days, you’ll experience your organization the way your supporters do: what they see, how they feel, and what might be turning them off (or winning them over). It’s a chance to spark fresh insights, fine-tune your approach, and build a more donor-centered experience—without adding anything major to your to-do list. Let’s go!

Start Here: Map the Donor Experience

Before you can see your organization through a donor’s eyes, you need to know where they’re looking. Begin by making a list of all the ways a potential donor might interact with your organization. First impressions matter—and so do second, third, and tenth ones. Every touchpoint is a chance to build trust (or lose it).

To get you started, here are some common places your donor might encounter you:

  • Your website (especially the homepage and “Donate” page)
  • Email newsletters and appeals
  • Social media posts, comments, and replies
  • Event invitations, attendance or follow-ups
  • Thank-you messages (or the lack of them)
  • Confirmation emails and donation receipts
  • Voicemail greetings or phone interactions
  • Encounters a street fundraiser working on your behalf
  • Calls your front desk for information
  • Staff bios or leadership pages
  • Direct mail pieces (including brochures, catalogues, fliers from a program)
  • Internet search results (especially on Charity Navigator or Candid/Guidestar)
  • Online reviews or media coverage
  • Participation as a volunteer (direct service, committee or board)
  • Participates in a fee-for-service program
  • Has friends or family involved as participants

Jot down every possible entry point—even the ones that seem small.

These are the windows into your world, and this week, we’re going to peek through them all.

The 5-Day Donor Challenge

Day 1: The First Impression Test

Today, you’re a stranger—someone who just heard about your organization and decided to check it out. Open your website as if you’re visiting it for the very first time. What do you see? What do you feel?

Here’s your checklist:

Details
1 CommentStrategy & Management
Curious cat emerging from window

Curiosity Didn’t Kill These Fundraisers—It Made Them Unstoppable

Remember, behind all your work there are people. It’s your job to learn about them. One of your best tools is curiosity. One study published in Harvard Business Review, found curiosity builds trust and improves relationships in the workplace. It also builds trust between you and donors. Jon Simons, Executive V.P. of DBD Group, suggests curiosity is…

Details
Leave a commentMajor & Legacy Gifts
Rocks, balancing.

Balancing Trick: You. Donor. Nonprofit.

Rocks, balancing.When the world feels wildly out of whack, it’s time to figure out how to bring things back into some semblance of balance.

Today I share a proven 1-2-3 formula for nonprofit fundraising success — even when the ground underneath feels shaky.

This is a time when keeping one’s balance is quite a challenge. But, if you use this formula, you can steady yourself, right your organizational ship, and bring meaning, purpose and joy to others in your community who share your values.

What I’m about to share is obvious. I know you know it. But… do you do it?

Just in case you need a little reminder.

  1. The first step is essential for success in anything.
  2. The second step is essential for success in any consumer-facing business.
  3. The third step is essential for success in reaching any fundraising goal.

Begin with Centering Actions: For Yourself, Others and Your Mission.

I’m talking about balancing self-love with donor-love with mission-love.

You’re no doubt familiar with the adage “You can’t help others unless you first take care of yourself.”

This is a truism you should carry with you throughout your life, and not just when the oxygen masks come down on an airplane. It’s never been truer than in the times in which we’re currently living, when there are new things about which to worry seemingly daily.

How do you lead the way forward, helping yourself and others navigate through the tough times?

I’d like to suggest you heed this 3-Step Formula to nonprofit fundraising success.

Details
Leave a commentStrategy & Management