{"id":9414,"date":"2017-04-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/?p=9414"},"modified":"2024-05-08T20:58:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T20:58:32","slug":"fundraising-appeal-best-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraising-appeal-best-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Fundraising Appeal Best Practices: 5 Ways To Improve Your Next Appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>People who support nonprofits get a lot of mail. Their email inboxes get pretty crowded, too. Whether it\u2019s from you, or another nonprofit, it\u2019s rare for a month to go by without at least a few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraising-letter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fundraising letters<\/a> popping up in the mailbox. With so many worthy organizations making so many asks, how do you make yours stand out?<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;With so many worthy organizations making so many asks, how do you make yours stand out?&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/L3Y50\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<h2>The Basic Function Of A Fundraising Appeal<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re sending it in the mail, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/crowdfunding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crowdfunding online<\/a>, an appeal functions the same way. It is a persuasive piece of writing (though it may be presented in a video) that asks for a donation.<\/p>\n<p>A good fundraising appeal:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tells a story<\/li>\n<li>Educates about your cause<\/li>\n<li>Inspires giving<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At its best, an appeal is both educational and inspirational. It gives your audience important information about your cause, and moves them to give. \u201c<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSounds good,\u201d you say. \u201cBut how?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve got a list for that.<\/p>\n<p>Here are five ways to improve your next fundraising appeal:<\/p>\n<h2>1.Tell A Tale: Storytelling<\/h2>\n<p>Your fundraising appeal must tell a story. No negotiations, it simply has to. Storytelling is the heart of people-based fundraising. That\u2019s why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CauseVox<\/a> is built to support telling stories, and put them front and center. Your audience connects to stories like nothing else, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/story-driven-fundraising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stories prime the brain to give<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The story you tell should be emotionally engaging and human-centered. \u201cOnce upon a time there was an organization, and they needed your money\u201d does not do the trick. Instead, focus on how your donors will make a difference and what kind of change you\u2019re able to make in the world, with their help.<\/p>\n<p>Look at this \u201cBefore and After\u201d story from <a href=\"https:\/\/worldbicyclerelief.org\/en\/a-caregiver-conquers-distance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">World Bicycle Relief.<\/a> It\u2019s a simple story, but it uses the personal story of Royce, a Community Health Volunteer (CHV) in rural Zambia. Before she had a bicycle, she could visit four patients a day. With a bicycle, she can care for up to 18 people!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-9416\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Royce-Impact-WBR-1024x355.png\" alt=\"CauseVox shows your organization's impact\" width=\"740\" height=\"257\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To get the most out of the story you tell, use a storytelling structure. At the very least, make sure your story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. To make your story gripping, experiment with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/nonprofit-storytelling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hollywood storylines<\/a>, like Overcoming the Monster, or Rags to Riches.<\/p>\n<p>CauseVox has a ton of storytelling resources, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/turn-any-message-into-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blog posts<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/tell-stories-connect-move-inspire-everyone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> e-books<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraising-stories-lori-jacobwith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>2. You, You, You: Get Personal<\/h2>\n<p>Thinking your appeal is about your cause and your needs is an easy trap to fall into. To improve your appeal, you need to flip your perspective, and start considering how you can make it about the donor and their needs.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;Thinking your appeal is about your cause and your needs is an easy trap to fall into.&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/b7wy3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>The first step to making it about the donor is an easy one. Use their name and the word \u201cyou\u201d throughout your appeal. None of this \u201cDear Friend\u201d or \u201cGenerous Supporter\u201d business&#8211;no one gets excited about a form letter. There are different opinions on how many instances of \u201cI\/We\u201d vs. \u201cYou\u201d should occur in an appeal, but it\u2019s definitely better to lean on the side of \u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9417\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9417\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-9417\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/NCYL-Campaign-1024x530.png\" alt=\"NCYL used CauseVox to raise funds and show impact.\" width=\"740\" height=\"383\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9417\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The National Center for Youth Law makes it about the donor\u2019s impact.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>3. Start A Conversation: Language And Tone<\/h2>\n<p>Just as a fairly mundane story can become interesting if it\u2019s well told, even the best story can\u2019t survive stilted, boring language and a dry tone. The language and tone of your fundraising appeal matters.<\/p>\n<p>The language you use in your appeal should be exciting, evocative, and active. Try out:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Incorporating the five senses&#8211;describe what things look like, sound like, feel like, smell like, taste like, as appropriate.<\/li>\n<li>Include specific details&#8211; \u201cOn the night of December 13th, temperatures reached -7 degrees. Kevin was living in a tent under the Lawrence Avenue overpass\u201d is stronger than, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to be homeless in the winter.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Use the active voice&#8211;it\u2019s more interesting to read, and makes everything more immediate for the reader.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The overall tone should be conversational and friendly. Watch out for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Inappropriate formality&#8211;Especially online, being overly formal in your writing can be off-putting.<\/li>\n<li>Extreme casualness&#8211;At the same time, you are still asking people to trust you with their money, so avoid casualness to the point of flippancy. Swearing or using a lot of slang can weaken your credibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>4. Show Why It Matters: Impact<\/h2>\n<p>What exactly is the donor doing by making a donation? The answer is not \u201cgiving money.\u201d Better answers are: \u201cGiving a kid a ride to school\u201d or \u201cProviding a week of supplies for a family <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/disaster-relief-fundraising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">devastated by a hurricane<\/a>\u201d or \u201cFeeding a family for X number of days.\u201d \u00a0Demonstrate the impact a donation will make.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9418\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9418\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-9418\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/School-to-School-Impact-1024x537.png\" alt=\"Show more than dollars, show impact.\" width=\"740\" height=\"388\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9418\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">School-To-School International shows the impact of donations in terms of months of scholarships for girls to attend school.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>5. Cut It Down: Length<\/h2>\n<p>While the jury is out on the perfect length for a direct mail appeal, for online fundraising appeals, we\u2019re sure: Shorter is better. Online readers are skimmers, so they won\u2019t spend a lot of time reading your appeal. Many people won\u2019t even scroll to read more.<\/p>\n<p>Since we know the number of people who read your entire appeal is going to be lower than the number who see it, it helps to be strategic&#8211;put the main ideas of your appeal in those first couple paragraphs.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve written your appeal, a solid next step is to look for things to cut. It\u2019s tempting to tell every single reason for donating to your cause, but you have to streamline to be effective.<\/p>\n<h2>You Can Do It<\/h2>\n<p>These best practices for your fundraising appeal aren\u2019t difficult, and don\u2019t take extra time or equipment. You already have everything you need to follow them&#8211;it\u2019s just a matter of paying attention and being intentional. So go forth! Make your next appeal with confidence!<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 1.75em;\"><em>&#8220;These best practices for your fundraising appeal aren\u2019t difficult, and don\u2019t take extra time or equipment.&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ctt.ec\/3UHaq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: .5em;\"><i class=\"icon ion-social-twitter\"><\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<h2>To Learn More, Check Out<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraising-appeal-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tips For An Effective Fundraising Appeal<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraising-email-appeals-inspire-action\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">5 Tips To Write Fundraising Email Appeals That Inspire Action<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People who support nonprofits get a lot of mail. Their email inboxes get pretty crowded, too. Whether it\u2019s from you, or another nonprofit, it\u2019s rare for a month to go by without at least a few fundraising letters popping up in the mailbox. With so many worthy organizations making so many asks, how do you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":50837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/fundraising-ways-improve-appeal-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/fundraising-ways-improve-appeal-600x492.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Olivia Hosey","author_link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/author\/ohosey\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}