Successful Fundraising

Writing fundraising letters is a learned and creative art! There are definitely ways and strategies to ask people for their charity dollars . . . yet many fundraisers don't know the first thing about writing productive letters or about direct mail.

Why are so many fundraising workers in the dark? Because the strategies, systems, plans and methods they must know to be successful are not available in schools or universities. Instead, they are proven techniques passed on from one successful fundraiser to another.

That's why so many non-profit organizations hire professional writers and consultants to develop their direct mail fundraising programs. Meanwhile, the fees for these consultants can be high and many charities just can't afford the fees.

I've consulted with small and large organization and I want to give you a few tips on why direct mail fundraising is an essential part of your fund development program. I also want to show you a few ways you can begin building your program.

Step One: Keep good records! Your non-profit should have a good computer system and software package that can track every donation. Obviously, you need the name and address of the donor along with the amount of their gift. But you also want to record the designation (how the gift should be used) and what motivated the donor to give. By motivation, I mean was it a letter, a personal visit, an event or a fund raising campaign? Be detailed about the motivation so you can use this information to track the effectiveness and conversion rates of your fundraising efforts.

Step Two: Get your ducks lined up. Make sure you start your fundraising work with a plan and that you ask the right questions. A good fundraising program has donor acquisition programs (getting people to give for the first time), donor development (turning one-time donors into long-term partners), and donor relations (caring for your donors). Before deciding on a fundraising strategy, make sure you keep the end in mind. If you mix agendas you can have disappointing results.

Step Three: Convert your one-time givers into long-term donors. One of the most powerful benefits of direct mail is to develop a closer relationship with people who have shown interest in your cause. A one-time giver is not a donor or a partner. So it's important to develop specific fundraising letters that will increase the commitment of that giver and motivate them to give another gift. Writing well structured and motivating fund raising appeal letters is essential to converting one-time givers to long-tern donors.

Step Four: Take care of your donors. I am always amazed at how little care non-profit organizations give to their donor base! And then they wonder why their fundraising efforts are not successful. Your donor base is at the heart of your organization. If it's not pumping blood (donation dollars) through your system, the whole body can deteriorate and eventually die! Every donor should receive the best attention and care that is reasonable. You will want to develop easy to apply systems to properly thank your donors for their charity dollars. And here's a surprise: to be successful, every donor should received a sincere and well-written thank you letter within five business days of the receipt of their gift! Why is this so important? First of all, it's the polite thing to do! Treat the donor's gift as if it was a personal birthday gift to you from a good friend. You would thank your friend right away . . . it's good manners and part of maintaining good relationships. The same is true in fundraising.

The other reason that thank you letters are so important is because they often serve as a tool for the donor to give again! Many of my fundraising clients received more than 25 percent of their donation dollars from thank you letters and donor receipts.

Setting up good fundraising systems pays in high dividends. Take the time to develop your systems and watch your donor base expand and your income grow!

Susan Gregory started working in the non-profit sector in 1975 and is recognized as an accomplished fundraising consultant and direct mail fundraising expert. She now teaches other fundraising professionals how to raise money through her books and courses.