This document outlines an agenda for a fundraising copywriting workshop. The workshop will cover various tools used in fundraising copywriting over four sessions: the writer's toolbox, in action, tips from the best, and questions. The writer's toolbox session will discuss vocabulary, grammar, persuasion techniques, fundraising knowledge, and magic. The in action session will demonstrate writing for direct mail including envelopes, letters, response forms, and online fundraising. Tips from the best will share advice from authors like George Orwell and George Smith. Participants will have a chance to ask questions in the final session. The goal is to help participants become better fundraising copywriters.
6. Today…
The power of writing: a demo 10 minutes
The writer’s toolbox 20 minutes
In action 15 minutes
Tips from the best 10 minutes
Questions The rest
22. Vocabulary: George Smith
Saxon rather than Latin words have more force
Latin Saxon
Information News, facts
Indicate Show
Immediately Now, right
away
Construct Build, make
Discover Find
Try swearing with Latin-based oaths.
23. Tools 2: Grammar
• You do need to know the basics
• You can break the rules
24. Grammar
• You can start a sentence with ‘And’
• A sentence doesn’t always need a verb
• A sentence can be one word long or 20
• A paragraph can be one word long or 7-8 lines
• Sentence length and construction needs to vary
25. Sharpening common tools
Time %
Reading
Writing
Talking
Not entirely scientific as no time for eating and sleeping
26. Tool 3: Persuasion
• You need to build a persuasive argument
• Make it easy. Make it right
• Meet the donor’s needs
27. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Self-actualization – personal growth and fulfilment
Ego/Esteem – achievement, status, reputation etc
Social – belongingness, love, family, relationships, etc
Safety – protection, security, order, stability, etc
Physical – food, shelter, warmth, sleep, sex, etc
28. Needs are more potent than values
More Emotional More Rational
Change my mood Change my world
Amuse me Help me to grow Combat To help
Helplessness
• Novelty • Status • Relaxing • Safer world
• Entertaining • Education • Empowering • Better world
• Good ideas • Under-
standing
Source: Donor Need States. Bluefrog / Tangent, 2007
29. Help me to grow
• Elevate status
• Not macro marketing
• Emphasis on special treatment
• Respect and honesty
• Wanted information
More Emotional More Rational
Change my mood Change my world
Amuse me Help me to grow Combat To help
Helplessness
• Novelty • Status • Relaxing • Safer world
• Entertaining • Education • Empowering • Better world
• Good ideas • Under-
standing
30. Help me to grow
“The best stuff is a couple of sheets with a letter
from the professor…not a generic letter
just from someone in the company.”
Source: The Fundraiser’s guide to mid value donors. Bluefrog 2007
31. Help me to grow
“You know when it’s a computer saying thank
you and when it’s a person.
And, quite frankly, I prefer if it’s a person.”
(Female, 62)
Source: After the love has gone. Bluefrog 2008
34. Persuasion: put the donor first
• Prioritise donor needs
• It’s about what they want to hear
• Not what you want to tell them
• Via the mediums they want
• At the intervals they want it
35. Tool 4: technique
You need to be able to…
• write in different voices
• tell a story
• edit
• proof
• pull not push
36. Tool 5: Fundraising knowledge
You need to…
• be able to write or recognise a good fundraising
proposition
• know what works
• understand ask strategies and personalisation
• know your audience
37. Three key areas
Creative
Data
Research
Good creative is driven by knowledge and information
46. Envelopes
• C4 is more expensive
but we use for high
value warm and cold
• Manila costs more but
looks cheaper
You
• Think about perceived cost
47. Envelopes
Other techniques http://www.s
• Official
• Something inside ofii.org/nod
• Celebrate offer e/448#
• Teaser
You
• Test branded versus non branded
• Handwritten note
48. Letter
Damian O’Broin
Ask Direct in Ireland
http://www.askdirect.ie
You
• Read the letter aloud
• Be a person, not a computer
51. Letter
• Write to one person • Capture someone’s attention
• Use ‘you’ •Tell an engaging story
• Say thank you • Use an interesting signatory
• Personalise • Give the letter personality
52. Letter
• Ask for a suitable sum of money
• Say what the money will do
• Have a target
• Have a reply by deadline
• Highlight key points
•End each page on a split line so….
53. Letter
…that people turn over
• Use courier typeface
• Sign off in blue ink
• Annotate in blue ink
• Use a PS to add
urgency, sum up the
appeal
• Direct donor to
form, phone or web
address
54. Letter
• Long copy works
But is challenging to construct
• Lift letters work
Beneficiaries
Supporters
Staff doing the work
Family
55. Giving form
• Feature your offer
•Mini appeal
• Try A4
• Make it easy to give
• Offer other channels for giving
• Open up dialogue
• Pence per pound
• Give donors choice
56. Reply envelope
•Send back to letter signatory
• Make it easy to get the form in
• Fundraising deadline
• Urgent stamp
57. Enclosure
• Ditch the leaflet
• Offer more valued content
• In a more personal, engaging form
58. Online
•People go on line to give to DM
• Estimated increase 20-50%
• It’s easy
Pre-mail email DM appeal Email reminder
66. George Orwell
• What am I trying to say?
• What words will express it?
• What image or idiom will make it clearer?
• Is the image fresh enough to make the
effect?
• Could I put it more shortly?
• Have I said anything that is avoidably
ugly?
67. George Smith
• Use ‘I’ and ‘you’
• Get to the point
• Make it sound like someone is talking
• Relate the story to the donor
• Say what you mean with real words
68. Robert Louis Stevenson
The difficulty of literature is not to write,
but to write what you mean;
not to affect your reader,
but to affect him precisely as you wish.
