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May 1, 2008
Dear Ohdeuk,
It turns out that Amazon.com is offering my new book for more than one-third off—just $23.07 instead of $34.95. If you're planning to purchase a copy, this may be your best bet.
Click here to order a copy of the brand new, second edition of How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, complete with a CD-ROM chock full of examples.
Meanwhile, don’t forget the brilliant presentations available to you in the Resource Alliance 2008 Online Seminar Series.
Cheers,
mal
May 2008
In this issue...
1. What's Working: A really effective one-two punch
By Managing Editor Deborah Block and Paul Karps
2. Easy?
By Rick Christ
3. Self-audit your donor communications
By Tom Ahern
4. Where's Mal
5. Perception!
6. Best Practices: Destination marketing
By Tom Gaffny
7. Ask Mal
8. HandsOn: Make your Web site a big hit
By Lance Trebesch and Taylor Robinson
9. Web 2.0
By Mandy O'Neill
10. Copy Corner: Supporting the tangible
By Deborah Block and Paul Karps
11. Altruism!
1. A really effective one-two punch
By Managing Editor Deborah Block and Paul Karps
If you're a regular reader of this newsletter, you know we've written about the thank-you process any number of times over the years. This, of course, attests to the importance of saying "thank you" to your donors—quickly and graciously. But it also points out that we're always on the look-out for fresh, creative ways to express appreciation for a recipient's generosity. . .
 read more
2. Easy
By Rick Christ
If your online donation process is as easy and safe as online shopping, you still have a way to go to make it seem easy and safe to your donors. Is online banking the key?
Web users enjoy the convenience of shopping online, but are afraid of what they perceive to be a lack of security, according to the recent Pew Internet report on online shopping . . .
read more
3. Self-audit your donor communications
By Tom Ahern
Do your organization a favor. Get your thick skin back from the dry cleaners and conduct a self‑audit.
I audit donor communications for part of my living: Web sites, newsletters, appeal letters, and the like. Then I issue "report cards" on their effectiveness, based on industry best practices. . .
read more
4. Where's Mal
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Mal and other top-notch experts will be in Washington DC
July 23-25, 2008 at the Bridge Conference.
Join them to learn the latest fundraising
tips and techniques.
Click here to obtain more information or to register.
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May 1-4, 2008
Hamburg NJ
Social Venture Network Spring Conference
May 21-25, 2008
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
8th International Workshop on Resource Mobilisation
June 3-5, 2008
Palm Beach FL
DMA Nonprofit Leadership Summit
June 5-8, 2008
Boston MA
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
July 7-9, 2008 - London, United Kingdom
UK Institute of Fundraising National Convention
July 23-25, 2008
Washington DC
Bridge to Integrated Direct Marketing Conference
August 4-7, 2008
Minneapolis MN
Planned Parenthood Federation of America Development Officers Conference
October 14-17, 2008
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
28th International Fundraising Congress
5. Perception!
A clear majority of Americans (62%) believe nonprofits spend too much money on overhead, like fundraising and administration. So says a new study by Ellison Research and reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. on average, the public thinks charities spend approximately 36% of what they take in on operating costs. This is significantly more than the 22% people say organizations should be spending—let alone what many groups actually do spend on overhead. So if you’ve got the numbers on your side, it might well be time to flaunt them!
6. Destination marketing
By Tom Gaffny
At the 2008 DMA Nonprofit Conference in Washington DC, late in January, Epsilon Executive Vice President Tom Gaffny delivered an extraordinary workshop, relating the findings of his year-long study of online best practices. The presentation included a staggering 192 slides and revealed so much about the state of fundraising online today that it was virtually indigestible at one sitting. Tom graciously agreed to allow us to publish his findings piecemeal as a new column in this newsletter. What follows is the third installment.
read more
7. Ask Mal
Since 1994, when the Mal Warwick Associates Web site went online, Editor Mal Warwick has answered fundraising questions posed by visitors to the site. Hundreds of those Q&As are available here. In this feature, we'll spotlight one Q&A from the most recent month.
Question: My divisional board members are very concerned with the number of complaints we receive from our direct mail. They are concerned that for every one complaint received there are many others that do not complain. Is there any evidence to support their claims, and if so what is the ratio? However, more important, what evidence is there to support my claims that complaints can be a positive retention and development tool if actioned effectively for the organisation?
Mal answers
8. Make your Web site a big hit
A 30-Day Step-by-Step Guide to Dramatically Improved Search Engine Optimization (Part 3 of 4)
By Lance Trebesch and Taylor Robinson
Your Week 3 objective is to plan and develop a sound link-recruitment campaign.
A link, of course, is a connection between one Web page and another. Search engines value links, because if many links are pointing to the same Web site, then the Web site is deemed to be important and is given a higher page-rank (range 1-10) or level of importance. Having inbound links from high-quality sites will boost your site's SEO campaign more than any other factor. . .
read more
9. Web 2.0
By Mandy O'Neill
Organizations of all sizes are trying to identify ways to incorporate Web 2.0 tools and technologies into their outreach efforts to produce tangible results. A quick and easy option is to create a Widget — a chunk of code that can be embedded within a page of HTML. By providing supporters with a Widget for their personal Web sites and blogs, as well as social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, you can expand your reach and accelerate your list growth. . .
read more
10. Supporting the tangible
By Managing Editor Deborah Block and Paul Karps
Most of the time when we write a direct mail fundraising appeal, we deliberately keep the Ask general and unrestricted. In this way, it encompasses both the particular programmatic theme of the package and everything else the organization does. As in “ . . . to advance our work to protect endangered whales and all we do to save the planet.”
But every now and then, we’re asked to focus on a tangible product, program, or service that the organization provides to its community. The goal of the package, therefore, is specifically to raise money to subsidize that product, program, or service.
So if you find yourself in this atypical situation, here a few tricks we’ve learned that might help you as you craft your copy. . .
read more
11. Altruism
Giving really is better than receiving! At least according to a study in Science, as recounted in The New York Times. Researchers gave cash to subjects with instructions either to spend it on themselves or on others. The conclusion: Giving away just $5 resulted in a significant increase in happiness—while spending the money on oneself didn’t.
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Mal Warwick
Editor |
Deborah Block
Managing Editor |
Kieu Tran
Production Manager |
Contributing Editors:
Nick Allen, Donordigital
Ken Burnett, Cascaid Consulting
Harvey McKinnon, Harvey McKinnon Associates
Jerold Panas, Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners
Steve Thomas, Stephen Thomas
Joe White, Share Group, Inc.
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