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Repurpose the Proven
In a movie directed by Oliver Stone in the second half of the 1980’s, Charlie Sheen plays a young man who follows a bad father figure, then turns to follow ... -
“Trust, then give” or “Give, then trust”?
You know me – I’m always talking about how the “stories an organization tells itself” about fundraising have a lot to do with an organization’s success or failure. There’s another ... -
People Make Donations to Tell Ourselves…
You and I make donations in order to tell ourselves who we are. Each donation we make is a small step to: Become who we want to beContinue to be ... -
Passing the 3-second test
Notably re-quotable How the pandemic deeply dented one sector “Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic shook the Massachusetts’ arts and culture sector to its core, more than 1,000 cultural organizations ... -
“Shiny New Thing” conference tempting you?
Notably re-quotable Toxic positivity “Toxic positivity is pressuring people to look on the bright side. They have to suppress anxiety, anger, sadness, and grief. ¶ “Healthy support is shielding people ... -
Outline for newsletter stories
Here’s the outline we follow for newsletter stories. It’s remarkably simple, and it does two powerful things: It makes your newsletter easier and faster to write, because you have a ... -
How to Choose What to Underline and Why
I’m going to teach you to raise more money by showing you what to emphasize in your fundraising letters. Because if you underline or bold the right things, you’ll raise ... -
A Peek Behind the Curtain
This post is not fundraising advice. What’s worse, it starts with a boring topic – our mission. Whee! So you’re 110% forgiven if you don’t keep reading. But if you ... -
How to Avoid the “What does that mean?” Offramp
I have a rule I follow when creating fundraising: Avoid any statements that could cause a reader to think, “What does that mean?” It seems like a simple rule, no? ... -
Four Accidental Barriers to Connection with Your Donors
I see four main ways that organizations accidentally place barriers between their organization and their donors… Design/Type Size Here’s the situation in a nutshell: if your fundraising materials use small, ...
