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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 ... -
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? ...