2020 was a wild fundraising year. Anecdotally I can say that those orgs and fundraisers who put in their best effort to tell great stories, clearly asking for something in a thoughtful way did extremely well last year.
I wanted to take a moment to share our top 6 takeaways from an appeal we worked on with our friends at St. Thomas Elgin Hospital Foundation. Spoiler - it did 515% better…
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Dear Jen, Here’s the problem. We live in a world (and a sector!) that seeks definitives. Silver bullets. “Show me proof that adding X will result in Y.” But most successful, effective and impactful fundraising is not definitive. There is no one way to design an outer envelope…
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I can't believe it's been a month since we hosted the first ever Individual Giving Summit (#IGSummit). The broadcast went around the world and we had fundraisers from every corner of the planet who care about, nerd out about and obsess about individual giving and direct response show up and participate. ANYHOO... I wanted to share something really awesome.
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Hey! How are you? No, really how ARE you?
Things are weird, unprecedented, uncertain…ahh so much bullsh*t language. I honestly think sometimes I might be more anxious and exhausted trying to come up with new ways to talk about what’s happening than what’s actually happening…fellow writers, do you know what I'm saying?
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Agent Jen here. This is a guest post from an anonymous fundraiser working in the trenches during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sending love and light to fundraisers everywhere... XO
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Readers, there is A LOT I can say about the last 10 years here at the Agents of Good. But most importantly, I want to thank you for being part of this gongshow. Our readers, clients, colleagues, family and friends are the reason we love what we do and nothing we do would be possible without our community. Thank you, Agents of Good far and wide!
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I’m proud to point out that I’ve been a student of direct response and direct marketing for more than 20 years. That’s a lot of ideas, testing, concepts, tactics, tricks, tips, nerd knowledge and history packed into this tiny brain of mine.
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If you’ve seen me speak, you’ve heard me talk about “Ask for one thing”. I learned a lifetime ago that, in testing, the more you ask for, or the more check boxes you have on your reply form, the less likely you’ll get a positive result…
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Does your organization send newsletters to your donors? A great #donorlove newsletter should do three things…
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This week, I’m delighted to be featured on Simon Scriver’s Amazingly Ultimate Fundraising Superstar podcast! Have a listen and I’d love to hear what you think and hear about any of your favourite fundraising conversations…
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I first heard this idea of “the 3 deaths” from my Mum, just after the death of her father. She’d heard it on a podcast, and it stuck with her. I remember her telling me about it during a hike in the woods, and she repeated the sentiment at his graveside ceremony, surrounded by our extended family…
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Recently, Julie Edwards, Executive Director at The Humane Society of Northeast Georgia, asked us to do a #donorlove audit of her newsletter. These audits can be useful since they are specific to your program, your appeal, your newsletter, whatever it might be…
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…In theory.Would your donor feel that way? Mary Cahalane (Hands-On Fundraising) and I sat down to give you a tried and tested YEAR END checklist you can use as you sit down to craft the most meaningful appeal of the year…
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There are “annual reports”… I’m sure you are picturing your 12, 16, 20, 24 page, 8.5″ x 11” report filled with copy about your amazing programs and tiny stock shots and photographs of people holding cheques. On the upside, the comms department was thrilled that you adhered to their excessive graphic standards…
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As a graphic designer and donor champion, I spend a lot of time thinking about the needs of donors. May I remind you, my friends and colleagues, that your amazing donors are very likely, women in their late 60’s to early 90’s…
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This direct mail appeal pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. Not too long ago, I opened my mailbox to find this inside…
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A question that we get asked all the time is, “How do you get a (non-traditional) report like this approved by people who are comfortable with traditional approaches, strategies and executions?”
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I find it interesting that when we are asked to look at someone’s direct mail, all they tend to send us is the letter. “Where’s the envelope? ” I ask. Silence. There are two different types of envelopes…
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