Top Ten Tips for Effective Donor Messaging


I was recently asked the question – Do you have any tips for world-class donor communications?

Happy to answer that one, because communications are so important and a lot of what I see – as a board member and a donor – is downright awful.  Here’s a top ten list for effective donor messaging. First and foremost: Know your audience!

Top Ten Tips for Effective Donor Messaging

  1. Know your audience – What do they care about, what motivates them?
  2. Be clear on your objectives – What is the desired outcome of the communication?
  3. Use their language – Talk numbers with an MBA, vernal pools with a conservationist.
  4. Tie into your mission – Focus on the cause, not the institution.
  5. Shorter is better – Don’t drown them in details and pages.
  6. Appeal to the heart and the head – They are people, after all.
  7. Keep it simple – Rogers and Hammerstein is easier to sing than Andrew Lloyd Weber.
  8. Be consistent – Make sure everyone is telling the same story.
  9. Show and tell how you help – Pictures, stories, testimonials from beneficiaries.
  10. Differentiate yourself – Donors get information and appeals from lots of organizations.
This entry was posted in Fundraising How To's. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.