Expert Fundraiser is offering 10 telephone seminars during the last week of May, 2012.Each session is 90 minutes and includes time for questions. You canparticipate from anywhere in the world that has a phone.The presenter is Alan Sharpe, CFRE, direct mail fundraising consultant, author and coach. The cost of each tele-seminar is CDN$49. These tele-seminars will NOT be recorded. [Read more...]
Twenty Postal Strike Survival Tips for Charities and Non-Profits
June 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
What should you do if your charity raises money through the mail but your country’s postal workers are about to strike, or are already on strike?
Naturally, you’re troubled.
Most charities in Canada that are not places of worship raise a substantial portion of their operating budget using fundraising letters. Many charities also rely on the mail to recruit new donors, keep their donors up to date with newsletters, invite donors to special events, conduct donor surveys, and issue charitable tax receipts and thank-you letters. So a strike by postal workers isn’t just an inconvenience. It threatens a charity’s very existence.
Here are some ways to survive a postal strike. [Read more...]
Does Asking for a Gift in Thank-You Letters Help or Harm? Test and Find Out
May 15, 2011 By 6 Comments
By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
Don’t listen to fundraising consultants like me who say you should never ask for a gift in a thank-you letter.
That’s what I used to say before I was hired by a non-profit that did ask for donations in its gift acknowledgement letters. I wanted to axe the practice. But then the director of finance showed me that including a reply device and business reply envelope with every thank-you letter raised over $150,000 annually for the charity. After that I wasn’t so quick to condemn the practice.
I still think thanking a donor and asking for a gift at the same time is crass. That’s what my gut says. And I agree with Penelope Burk, Michael Rosen and other fundraising practitioners when they say the practice is likely to drive away donors.
But does asking for a gift in a thank-you letter help or harm your charity? Test and find out. [Read more...]
Should a Donation Thank-You Letter Ever Ask for a Donation?
January 17, 2011 By 1 Comment
By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
I got a big surprise the day I closed my direct mail fundraising consultancy and started working for a national charity. I discovered that my new employer used its gift acknowledgement letters as a way to raise funds. With every donation thank-you letter it mailed to donors, it included a reply device and business reply envelope. [Read more...]
Eight Mistakes to Avoid in Donation Thank You Letters for a Fundraising Gift or Contribution
July 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
The easiest way to encourage a donor to mail you another donation is to thank her properly for her last gift. There are right ways and wrong ways to thank your donor. Avoid these mistakes when mailing your donation thank-you letters, notes and cards. [Read more...]
Free Sample Donation Thank-You Letter for Fundraising Gift or Contribution.
June 1, 2006 By
By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
The most important letter in direct mail fundraising never asks for a donation. Thank-you letters increase donor loyalty, strengthen relationships and increase your chances of receiving more gifts in the future, including major gifts and legacy gifts. [Read more...]
Donation Thank-You Letters, Cards And Notes Should Never Ask For A Gift.
June 1, 2006 By
By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
The most important letter in direct mail fundraising never asks for a gift. Ever. [Read more...]
Donation Thank-You Letter Mistakes To Avoid In Direct Mail Fundraising.
June 1, 2006 By
By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
I once had a friend who used to bid me farewell by exclaiming, “Up ’yer kilt!” Where Jock is today and how many pals he still has I cannot tell. But his original and startling phrase reminds me of a vital truth in direct mail fundraising: How you thank your donors and how your donors hear you thank them can be two different things. [Read more...]
