The dial-in number for this telephone seminar is a toll number. You will pay regular long-distance charges. This extra cost has been factored into the price charged for these telephone seminars.

Materials
For each tele-seminar, you will receive a comprehensive handout that includes Alan’s speaking notes. The handout for each session is around 30 pages.

Cancellations
You may cancel at any time for any reason up to the day of the session and receive a refund minus a $25 service fee. We have to pay someone else a fee to register you and to process your credit card payment. The $25 service fee that we levy covers these expenses that we must incur on your behalf.

Lifetime guarantee
Apply the techniques and skills you learn in each tele-seminar. If you’re not 100% satisfied with your results, tell Alan Sharpe in writing and he will refund your entire fee immediately.

Monday, May 28, 2012
11:00 am Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
Anatomy of a Successful Direct Mail Fundraising Letter

One of the best ways to learn the craft of creating, writing and designing successful fundraising letters is to look over the shoulders of professional fundraisers at work. This tele-seminar features a line-by-line analysis of a successful direct mail fundraising package that Habitat for Humanity mailed to prospective donors.

The entire package was written by a professional direct mail fundraising writer and designed by a firm that specializes in creating fundraising packages for the world’s top non-profit organizations. Although this is an acquisition letter (mailed to strangers and designed to secure a first-time donation), it contains the elements of all successful fundraising letters. If you use the mail to raise funds, this handbook will help you discover what to do right—and what to avoid.

Read the letter through. Study the contents of the entire package (every part of the package is illustrated; see what actually went in the mail and generated such a terrific response).  Then listen to Alan’s detailed, annotated comments. You’ll learn over 60 practical, effective tactics that you can employ with your next direct mail fundraising appeal letter.

Topics covered

Mailing envelope

• eight tips for getting it right
• logo placement
• how to use teaser copy
• illustrations on envelopes
• addressing
• window or no window?
• postal indicia

Two-page letter

• 25 observations, recommendations and criticisms to help you produce winning letters
• tips for having a professional letterhead
• how to use the headline with the envelope teaser
• the value of a powerful opening line
• how to build rapport quickly
• introducing the need for funds in the right way
• introducing the writer
• when and how to introduce the organization
• the role of facts and evidence in the appeal letter
• the human interest angle, and how to use it
• formatting tips
• features of a winning testimonial
• how to sum up
• how to ask for funds
• the sign off
• what color ink to sign the letter with
• who should sign the letter?
• the P.S. and what to say there

Buckslip, two-sided

• six tips about buckslips
• what the buckslip should accomplish
• what to put on a buckslip
• should you ask for funds?
• a few words about formatting for success

Freemium (a unique one!)

• learn four things to get right with your next freemium
• why include a freemium?
• why is this one excellent?
• how the freemium ties in with the ask and the rest of the package
• one thing this freemium got wrong

Reply coupon, two-sided

• 13 tips on writing and designing an effective reply device
• one-time gift or monthly gift—which should you ask for?
• how to capture email addresses
• a few tips on ask strings

Reply envelope

• four guidelines for effective return envelopes
• one simple phrase that saves your organization money when receiving gifts
• two things that boost response with reply envelopes
• an interesting image to put on the back of the envelope to boost response (worth testing)

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Click Here to Register for “Anatomy of a Successful Direct Mail Fundraising Letter“

Monday, May 28, 2012
03:00 pm Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
How to Write Breakthrough Fundraising Letters

The hardest job in direct mail fundraising, next to grabbing and keeping the attention of distracted donors, is persuading them to make a donation. Your typical direct mail donor already gives to 14 other charities. Why should she give to yours? And why now? Because you’ve written a breakthrough fundraising letter.

Breakthrough fundraising letters state their case for support in terms that resonate with donors, making your cause and the request for funds too irresistible to pass up. Even organizations that have seemingly mundane mandates are finding creative ways to create vivid, captivating letters. Letters that inspire donors to give. You can, too.

In this 90-minute teleseminar, direct mail fundraising consultant, coach and author Alan Sharpe shares many of the secret techniques revealed in his latest book, Breakthrough Fundraising Letters. Alan shows you proven ways to inspire your donors using paper and postage. You’ll learn tips, techniques and shortcuts that you can use right now.

Tele-Seminar Outline

• learn 14 reasons people respond to direct mail fundraising appeals so you know how to write yours
• discover why every appeal letter you write needs to appeal to your donor’s interests, not yours
• learn how to raise more money by writing about people instead of programs
• see how professional copywriters stir feelings of compassion, mercy, empathy and altruism so that donors identify with your cause on more than a cerebral level
• find the best cure for “donor fatigue,” and how to employ this tactic in your next fundraising letter to motivate donors to give again
• learn how to avoid sounding like an institution (which decreases your response) and how to sound human, warm and friendly
• pick up many practical ways to tell gripping, interesting stories, stories that inspire donors to mail you a check
• discover a little-know device that awakens empathy in readers, making them predisposed to support you with a donation
• overcome skepticism in your readers in a natural way

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Click Here to Register for “How to Write Breakthrough Fundraising Letters“

Tuesday, May 29, 2012
11:00 am Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
How to Raise Funds with Your Website

Online fundraising is more important than ever before. Increasing numbers of charities in your sector are using their websites and email to raise funds. And increasing numbers of donors are making the Internet their primary and preferred way to make donations. You must capitalize on this unique opportunity or get left behind.

You can raise money online regardless of the size of your organization or the age of your donors. A well-planned, well-written and well-designed website reaches your donors and potential donors in every country 24 hours a day. But they will only give if you follow the latest tested tactics for soliciting donations online.

Learn about websites: why donors visit them, what they expect to find, what makes them return, why they donate online, and how you can attract them and their ongoing gifts and loyalty over time. You’ll learn the practical steps you need to take right now to raise funds and raise friends with your website.

How to move your website beyond the Donate Now button

• why you need a donor-centred website right now
• how to capitalize on your website’s most attractive features (global reach, 24-hour availability, interactivity)
• how to create a website that strengthens the friendships you have with your donors
• how to increase donor loyalty and retention with your website

Website content and design

• what visitors look for on a not-for-profit website, and how you can use this knowledge to win their hearts and minds (and purses)
• how to make your web pages “sticky” with content that donors want to read
• dozens of ways to deliver relevant content that brings donors back again and again
• costly mistakes to avoid when designing your web pages
• lessons in web design and content from leading charities

How to attract potential donors

• how to write your web pages so that search engines rank them higher in search results—making you easier to find
• how and where to promote your website offline so that you increase your number of daily visitors
• how to turn your visitors into donors and your donors into visitors
• how to motivate visitors to recommend your website to their friends, family and colleagues

When and how to ask for donations online

• how to link your ask with the content of each page
• how to integrate giving opportunities naturally into the text of each story so that readers are more likely to donate
• how to use involvement and advocacy opportunities as a way to encourage visitors to increase their commitment
• how to ask visitors for donations many times throughout your site without seeming pushy

Donation pages, thank-you pages and follow-up emails

• how to write and design an effective donation page
• what to say, and why, on your donation thank-you page
• how and why you must integrate your online giving page with
  email follow-up letters
• how to create special campaign web pages that encourage donations

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Click Here to Register for “How to Raise Funds with Your Website“

Tuesday, May 29, 2012
03:00 pm Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
How to Raise Funds with Email Appeal Letters, Donor E-newsletters and Alerts

Email is one of the most important tools at your disposal as a professional fundraiser. It’s fast, cheap and easy to use. You can be sure that just about every single one of your donors has an email address and uses it regularly. Email is an informal but effective way to stay in touch with them.

But using email effectively is tough. You face spam filters for one thing. If you don’t know what you’re doing, a great deal of your email messages will never reach your donors. Then you face the challenge of low open rates. Some donors, unless you are careful, will receive your emails but not open them.

In this tele-seminar, you’ll learn the practical steps you need to take to raise funds and raise friends by being a welcome arrival in your donors’ email inboxes.

Why you need an email fundraising program—today

• how to increase your reach exponentially with email
• how to integrate email fundraising into your fundraising strategy
• how to capitalize on email’s most attractive features (cheap, fast, easy, one-on-one)
• how to use email letters and newsletters to strengthen the friendships you have with your donors

How to build your email list

• how to use each email as a way to attract new subscribers
• dozens of ways to get email addresses from your existing donors
• costly mistakes to avoid when renting or trading email lists
• how to collect email addresses using your website

Email appeals letters

• how to write and design emails that inspire donors to donate
• where in your email to ask for funds, and how often, to boost your chances of securing a gift
• how to turn your donors into advocates and your advocates into donors
• mistakes to avoid in the from and subject fields so that your emails arrive and get read

Donor e-newsletters and alerts

• design secrets that improve email newsletter readability
• how to use email alerts to mobilize your members and raise funds at the same time
• how to persuade your subscribers to get involved (since involved donors are more likely to donate)
• how to ask for donations in email newsletters without seeming pushy

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Click Here to Register for “How to Raise Funds with Email Appeal Letters, Donor E-newsletters and Alerts“

Wednesday, May 30, 2012
11:00 am Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
Million-Dollar Thank-You Letters

The most important letter in direct mail fundraising never asks for a donation. Direct mail fundraising is about relationships, not revenue. The only way to generate sustainable income through the mail is to build relationships with your donors, relationships that are built on trust and are mutually beneficial.

This means that your goal with every letter you mail to donors is not to raise funds but to raise friends. Or, to put it another way, your aim with every fundraising letter is to retain donors first, and to raise revenue second.

The cost of losing a direct mail donor is tremendous. Donors who support your organization by sending you small gifts in the mail can contribute hundreds (even thousands) of dollars over their lifetime as a donor. To lose a steady, faithful donor is to lose a predictable source of income.

The cost of replacing a direct mail donor is also tremendous. With the costs of donor acquisition (writing, design, printing, list rental, postage) rising every year, many organizations do not break even on acquisition mailings until they receive a second or third gift from a first-time donor.

Re-soliciting existing donors is likely to perform five to eight times more profitably than acquiring the same number of equally generous first-time donors.

Your existing donors are always better prospects for gifts than those who have never supported your cause. So you can see how vital it is for your organization to keep the donors you have. Donor retention is all about loyalty. The donor’s loyalty to you, and your loyalty to your donor. And the most effective way to increase donor loyalty is to write heart-felt, personal thank-you letters.

In this telephone seminar, direct mail fundraising consultant and coach Alan Sharpe shows you how, when and why to thank your donors so they gladly give more, and give more often. You’ll learn tips, techniques and shortcuts that you can use right now.

• six lasting benefits of writing great thank-you letters
• how mistakes in thanking your donors will reduce your income, increase your donor attrition rate and harm your reputation
• why thanking your donors on time boosts donor loyalty
• why heartfelt gratitude, communicated in the right way, boosts your net income
• three things that today’s donors demand from you before they will give you another gift
• why you need a gift acknowledgement program, what that program includes, and how to create it
• how (and why) to include your staff and board members in thanking and acknowledging your donors
• the difference between gift acknowledgement and donor recognition, and why today’s donors prefer one over the other
• why you need to thank your different donors in different ways
• how to thank your donors for more than just their money, and why doing so is so vital to keeping them loyal
• how to decide when to visit, when to phone and when to write, and how best to combine two or more ways of thanking your donor
• how to address your envelope so it is as personal as possible
• what type of postage to apply so your thank-you letter is most likely to be read immediately
• when to mail your thank-you letter
• mistakes to avoid in thanking your donors on paper
• one salutation that is guaranteed to extinguish any goodwill your letter may attempt to communicate (and how to avoid it)
• how to start your letter so your donor is compelled to continue reading
• when to include the amount, date and designation of the donor’s gift, and why doing so boosts donor loyalty
• why you need to thank your donor more than once in each letter, note or gift
• when to use handwriting
• how often to change your generic thank-you letter
• the most important word in thank-you letters
• how long your letter should be
• dozens of creative ways to communicate your gratitude
• dozens of creative ways to communicate how your donor’s gift is making a difference
• things to include with your thank-you letters that inspire donors to give again

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Click Here to Register for “Million-Dollar Thank-You Letters“

Wednesday, May 30, 2012
03:00 pm Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
Where to Find Hidden Millionaires in Your Region

If you’re using the same list of wealthy prospects as every other fundraiser, your list has no strategic value. You need a different list. A list comprised of millionaires that no one in your city has discovered. This session shows you how to compile that list.

You will learn . . .

• how to use your library (and librarian) to uncover hidden millionaires
• how to read your local newspaper classifieds in a new way, searching in unconventional places for the clues that undiscovered millionaires leave in their path
• how to read stories in your local newspaper with new eyes, looking for the events in people’s lives that indicate considerable wealth
• how to search trade publications for wealthy people in your city
• how to spot millionaire business owners from your car while driving around your city’s industrial and retail areas
• how to find millionaires in the Yellow Pages
• how to search the eight most popular directories of the wealthy, most of them likely unknown by other non-profits in your city

By the end of this session, you’ll know where to find the undiscovered  people in your city who have wealth to give away.

Click Here to Register for “Where to Find Hidden Millionaires in Your Region“

Thursday, May 31, 2012
11:00 am Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
How to Convert Your Once Only Direct Mail Donors into Repeat Givers

Only 35 percent of new donors ever make a second gift. Which is to say, a whopping 65 percent of donors acquired by direct mail give once and never give again.

Confronting this sobering statistic takes courage but is worth the effort. Here’s why.

1. Donors acquired through direct mail usually generate net income only after making a second donation, because acquisition mailings usually lose money (you must lose money to gain a donor).

2. Re-soliciting existing donors is likely to perform five to eight times more profitably than acquiring the same number of equally generous first-time donors.

3. Today’s new donor is tomorrow’s major donor and legacy gift prospect.

What all of this means is that the most important gift in direct mail fundraising isn’t the first gift but the second one. What’s most important isn’t the first mailing that acquires the donor, although that’s vital, obviously, but the second mailing (or third or fourth) that keeps the donor. So the place to concentrate your scarce financial resources is not more and more donor acquisition but better donor conversion. Donor conversion is the process of turning a first-time donor into a repeat donor. Some people call it donor renewal, which is also the act of persuading donors and members to renew their support year after year. This tele-seminarteaches you proven direct mail fundraising techniques for renewing your new members and first-time donors—year after year.

Avoid costly mistakes

• avoid acquisition methods that tend to attract more once-only donors than you care to process
• learn why front-end premiums can attract new donors but still not deliver the results you need
• discover the long-term drawbacks of using emergency appeals to attract new donors

Master how to use thank-you letters as renewal devices

• when to mail them
• what to show your thanks for
• one alternative more powerful than the mail
• what to mention in particular to encourage a second gift
• how to sign the letter
• one thing you must never say in your thank-you letter (53 percent of donors dislike it, and 8% will never give you another donation if you make this blunder)
• what kind of envelope to use
• what kind of postage to use
• what never to do with the outside of the envelope

What you must do between the 1st ask and the 2nd ask to get the 2nd gift

• what donors expect from you after they’ve made their first gift
• why you cannot expect the second gift to come automatically
• 19 things you can mail to first-time donors before making the second ask, each of them likely to increase your chances of securing long-term donor loyalty
• why you should involve your donors before soliciting them again
• two things you must do to transform once-only donors into long-term, loyal supporters
• nine things you can do to keep your new donors interested in your cause

Improve your renewal series, improve your renewal rates

• when should you start your renewal campaign?
• how many times, minimum, should you ask for a second gift?
• what should you do with donors who give once and never again?
• what’s so deadly about addressing your letter to “Dear Friend”?
• how much money should you ask for the second time around?
• what must you say in your appeal letter to increase your chances of securing a second gift?

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Click Here to Register for “Convert Your Once Only Direct Mail Donors into Repeat Givers“

Thursday, May 31, 2012
03:00 pm Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
How to Recover Your Lapsed Direct Mail Donors

Your lapsed donors and lapsed members are a gold mine. You’ll find hidden nuggets among this group if you take the time and expend the effort (and money) required to uncover them.

You may be tempted to drop lapsed donors from your mailings, maybe even delete them from your database. But that is a strategic blunder. Your lapsed donors are worth pursuing for a number of reasons:

• you know that they donate to worthy charities
• you know that they respond to direct mail appeals for funds
• they likely comprise over half of the donors in your house file—you literally cannot afford to overlook them
• once recovered, they tend to make larger donations than new donors do

Your repeated mailings to reactivate lapsed donors will pay off if done properly. The secret is to continue mailing to this group until the results drop below what you’d achieve (in response rate and average gift) by mailing to cold lists.

This tele-seminar teaches you the financial rewards, savings and long-term benefits of wooing and winning your donors all over again using direct mail.

Learn how to win back old friends

• learn nine excellent reasons for pursuing your lapsed donors
• learn how to tell when a donor has lapsed so you can take immediate action
• discover the vital difference between lapsed donors and former donors, and why you must treat each group differently
• learn the 12 common reasons that donors lapse
• understand the primary reason that donors stop giving (it’s not what most people think it is)
• discover the causes of lapsing that you can control—and those that you can’t
• learn the simple step you can take to avoid mistaking moved donors for lapsed donors

Discover how to mine the gold in your lapsed donor file

1. why you should not drop lapsed donors from your mailings
2. when to mail your first lapsed donor reactivation mailing
3. how often to mail donors who have not given in years
4. why recovering your lapsed donors is more important than acquiring new donors
5. why asking for a gift alone is insufficient to reactivate most lapsed donors
6. the single thing you must do to win back a lapsed donor
7. how to use surveys to re-inspire donors who have fallen off
8. when to use a hand-written note—and why this works so well
9. a simple postage tactic to boost response
10. why and how you must treat reactivated donors differently after they come back on board

Learn from a real-world example of a lapsed donor recovery letter

This tele-seminar features a lapsed donor recovery letter mailed by an international non-profit organization. The letter consists of:

• a base letter mailed to all active donors
• a version of the base letter customized for donors who had not given a gift for 12 months
• a version of the base letter customized for donors who had not given a gift for 24 months or longer
• highlighted text so you can see how each letter differs from the base letter, and how it is customized to match the length of the donors lapse in giving

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Click Here to Register for “How to Recover Your Lapsed Direct Mail Donors“

Friday, June 1, 2012
11:00 am Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
How to Raise Funds with your Donor Newsletter

The secret to raising funds with a donor newsletter is to strike a balance between informing and asking. After all, it is a newsletter, not an appeal letter.

This practical, hands-on tele-seminar describes dozens of simple steps that you can take today to make your donor newsletter more productive at generating gifts.

You will . . .

• learn what to put at the bottom of every page to encourage donations
• discover a simple invitation that can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars over time
• uncover a simple way to help donors fund your vital projects
• find what your newsletter should focus on to raise funds (hint: it’s not your organization)
• learn how to coordinate your printed newsletter with your website to increase online gifts
• find out when you should include an appeal letter with your newsletter
• learn which photos play a role in encouraging readers to give (and what to avoid)

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Click Here to Register for “How to Raise Funds with your Donor Newsletter“

Friday, June 1, 2012
03:00 pm Eastern Standard Time | 90 minutes | $49
How to Acquire New Donors with Direct Mail Fundraising Letters

How can you attract new donors with direct mail when you never seem to have enough hours in your day—or money in your budget—to do the job properly? You need a plan. A step-by-step plan that helps you save time, reduce costs and still meet your fundraising goals.

During this eye-opening tele-seminar you’ll learn the tested methods that leading charities use to raise new friends through the mail. You’ll learn the mistakes to avoid, the best practices to implement today, and the tips, techniques and shortcuts that you can use for years to come. See you at the workshop! Register now.

• why you likely lose more than 15% of your donors each year
• why you need an annual plan for attracting new supporters and members
• how to decide if direct mail donor acquisition is for you
• why you should not use direct mail to raise start-up funds
• why direct mail donor acquisition is different from other methods
• how direct mail should integrate with your annual campaign
• three goals of your direct mail program
• how direct mail donor acquisition works
• results you can expect with direct mail donor acquisition
• main reasons people respond to direct mail
• how to save money on acquisition mailings through testing
• Easy ways to reduce your donor attrition rates

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Click Here to Register for “How to Acquire New Donors with Direct Mail Fundraising Letters”

1. Make your donor the hero of every story. Take the focus off your institution and put it where it belongs: on the person who pays your salary. Donors want to read about themselves, not your charity.

2. Make each issue a report card to your donor. Prove that you are using donor gifts wisely and as intended. Show how their donations are making a difference. Act as if you won’t get another dime of support unless your donor gives you an A Grade, an A for Accountability.

3. Don’t celebrate another anniversary. Donors don’t care that you’re celebrating your 20th anniversary, or that you did something special in 1968. They give to organizations that look ahead, not backwards.

4. Make your donors reach for the Kleenex. Stir the emotions of your supporters so that they identify even more closely with the people you help. Help them feel at a visceral level that they are touching lives with their support.

5. Give your donors “The Because.” Doctors Without Borders in Australia has a page in its newsletter entitled “Why We Do What We Do.” It doesn’t tell you what they do. It explains why they do it, the “because.” Do likewise and you will retain more donors and raise more money.

6. Fine yourself $1,000 for every cliché photo you publish. No more ribbon-cutting ceremony with the over-size scissors, cheque-passing ceremony with the over-size cheque, ground-breaking ceremony with the people in suits putting shovels into the ground, or the grip-and-grin photo with the awkward-looking host handing over the plaque to the equally awkward-looking recipient. If the photo has been done to death, bury it.

7. Write about people, not programs. People give to people to help people. No more stories about your board retreat, awards your staff have won, or staff promotions. Make sure every story has a strong human-interest angle.

8. Put captions under all photos. No photo is worth a thousand words. Otherwise silent movies would still be silent. And People Magazine wouldn’t need a proofreader.

9. Write photo captions that tell the reader what she can’t see. If the photo is of a child riding a horse, don’t write, “Children in our program ride horses.” Instead, write, “Billy didn’t talk until he rode his first horse, Presidente. Now he speaks in full sentences, thanks to our therapeutic riding program, which is funded by our generous donors.”

10. Put your donor in your headline, subhead or opening paragraph, or all three. Example: “Thanksgiving Dinner at The Mission Beats All Records with 1,865 Homeless Served, Thanks to Our Donors.”

11. Make each newsletter article, column, news story, editorial and profile answer the only question your donors have: “What good have you done with my donation?”

12. Offer your donors many ways to donate. Include a tear-out coupon. Enclose a business reply envelope. Print your website address on every page. Supply a toll-free number for donations.

Learn More

Read Increase Your Income and Boost Donor Loyalty with Donor-Centered Newsletter Stories, 53 Simple Ways to Raise Money with Your Donor Newsletter, and Lucrative Donor Newsletters.

So how should you tell the story? You have two options.

You can either (A) tell it from your point of view, or (B) you can let the person who experienced your organization tell their story in their own words. I recommend you go with Option B whenever possible, although this style of letter has its disadvantages.

In a first-person letter, the person that the story is about writes and signs the letter. For example, if you are a hospital, and you have an amazing story to tell about a patient who was dead on arrival but is alive today because of the intervention of your hospital staff, this type of story would be told in the patient’s own words.

The letter might begin like this: “On a sunny afternoon last September, I arrived at the Metro Health Hospital dead. I had no pulse, no blood pressure, and I wasn’t breathing. Not good, you’ll agree. But here I am a year later, telling you my story, and all because of the amazing staff of the hospital, who saved my life.” The letter would continue with the patient telling his story, and conclude by asking the reader to make a donation.

Advantages:
1. A story told in the first-person is invariably more dramatic and interesting than when the same story is related second-hand by a staff member. The writer of Amazing Grace wrote: “I once was blind, but now I see,” not, “John Newton once was blind but now he sees.”

2. They make your claims more believable because they get the people you serve to make them for you. An ex-patient who suffered a heart-attack, but whose life was saved by hospital staff, can say that the cardiology department is among the best in the world, and be believed, but if his surgeon says the same thing in a letter, donors will think he is just bragging.

3. Letters written by people who have been helped by your organization prove in a personal way that you are making a difference in the world. That’s because stories of lives changed, told by the people whose lives were changed, are more persuasive than stories told about them.

Disadvantages:
1. Letters written in the first-person by the people your organization helps or the people you serve have no institutional authority. A letter written by your CEO obviously speaks on behalf of your organization. But a letter written by someone who has used your services speaks about their experience, and nothing more. Only a letter written by a staff member or board member can tell donors about your strategic direction, describe your programs, and show how past support from donors is making a difference at your organization today.

2. Letters written by your clients are also unable to talk to donors about confidential matters. They cannot thank your new donor for her first gift, cannot ask your lapsed donor to renew his support, and cannot ask your monthly donor to make a one-time gift to a special appeal, since doing so would breach your privacy policy. (The way around this shortcoming is to include a note, written by your CEO or executive director, that describes all of the things that the writer of the letter could not write about.

Fundraising letters written in the first-person by the people your non-profit helps are likely the strongest letters you will mail, but not all of your letters can be written this way. Your clients cannot tell your story as well as you can, and you can’t tell their stories as well as they can. At least half of your letters need to come from your organization, written by and signed by a person in senior leadership.

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Learn more about how to write better fundraising letters. Read Breakthrough Fundraising Letters, Pushing the Envelope, or one of Alan Sharpe’s many handbooks about direct mail fundraising.

Write for Expert Fundraiser.

Alan Sharpe, our publisher, is ready to pay you a one-time flat fee or an ongoing royalty for putting your knowledge of fundraising down on paper.

If you are an expert in at least one area of fundraising, and if you know enough to write a how-to guide on your topic, Alan wants to hear from you.

If your area of specialization is one that Alan feels is in high demand, he will commission you to write a special report, handbook or ebook on your topic, and pay you for your efforts.

Here are the topics that Expert Fundraiser needs your help with:

• Raising money from local businesses
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• How to run a silent auction
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• How to organize and run a walkathon or run
• How to organize and run a fundraising dinner
• How to organize and run a fundraising gala
• 101 products to sell at your next fundraiser
• How to raise funds with online peer-to-peer tools and team fundraising webpages
• How to use YouTube for fundraising
• Where to look for grants
• How to write a grant proposal

One of the hardest things to do in direct marketing is to get the recipient to open your direct mail package, therefore, the outer envelope is of prime importance. Its function is more than just holding the contents securely; it must entice the respondent to I open it.

Siegfried Vogele, a research professor of direct marketing, observed that the average person spends between five and fifteen seconds scanning their mail, screening and rejecting what to open, what to discard or what to save for later, all in the proximity of their wastebasket.

If your direct mail piece never gets opened, your message never gets read. So how do you ensure that your piece survives? Here are some simple yet effective ways to ensure that your direct mail piece is opened:

The first thing that goes through a recipient’s mind is WIIFM. What’s-in-it-for-me” Why is this company writing to me? What do they want from me? Remember, you are intruding on someone’s time, so make sure the piece has some relevance to the recipient. Otherwise you are just producing junk mail.

Provide a hint of what’s inside. Partially revealing the contents through a window can be exceedingly effective. Many books have suggested this, but the most conclusive evidence is a piece of research that tested two envelopes.

One had simply the words ‘Free Book Inside’. The other had a large window that partially revealed an actual book with the same words, ‘Free Book Inside’. The envelope that revealed the book out pulled the other by 30%.

Clear polybags display the entire contents. Polybags are great for mailing unique offers, posters or several booklets or multiple pieces. Publishers and catalogues use polybags extensively.

Capture the reader’s imagination. Remember that if the reader can decipher what you are selling without even opening the envelope, then it is a bad envelope. The bad envelopes do not reveal everyt5hing-they only tantalize you to look inside.

Use teaser copy. Teaser copy can arouse curiosity and interest, either by using a provocative statement or by asking a question. The teaser can be a partial one to lead the recipient inside or it can be split on the front and back of the envelope. If it is enticing, the recipient will flip it over to get the complete message.

When targeting a very select group, the message should be meaningful to the audience. For example, “Your copy of a report on osteoporosis” is more likely to be opened by someone concerned with osteoporosis.

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Excerpted from The Handbook of Direct Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations, by Billy Sharma. Available in paperback from www.expertfundraiser.org

The art lies in building and fostering a strong bond with your supporters. This is best achieved through compelling communications and quick responses to their generosity.

• Your appeal must give a persuasive reason for giving and should identify the financial goals essential to your charity
• Work to understand your donors and offer them an appropriate plan of action
• When a gift comes in, send a thank you promptly

The science is how you use the data, research and testing methods available to you.

• Segment your donor files. Remember the RFM (Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value) rules of direct marketing
• Spend more time, effort and money on people who have given more recently, more frequently and more generously. They are the most likely to give again and could very well keep increasing their donation amounts. They are also the ones who need to be constantly reminded about your organization and should receive more communication pieces annually
• Research and test what works best for which group of donors
• Use data mining to determine affinity for giving. Some donors have a higher propensity to give than others. You could determine this by researching their lifestyle behavior and or just by noting their postal or area codes
• Track your donors’ giving history in terms of size and frequency of giving

Know your Donors

New Donors are first time givers.

Transition Donors are those who give sporadically. They have a history of giving once in a while in a 16-24 month period.

Core Donors are those who have given a gift to the charity regularly either each year or within sixteen months.

High Value Donors are those who give big gifts.

Lapsed Donors are those who have stopped giving. They fall into two categories:

• Recently Lapsed donors who have not given in the last 13-24 months;
• Deeply Lapsed donors who have not given in the past 25 months.

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Excerpted from The Handbook of Direct Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations, by Billy Sharma. Available in paperback from www.expertfundraiser.org

The legislation is in place, for now. Remember, though, with each new President, priorities change; old initiatives fall by the wayside and new, hopefully better legislation is written and passed. If they want to see faith-based initiatives continue, faith-based groups must make a powerful statement: “We want this money and we are demonstrating our capabilities by applying for and winning federal grant awards!”

Step 1 – Become a Participant
How can your church or ministry join the list of federal grantees? By understanding the intent of the federal law, by learning how to qualify as an eligible grant applicant agency; and by aggressively pursuing federal grants from agencies that participate in faith-based grantmaking. This book gives you the tools, if you read, reread, and share the contents of each chapter with members of your congregation willing to help you go after grant funds.

Step 2 – Put Your Elected Officials to Work for Your Ministry
Prior to your state’s Congressional elections, your church or ministry likely hosted a candidate’s night or even allowed individual politicians to speak at weekly worship service. There even may have been campaign signage allowed on church or ministry property. Now that the election is over and local and regional politicians have moved to Washington, DC, it’s time to put your elected officials to work for your ministry.

Here are some ways to begin and sustain a federal connection:

• Get to know staff members at the local legislative office on a first-name basis.
• Plan annual visits to your Washington, DC-based Congressional team members.
• Call or e-mail Congressional team members monthly. Ask for information on federal grant funding opportunities and ask to be included in any e-mail funding alerts sent to other constituents, including nonprofit organizations, in your state and community.
• Keep Congressional team members updated on happenings in your church or ministry programs, activities, and events via frequent e-mail or newsletter mailings.
• When you identify a federal grant opportunity that you want to apply for, notify Congressional team members of your intent to apply. Give them the name of the funding agency, name of the grant competition, and due date. Ask that a letter of Congressional support be sent directly to the Secretary (President-appointed head) of the federal agency.
• Send or email a final copy of your grant application to your Congressional team members at the same time you electronically submit your grant application via the http://www.grants.gov or other federal e-grant upload systems. Make sure to include your Application Control Center tracking number issued when the online e-grant system accepts your grant application submittal.
• your Congressional team members to track the progress of your grant application once it is received at the federal agency.

The formula for netting a monetary award for your church or ministry is simple: Exemplary Needs Assessment Research + Outstanding Creative Grant Proposal Narrative Writing + Congressional Advocacy = A Funded Federal Grant Application.

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Excerpted from Faith-Based Grants: Aligning Your Church or Ministry to Receive Abundance by Bev Browning. Available for immediate download.

While registration fees for charity tournaments will vary from city to city and course to course, it is important to bear in mind the market rate of a round of golf, cart, lunch and dinner at the chosen course. Many tournaments then add a range of $25-$50 over and above those costs as the basis for the registration fee.

The Organizing Committee might want to research what other charity golf tournaments have charged at the selected course in determining the player registration fee. You should also get a sense from your Committee members what the golfers likely invited to this tournament will be willing to pay to participate. This will help not only with budget planning, but also with selecting a golf course that meets your group’s pricing expectations.

2. Sponsorship Revenue
For budget purposes we recommend that sponsors be divided into categories and that any benefits given to sponsors (eg. complimentary foursome for a title sponsor) be recognized in the budget either as “less player registration revenue” or as “additional player cost.”

3. Day-of-Event Fundraising & On-Course Activities
Several on-course activities can raise money on the day of your golf tournament. These activities include sales of contest packages at registration, mulligans, and raffle and draw tickets.

4. Auctions
Many tournaments will have either a silent or a live auction (and some events have both). The Organizing Committee should assign two members to coordinate what items will be auctioned and if they will be auctioned with a silent bid (signing up on a sheet) or via a live bid run by the emcee or auctioneer.

5. Donations
Some corporations or individuals who wish to support your organization either may not golf or may not be able to attend on your tournament date. Ensure that your registration package includes the option for a direct donation.

Excerpted from The Complete Handbook for Planning, Implementing and Sustaining a Successful Fundraising Golf Tournament by Frank MacGrath. See this book and others on event fundraising at www.expertfundraiser.org

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1. A direct mail invitation that includes a premium (note cards, address labels, tote bag) tends to attract more monthly donors than a package without a premium.

2. If you want to increase the size of your average monthly gift, offer a premium for joining your monthly giving program at a higher level.

3. The donors who are most likely to join your monthly sustainer program are not those who give large gifts, but those who give several gifts a year.

4. A personalized invitation letter that addresses the donor by name and mentions the donor’s last gift or giving interests will attract more monthly donors than a generic letter.

5. Sticking a stamp on your reply envelopes will boost response rates and pay for itself with the increased income you generate.

6. Donors who drop out of monthly giving programs can be renewed again at surprisingly high rates.

7. The key to recovering lapsed donors who give every month by check is speed. The sooner you contact your donor after their checks stop coming, the more likely you are to renew them.

8. The most effective way to prevent a monthly donor from lapsing is to phone them. Most donors who are about to lapse will tell you why they are going to stop giving each month.

9. Renew lapsed monthly donors based on why they lapsed. if they stopped giving because they lost their job, go back to them in six months and invite them to re-join your program.

Learn more.

Read Hidden Gold: How monthly giving will build donor loyalty, boost your organization’s income, and increase your financial stability. By Harvey McKinnon.