The 12 Don'ts From Our Black Book

As Fundraising Experts, we will NEVER suggest you do these.

RED FLAGS AHEAD!

For years, we've kept a black book locked in the top drawer of our desk.

Not the one with our client list.

Not the one with our best-performing campaigns.

The other one.

The one with the "WARNING! NEVER USE!" label on the cover.

Today, we're opening it up.

You see, we get asked a lot of questions about what we DO recommend.

What copy techniques we deploy.

What formats we prefer.

What campaigns we're proudest of.

But rarely – almost never – do we get asked what we WOULDN'T recommend.

That's the anti-grail. The DO NOT DO list.

And if you're a fundraiser – you need to see it.

Because the fastest way to sabotage a fundraising program ISN’T ignorance.

It’s confidently doing the wrong things.

The consequences of not reading this could be dire…

The 12 Don'ts

Never craft a fundraising appeal without a HARD ask.

Soft asks get soft results. Always ask for a specific amount of MONEY.

No, not “help.” Not “support.” Ask for MONEY.

Every single time.

Never mail a direct mail appeal without a reply envelope.

The reply envelope is NOT optional – it’s how your reader can immerse themselves and be part of the movement.

Skip it, lose the gift.

Never send a fundraising appeal without a signer.

Remember that only PEOPLE write letters. Not organizations.

Whether it's your executive director, your Board Chair, a political candidate, or someone your organization has helped, a real human needs to sign it.

People give to people.

Never write a letter that's all about your organization.

It’s not all about you.

The donor is the hero – not you, your team, or your organization.

The DONOR.

Never forget that.

Never remove your recent donors from the mailing list.

They are the MOST likely to give again.

Keep them informed, keep them updated – KEEP THEM CARING.

If you absolutely must exclude them (and, again, you shouldn’t), do it for a month at most.

Never cut your mailing list to afford a fancier package.

Shiny card stock and extra colours don't raise money.

More donors in the mail do.

Never turn your appeal into a brochure.

A brochure gets set aside or quickly discarded.

A personalized letter gets opened, read, and responded to.

Never compromise readability for length.

Long copy works – but only if the reader can actually READ it.

Remember to use big fonts, short and tight paragraphs, and lots of white space.

Never sacrifice persuasive copy for design elements.

Longer is fine as long as it converts.

Don't cut a persuasive line to squeeze the letter onto one page.

Never use big academic words.

Think about how often you STOP when you hit an unfamiliar word.

That's a lost reader – and lost money.

Keep it SIMPLE and write the way real people TALK.

Never confuse GOOD writing with EFFECTIVE direct response.

Effective direct response won't win you a Pulitzer.

BUT it'll bring in money – and it won't confuse your reader.

And that’s the whole point.

Never try to reinvent the wheel.

The rules of direct response fundraising have been tested since the 1950s.

And if it worked then, it will work now.

Stick with what brings money through the door.

The 12 rules above aren't opinions.

They're the collective wisdom of a hundred years of direct response fundraising, distilled to what actually works.

Follow them – your program improves.

Break them – your program suffers.

It’s truly that simple.

And if you want fundraising appeals done the right way, you can schedule a FREE 30-minute call where we will give you 2-3 ideas you can use right away!

Let's Talk!

**DISCLAIMER:

Look – while we won't SUGGEST you do any of these things, we're professionals.

If you're determined to break the rules anyway, we'll help you make it the best broken-rule campaign it can possibly be**