According to author Billy Sharma, despite the flashy appeal of online campaigns, direct mail continues to be the most practical way to raise funds.  In addition to generating leads and sales, direct marketing can help to create genuine value for the people being targeted to buy into your cause.

In The Handbook of Direct Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations, Sharma explores the key rules and basics of running an effective direct marketing campaign. From the art of persuasion to the science of list generation; this book is a go-to resource for anyone looking to build or grow a direct mail program.

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Product Details

Format: Paperback
Pages: 200
Publisher: Civil Sector Press
Language: English
ISBN: 1-895589-60-6
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
Weight: 500 grams
SKU: sharma001

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A guide for churches and other ministry groups on how to position themselves to receive what remains of the Federal faith-based grant-making initiative. The author guides readers on how to conduct an organizational needs assessment, strategic funding plan, file for a separate IRS nonprofit status (application form and guidelines are appended), create community partnerships, find grant funds, get training in grant proposal writing, and more!

The book was written to guide churches and other ministry groups how to position themselves to receive what remains of the Federal faith-based grantmaking initiative—in other words, “How to get a piece of the pie before the pie is gone.” In 83 pages of detailed information, the author guides readers on how to conduct an organizational needs assessment; strategic funding plan; file for a separate IRS nonprofit status (application form and guidelines are appended); create community partnerships, and more! Remember, the author is a grant writer, so in Chapter 8: Writing Right is where she shares her expertise in this area. In all, this 10-chapter workbook is a great self-guiding tool for faith-based groups.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
From the Author 3

CHAPTER 1
Understanding Abundance: Faith-based Grantmaking 5
Capturing Federal Funding for Your Ministry 7

CHAPTER 2
Validating the Problem: Conducting a Community Needs Assessment 9
Getting Started 9
Putting the 5 Steps Into Action 12
The Big Picture 15

CHAPTER 3
Mapping Your Vision: Creating a Strategic Funding Plan 16
Part 1 – Setting Down the Vision 16
Part 2 – Conducting a Resource Analysis 18
Part 3 – Identifying External Funding Resources 18
Part 4 – Plotting Your Findings 20

CHAPTER 4
Positioning for Success: Filing for Separate Nonprofit Status 26
Equip Yourself with Knowledge 26
Nonprofit Information Resources 30
Important Nonprofit Incorporation Forms 30
Obtaining a DUNS Number 33

CHAPTER 5
Giving and Receiving: Creating Community Partnerships 34
FAQs About Community Partnerships 34
Sample Partnership Agreement 39

CHAPTER 6
Faith-based Grantmaking Resources: Learning from FAQs and More 42
Federal Grantmaking Agencies 42
Federal FAQs 43
Foundation Grantmakers 50
Foundation FAQs 51

CHAPTER 7
Bringing Volunteers to the Table: Empowering Your Membership 53
Preparing for Volunteers 53
Understanding What Motivates People to Volunteer 54
Recruiting Volunteers from Outside of Your Church or Ministry 55
Volunteer Orientation 57
Grant Writing Training 57
Follow-up and Recognition 58
When Volunteer Service Declines 59

CHAPTER 8
Writing Right: Funder Formats and Narrative Information Requirements 60
Letter of Intent Format 61
Letter Proposal Format 62
Regional Association of Grantmakers (RAG) Formats 63
National Network of Grantmakers Format 63
Federal Grant Writing Format 67
Single Point of Contact Requirements 76

CHAPTER 9
Reviewing Grants in Action: Looking at the Works of Others 77
Proposal Examples Web Sites 77

CHAPTER 10
Forecasting: Future of Faith-based Grantmaking 78
About the Author 80

Product Details

Format: E-book
Pages: 83
Publisher: BEV BROWNING & A$$OCIATE$
Language: English
ISBN: 90-9671073-3-4
Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
SKU: browning001

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Golf tournaments can offer tremendous fundraising and awareness-building opportunities for many nonprofits, but they are also large-scale special events that require a great deal of staff resources, volunteer manpower and financial commitment. This handbook is a practical resource for nonprofits, assisting you and your colleagues in planning, executing and maintaining a very successful charity golf tournament. The ‘industry Bible’, this guide will not only benefit the novice tournament organizer, but also will help experienced staff and volunteers take their tournament “to the next level.”

Table of Contents

Introduction, 1

Getting Started: Setting Objectives for your Tournament, 7

Building and Maintaining a Great Organizing Committee, 13

Size, 13

Chairperson, 13

Staff support, 13

Role of the committee, 14

Meetings, 15

Recruiting your committee, 15

Maintaining a Strong Organizing Committee, 15

Creating a Realistic Planning Timeline, 21

Choosing the Right Golf Course, 29

Getting started, 29

Course research, 30

Course visits and site inspection, 30

Contract negotiation, 31

Golf course liaison, 32

Making Money: Setting your Tournament Budget, 37

Revenues, 37

Sponsorship revenue, 38

Day-of-event fundraising and on-course activities, 38

Auctions, 38

Donations, 38

Expenses, 39

Tournament package and shotgun fees, 39

Meals, 39

Pro shop credit charges, 39

Sponsor signage, 39

Golfer gift, 39

Determining your Tournament Format: What, When and How, 47

Picking the right date, 47

Shotgun start versus tee times, 48

Sample tournament day itinerary for shotgun tournament, 49

Tournament format, 51

Alternative Formats for Golf Fundraising Events, 57

On-site Activities: Keep it Fun and Keep it Simple, 63

Sample Types of On-Course Activities, 63

Traditional golf skill contests, 64

Customized or unique hole activities, 64

Less is more, 65

Hole-in-One Contests, 71

Organizing a hold-in-one contest, 71

19th hole shootouts, 73

Marketing and Branding your Tournament, 79

Pre-tournament marketing, 79

Create a tournament invitation/brochure, 79

Marketing the tournament, 80

Measure the marketing, 81

Marketing your organization at the tournament, 81

Post-event marketing

Sponsorship Support: The Key to a Profitable Event, 91

Suggested sponsor categories, 92

Sponsor recognition, 93

At the event, 94

Post event, 94

Golfer Gifts and Prizes, 101

Obtaining prizes, 101

Golfer shirts, 103

Fundraising Activities at the Tournament, 111

Raffle, 111

Auction, 112

Immediately Prior to the Tournament, 121

Volunteer Management, 129

How many volunteers are required, 129

What volunteers need to know, 130

Managing volunteers at the tournament, 131

How and where to recruit volunteers, 132

Post-event follow up with volunteers, 133

One the First Tee: Day-of-Event Management, 137

Volunteers, 138

Registration, 139

Getting golfers out on the course, 140

While the golf tournament is underway, 140

Post-golf reception/dinner, 141

Wrap-up/breakdown, 142

Birdies and Bogeys: Contingency Planning/Pitfalls to Avoid, 147

Inclement weather, 147

Rental clubs, 148

Shortfall in donated prizes, 148

Pitfalls to avoid, 148

The Scorecard: Tournament Review and Follow Up, 155

Good to Great: Taking your Tournament to the Next Level, 161

The venue, 161

The cause, 161

The extras, 162

The survey, 163

How Golf Tournaments Can Further Assist your Organization, 169

Format: Paperback
Pages: 170
Publisher: Civil Sector Press
Language: English
ISBN: 1-895589-51-7
Dimensions: 5.5 inches by 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 350 grams
SKU: macgrath001

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Pushing the Envelope helps your non-profit organization raise more net revenue using direct mail fundraising. Alan Sharpe shows you how to acquire more donors, boost response rates, increase the size of your average gift, hang onto your donors longer, increase your revenue while lowering your costs, and plenty more.

Pushing the Envelope is an exclusive compilation of Alan’s best newsletter articles from over six years, compiled into convenient chapters. The book features a Table of Contents and helpful index. Read this book and put its tested advice into practice. You’ll raise more money, and do more good with it to change the world.

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Table of Contents

PART ONE Start with the Basics

1. Annual Doesn’t Mean Annually in Direct Mail Fundraising 2

2. Direct Mail Fundraising Needs a Strong Case for Support 4

• Be Compelling 5
• Be Credible 5
• Be Clear 5

3. Questions to Ask Before You Ask Anyone for a Donation 7

• Who are you writing to? 8
• Why are you writing? 9
• What do you want your readers to do? 10

PART TWO Boost Your Response Rates

4. Boost Response by Not Including a Reply Envelope 14

5. Boost Your Response Rates Three Ways 16

1. Offer more than a reply device 16
2. Keep donors and members informed and motivated 17
3. Write a longer letter 18

6. Boost Your Response Rates with Deadlines 19

• Use a date, not a time period 20
• Give a valid reason for your deadline 20
• Repeat your deadline anywhere you ask for a gift 20
• Don’t mistake your deadline for your case for support 21

7. Year-End Appeals: 7 Tips to Give Them a Boost 22

• 1. Keep it simple 22
• 2. Be creative 23.
• 3. Look back with thanksgiving 23
• 4. Look ahead with anticipation 24
• 5. Use a seasonal theme 24
• 6. Accentuate the positive 24
• 7. A special word for Christian charities 24

8. Boost Response Rates to Your Special Event Invitations 26

• Seminars 26
• Fundraising Banquets 27
• Awards Shows 27
• Best Practices 27

9. Boost Response Rates by Making Responding Convenient 29

• Reply Device 30
• Reply Envelope 30
• Tear-Out Coupons 30
• Payment 30

10. Lift Fundraising Letter Response Rates with Lift Notes 32

11. Stamps Boost Response Rates (Usually) 34

• Metered postage 35
• Postal indicia 35
• Stamps 36

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PART THREE Raise More Money

12. Mail Often Enough to Prove Friends Stay in Touch 38

13. How to Increase the Size of Gifts 41

• Ask for specific amounts 41
• Increase the size of your smallest suggested donation 41
• Circle the desired donation 42
• Ask based on each donor’s giving history 42
• Mail special appeals to major donors 43
• Upgrade donors each year to cover inflation 43
• Reduce your expenses 43

14. Boost Your Net Income by Mailing Fewer Appeal Letters 44

15. Eight List Segmentation Tips 47

1. Individuals, foundations and businesses 47
2. Members and non-members 47
3. Donors and non-donors 47
4. Active donors, lapsed donors and former donors 48
5. Annual donors and monthly donors 48
6. Major donors and non-major donors 48
7. Asking versus informing 48
8. Personal and donor-centred 49

16. Boost Response Rates with Five Simple Segmentations 50

• New donors 51
• Current donors 51
• Lapsed donors 51
• Monthly donors 52
• Giving-circle donors 52

17. Improve Personalization Results with Detective Work 54

• Name 55
• Address 55
• Date of Birth 55

18. Boost Net Revenue by Mailing Less to Those Giving Less 57

PART FOUR Test to Discover What Works

19. Prevent Costly Acquisition Blunders with Test Mailings 62

• Test Your Lists 63
• Test Your Creative 63

20. Count Your Donors and Your Dollars 65

• First-time donor conversion rate 66
• Renewal rate 66
• Attrition rate 66

21. Predict Your Direct Mail Success with Doubling Day 67

• Delays in mail delivery 69
• Class of mail 69
• Unusually large gifts in previous campaigns 69
• Contents of the direct mail package 69
• Time of year 70

22. When to Ignore Your Direct Mail Test Results 71

• When charities are in different sectors 71
• When the test results are old 72
• When your sample size is too small 73

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PART FIVE Measure Your Success Correctly

23. Know Your Six Fundraising Numbers or Die 76

1. Net Annual Growth in Active Donors 76
2. Net Cost Per Donor Acquired 77
3. Attrition Rate by Channel 77
4. Renewal Rate by Channel 77
5. Second Gift Conversion Rate 78
6. Lifetime Donor Value by Channel 78

24. Measure Your Success with Four Numbers 79

• Pieces Mailed 80
• Total Gifts 80
• Total Cost 80
• Gross Income 80

25. Five Vital Signs of a Healthy Direct Mail Program 82

• Vital Sign #1: Your donor file. It’s growing. 82
• Vital Sign #2: Your friends. They are loyal 83
• Vital Sign #3: Your numbers. You know them. 83
• Vital Sign #4: Your testing. It’s thorough. 83
• Vital Sign #5: Your donors. You treat them differently. 84

26. Don’t Measure Fundraising Costs, But Cost-Effectiveness 86

27. You Must Spend Money to Raise Money 89

28. Boost Response Rates by Watching Nine Vital Statistics 92

1. Response rate 93
2. Average gift 93
3. Average cost per gift 93
4. Return on investment 93
5. Cost to raise a dollar 93
6. Conversion rate 94
7. Renewal rate 94
8. Attrition rate 94
9. CPM (Cost Per Thousand) 94

29. Four Fundraising Benchmarks You Must Monitor 95

1. Gross Donated Revenue by Channel 96
2. Average Gift by Channel 96
3. Total Donors Acquired, by Channel 97
4. Attrition Rate by Channel 97

30. Avoid Blunders by Knowing Your Numbers 98

• Two is better than one 99
• Look beyond today’s numbers 100

PART SIX Hang Onto Your Donors Longer

31. Why You Will Lose Donors Today, Guaranteed 104

1. Donors die 105
2. Donors lose their jobs 105
3. Donors move 105
4. Donors’ credit cards are declined 105
5. Donors retire 106
6. Donors grow infirm 106
7. Some donors intend to give only one gift 106

32. Reduce Direct Mail Donor Attrition in Four Ways 108

1. Thank donors promptly for every gift 108
2. Show donors how their gifts are changing the world 109
3. Balance informing with asking 109
4. Acquire donors who are most likely to remain loyal 109

33. How Many of your Appeals Does the Post Office Trash? 110

• The two primary causes of undeliverable mail 111
• Other reasons for undeliverability 111
• Christensen Study of undeliverable mail 113
• How errors creep into your database 113

34. Is Your Returned Mail Costing You $481 a Piece? 115

35. Reduce Undeliverable Appeals Before Donors Move 118

36. Reduce Direct Mail Costs and Attrition with NCOA 120

37. Reach Donors Who Have Moved and Not Told You 123

• NCOALink 123
• Canadian National Change of Address file 125
• Benefits of using the NCOA service 126
• Change of Address Plus (COA+) 127
• Multi-source Change-of-Address (MCOA) 128

38. Four Common Database Mistakes that Derail Mailings 130

1. Outdated prefixes 130
2. C/O names in the Address field 131
3. One-character salutations 132
4. Foreign addresses not flagged as such 132

39. How to Help Your Lettershop Bungle Your Campaign 134

1. Give the lettershop irrelevant data 134
2. Supply your data file with no field headings 135
3. Give data fields and merge fields different names 135
4. Give your data file a no-name name 135

40. Check if Phone Numbers on Cheques are in Database 136

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PART SEVEN Thank Your Donors

41. How to Write a Donation Thank-you Letter 141

• Be personal 141
• Say thank you, thank you, thank you 141
• Be specific if possible 141
• Show how the donor’s gift is being successful 142
• Thank the supporter, not the donor 142
• Encourage dialogue 142
• Be soft in asking for more funds 142
• Strive for originality 143
• An example of a successful thank-you letter 143

42. Make Your Donor The Hero 145

• How to make the donor the hero 146
• A sample thank-you letter 146

43. Send Donation Thank-You Letters Quickly 149

• A word about thanking major donors 150

44. Sample Donation Thank-You Letter 152

45. Thank-You Letter Mistakes To Avoid 155

• Mistake #1: “Dear Friend” 155
• Mistake #2: “We are in receipt of your gift” 156
• Mistake #3: Asking for another gift 156
• Mistake #4: Too late 156

46. Eight Ways to Wreck Your Thank-You Letters 158

1. Be impersonal 158
2. Don’t say thank you 158
3. Be general rather than specific 158
4. Don’t show how a donor’s gift is making a difference 159
5. Be thankful for the donation, not the donor 159
6. Make your thank-you letter a memo from head office 159
7. Always ask for another gift 160
8. Strive for banality 160

47. Should a Thank-You Letter Ever Ask for a Donation? 161

48. Does Asking for a Gift in a Thank-You Letter Do Harm? 163

• Test and find out 164
• Measure Second Gift Conversion Rate 165
• Measure Number of Gifts Per Year 165
• Measure Gross Revenue 165
• Measure Gross Revenue Per Donor 165
• Measure Attrition Rate 165
• Measure Lifetime Value 165

Glossary of Direct Mail Fundraising Terms 166

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Product Details

Format: Available as an e-book (immediate download) and as a paperback (we ship it to you)

Pages: 186

Publisher: Andrew Spencer Publishing

Language: English

ISBN: 978-0-9784053-7-3

Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 inches

SKU: sharpe033

Option 1: Buy the e-book for $19.99

Option 2: Buy the paperback for $29.99 (plus shipping)

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Tips, tactics and industry best practices for reducing your volume of “undeliverable” and “bad addresses.”

The problem with returned mail is that each piece represents a loss of around $481 to your organization.

That’s the cost of losing a typical donor.

Do the math for yourself the next time you run a direct mail fundraising campaign. Count the number of pieces of mail that come back to you as undeliverable. Then look up each donor in your database. Discover how often they gave and how much they gave. Use the add button on your calculator. Breathe deeply.

A charity I know did just that. They analyzed 151 pieces of returned mail  (also known as “undeliverable-as-addressed mail”) from a recent campaign (one that generated over 600 undeliverable mail pieces). Here’s what they discovered:

• Total number of gifts received from these donors in their combined lifetimes: 1,100
• Total gross revenue received from these donors in their combined lifetimes: $72,709.10
• Shortest amount of time a donor had been with them: 2 months
• Longest amount of time a donor had been with them: 14 years
• Smallest number of lifetime gifts received from a donor: 1
• Largest number of lifetime gifts received from a donor: 67
• Smallest gift received from a donor: $5
• Largest gift received from a donor: $4,000
• Average lifetime value of each donor lost: $481.51

If your charity is at all typical, you have a problem with address quality. Around 15% of the pieces you drop in the mail have addresses that are either incorrect or out of date. Some of those pieces come back to you, provided you use first class postage or pay the post office to return your undeliverable mail.

But a large number never even leave the post office. The United States Postal Service (USPS) reports that it disposes of more than six billion mail pieces each year because of poor address quality. These pieces go straight into the dumpster.  And you are paying the post office to throw them there.

The greatest loss with returned mail is the loss of future revenue. Every piece of mail that’s returned to you represents a donor who has stopped giving, or, to be fair, represents gifts that have stopped arriving, since many donors don’t stop giving as much as they move but forget to give you their new address.

This handbook helps you Raise More Money and Retain More Donors by Reducing Your  Returned Mail.

Contents:

• The two primary causes of undeliverable mail p2
• Christensen Study of 9.7 billion pieces undeliverable-as-addressed mail p3
• How errors creep into your database p4
• The cost of undeliverable mail p4
• Do the math yourself p6
• How to keep your list clean between mailings p6
• How to keep your rented lists clean p7
• How to clean your list before a mailing:  Address accuracy and standardization p8
• Use Address Correction Request (ACR) with every mailing p10
• Remove duplicate records p11
• Review proofs from your lettershop before the campaign drops in the mail p11
• How to reach donors who have moved and not told you (the nerve!) p12
• NCOALink p12
• Canadian National Change Of Address file p13
• Benefits of using the NCOA service p14
• Change Of Address Plus (COA+) p14
• Reduce undeliverable fundraising appeals by acquiring phone numbers and email addresses before donors move p15
• How to save time checking if a donor’s phone number is on file p16
• How to help your lettershop bungle your fundraising campaign (or not) p18
• Tips from your peers in the non-profit sector p19
• Glossary of Post Office and Lettershop Terms p24

Download this Handbook now. Start reading it—and profiting from its advice and examples—within minutes.

Product Details

Format: E-book in Adobe PDF format for immediate download
Pages: 25
Publisher: Andrew Spencer Publishing
Language: English
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11
SKU: sharpe032

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Twenty-seven development professionals describe how to raise funds, cut  costs and retain donors in an economic downturn.

In January, 2009, I asked a group of more than 7,500  fundraising and development professionals what steps they are taking to raise funds and reduce costs during the 2008/2009 recession.

Those that responded came from just about every area of the non-profit world, including children, environment, human rights, cultural, education, social services, religion, international relief and development and healthcare.

I gathered their remarks, tips and suggestions into categories, eliminated the repetitions, and now present their advice for you to learn from—and profit from—during these tough economic times.

Peek inside the handbook here

Contents

• Asks p3
• Attitude p3
• Boards p4
• Capital campaigns p5
• Case for support p5
• Communication with donors p6
• Cooperation p7
• Corporate donations and sponsorships p7
• Direct mail p7
• Diversifying income streams p9
• Expenses, fundraising p13
• Expenses, payroll p14
• Expenses, program p15
• Expenses, overhead p15
• Gift acknowledgement p16
• Grants, foundation and government p17
• In-kind gifts p18
• Major gifts p18
• Marketing, advertising and publicity p19
• Matching gifts p19
• Monthly giving p20
• Online & email p20
• Personalization p23
• Planned giving p23
• Premiums and incentives p24
• Recognition p25
• Research p25
• Segmentation of donor lists p25
• Special events p26
• Stewardship p27
• Training p27
• Volunteers p27
• What not to do p29

Peek inside the handbook here

Download this Handbook now. Start reading it—and profiting from its advice and examples—within minutes.

Product Details

Format: E-book in Adobe PDF format for immediate download
Pages: 31
Publisher: Andrew Spencer Publishing
Language: English
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
SKU: sharpe031

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Find, feature and format other people’s words to overcome donor skepticism, prove your point, build trust and attract donations.

Your fundraising letters must overcome three doubts if you are to attract direct mail gifts from donors.

These three doubts are floating around in the minds of your donors and potential donors all the time, and rise to the surface whenever they receive an appeal from you (and other charities) for donations.

These doubts are actually questions that donors ask themselves while they read your appeal, and deliberate about whether they will respond or not. They surface in the minds of donors as questions:

1. Can I trust your organization?
2. Is your need great?
3. Will my donation make a difference?

In every fundraising letter you mail, you must overcome these doubts or you will not secure a gift. And you won’t secure the long-term loyalty of the donor.

One of the most effective ways to overcome all three doubts is to include testimonials in your appeals. A testimonial is a statement made by someone that either recommends, proves or pays tribute.

This Handbook shows you how to find, feature and format other people’s words to overcome donor  skepticism, prove your point, build trust and attract donations. It’s handbook Number 25 in the popular Hands-On Fundraising Series from Andrew  Spencer Publishing.

You will learn . . .

• the three types of testimonials and why they are different
• why testimonials help you brag without bragging
• how testimonials help you establish credibility and trustworthiness
• why you need good testimonials to awaken empathy in your donors
• why testimonials are so effective at keeping your readers reading
• how and where to find terrific testimonials (10 ways)
• nine tips for using testimonials
• how to format your testimonials (four ways)
• 11 places to use testimonials in a direct mail fundraising package
• how to create a testimonial that uses no words

Study how these leading non-profits use the power of testimonials to their advantage

• Amnesty International
• Canadian Feed the Children
• Development and Peace
• Doctors Without Borders
• March of Dimes
• Metro Health Hospital
• Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation
• Trans World Radio
• Women’s American ORT
• University Health Network

Learn from a variety of testimonial formats

• carrier envelope
• opening paragraph of letter
• body of letter
• lift note
• photograph
• postcard
• two-page letter
• single sheet of paper, one-sided
• single sheet of paper, two-sided
• reply device
• wordless testimonial
• testimonial attached to a premium

Download this Handbook now. Start reading it—and profiting from its advice and examples—within minutes.

Product Details

Format: E-book in Adobe PDF format for immediate download
Pages: 26
Publisher: Andrew Spencer Publishing
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-9784053-5-9
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11
SKU: sharpe030

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Acquire new subscribers, donors, members and advocates with these tested strategies.

Your greatest challenge as an email fundraiser is your list. If your organization is typical, only 10% of the people in your donor file have given you their email address. And that list isn’t growing any larger all on its own.

Email fundraising is new, but email isn’t. So donors and potential donors don’t divulge their email addresses easily. They’re tired of spam. They’re afraid of online fraud. They’re protective of their inboxes.

So getting your donors, potential donors and strangers to give you their email addresses is tough.  Here are 80 ways to encourage people to give you access to their inboxes in record time. You can deploy some of these tactics immediately, and see immediate results. Some of the other recommendations will take a little longer.

But either way, if you set out in a deliberate, long-term way to acquire as many email addresses as possible from people who ask to hear from you, you’ll build a list of email subscribers that quickly becomes your greatest asset next to your donor file.

This Handbook is Number 24 in the popular Hands-On Fundraising Series from Andrew  Spencer Publishing.

Build your email list in dozens of ways . . .

• Your website
• Email correspondence
• Search engines
• Online promotion
• Advertising
• Direct mail
• Print publications
• Radio
• Television
• Retail
• At the office
• Telephone
• Stationery
• Other printed materials
• Special events
• In person
• Public speaking
• Surveys
• Petitions

Download this Handbook now. Start reading it—and profiting from its advice and examples—within minutes.

Product Details

Format: E-book in Adobe PDF format for immediate download.
Pages: 10
Publisher: Andrew Spencer Publishing
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-9784053-4-2
Dimensions: 8.5 X 11 inches
SKU: sharpe029

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Discover the financial rewards, savings and long-term benefits of wooing and winning your donors all over again using direct mail.

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 Handbook shows you the financial rewards, savings and long-term benefits of wooing and winning your donors all over again using direct mail.  It’s Handbook Number 22 in the Hands-On Fundraising Series from Andrew Spencer Publishing.

Peek inside the handbook

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

Peek inside the handbook

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

Peek inside the handbook

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

This handbook 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

Download this Handbook now. Start reading it—and profiting from its advice and examples—within minutes.

Product Details

Format: E-book in Adobe PDF format for immediate download
Pages: 17
Publisher: Andrew Spencer Publishing
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-9784053-2-8
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11
SKU: sharpe027

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Learn how to say “thanks” in ways that win the long-term friendship and loyalty of your donors.

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.

But only if you get them right.

Direct mail fundraising is about relationships, not revenue. The only way to generate sustainable income through the mail is to thank donors promptly, personally, particularly and positively.

This Handbook, Eight Sample Donation Thank-You Letters, is the 21st Handbook in the Hands-On Fundraising Series published by Andrew Spencer Publishing.  By precept and example it teaches you how to say “thanks” in ways that win the  long-term friendship and loyalty of your donors.

Learn how to say thanks

• learn the single easiest way to make your thank-you notes, cards and letters sincere
• discover when you should best say thanks in your letter
• find out the importance of naming the size and date of the gift, and see how a number of letter writers did this in creative ways
• learn creative ways to add personality and warmth to your gift acknowledgements
• see how the professionals communicate energy and enthusiasm in their thank-you letters

Sample letters include:

1. designated gift for children’s literacy program
2. donation to international relief and development agency
3. gift to urban senior’s ministry
4. application for membership in international medical relief organization
5. gift to affordable housing program
6. donation to medical human rights organization
7. major gift to urban headstart program
8. designated gift to overseas orphanage

Download this Handbook now. Start reading it—and profiting from its advice and examples—within minutes.

Product Details

Format: E-book in Adobe PDF format for immediate download
Pages: 11
Publisher: Andrew Spencer Publishing
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-9784053-1-1
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
SKU: sharpe026

Subscribe to the Expert Fundraiser newsletter and receive a free fundraising tip each week by email.

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Home > Store > Donation Thank-You Letters

Home > Store > Alan Sharpe

Home > Articles > Donation Thank-You Letters

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Home > Experts > Alan Sharpe