How to Fix Your Boring-as-H*** Fundraising Appeals

Do you often find your calls-to-action in your fundraising appeals met with apathetic shrugs rather than enthusiastic support? If you answered yes, it's probably not entirely your fault, but it might be time to rethink your strategy. Here’s how you can transform your yawn-inducing solicitations into compelling calls to action.

1. The Bland Disease: Lack of Personalization

The trouble with many fundraising appeals is they are about as thrilling as reading the phone book. You have to realize that our audience is bombarded with these requests every single day. So if your appeal resembles a one-size-fits-all Christmas sweater, it's going straight in the trash.

The Fix? Personalization is key. But don't just throw in their name at the beginning of the email and call it a day. Do some research. Understand their interests, their motivations, their previous interactions with your organization. Only then, you should craft your message to speak directly to them. Show them that they aren't just another name on a mailing list. They matter to you, and so should your cause to them. So few nonprofits do this, and it’s actually fairly easy to stand out if you do it correctly.

2. The Snooze Syndrome: No Sense of Urgency

Many fundraising appeals are void of urgency. They're filled with passive phrases like "any help would be appreciated" or "consider supporting us." Most nonprofits do this as a way to soften their ask because they don’t want to be “pushy” or feel like they are bothering their donor base, which is understandable. No one likes feeling like they are annoying people with their solicitations. However, this passive approach is not going to rouse your potential donors from their slumber. You can be direct in what you need without being pushy.

The Fix? Light a fire. Create a sense of urgency. Show them why they need to act NOW. A ticking clock can do wonders for your appeal. An imminent deadline, a matching gift that doubles their donation if they act quickly, or a goal that is within reach can give your audience the push they need to take action.

3. The Forgotten Story: Lack of a Compelling Narrative

How many appeals have you seen that simply list what the organization does, the services it provides, or the awards it has won? That's not an appeal, that's a brochure, and brochures are well... boring. And we hate to be the ones to tell you this, but no one cares about your brochure.

The Fix? Really take the time to tell a story. Your appeal should be more than a list of facts. It should be a narrative that engages, moves, and inspires. No one remembers statistics or data points after a couple of hours except for you as the fundraiser, but people will remember high impact stories about a nonprofit for YEARS. They connect the story to their own emotions and experiences. If you can make them feel something, they're more likely to remember you, and more importantly, they're more likely to act.

4. The Dreaded Data Dump: Too Many Facts, Not Enough Heart

Your organization is probably doing amazing things, and it's tempting to share every single achievement. And in your defense, those achievements are oftentimes truly astonishing. Too many statistics and information however, can overwhelm your audience, leaving them lost in the forest of facts that frankly aren’t important to them.

The Fix? Balance your heart and your head. Facts are important, but they will not inspire action alone. Pair them with emotional appeals. Share a touching anecdote, a success story, or a specific challenge that your organization overcame. Make your audience feel the emotions that you do when your organization has a win. Emotions are contagious, so let them see the human side of your organization, and they will be more inclined to support it.

5. The Cookie-Cutter Crisis: Being Generic

Does your appeal read like it could have been sent by any organization, to any person, at any time? That's a problem. Fundraising is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor.

The Fix? Be unique by standing out. Have a goal of your appeals be forcing your donors to do a double-take when looking at your appeal and think “wait a second”. Show your audience what makes your organization special, and be honest. What actually sets you apart? If your appeal is generic and boring, why would they choose to support you instead of the myriad of other worthy causes out there?

Revamping your fundraising appeals is not an overnight job, but it's an essential one. Avoid the mistakes outlined above and take steps to create compelling, personalized, urgent, narrative-driven appeals. Because no one wants their appeal to be the one that ends up “right in the trash”.

Having trouble with your fundraising appeals? You are not alone! That is where we can help. Reach out to us to schedule a call so we can learn more about how we can help you raise more money.