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Pop Art Robot The Thinker

How AI Writing Can Defeat Your Best Projects … or Not

Writing
Artificial Intelligence invaded the members-only community of The Fundraisingology Lab on Facebook recently. Sean Triner posted a letter thanking members of our special community of fundraising professionals for their involvement and their work. What he didn’t say, at least at…
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Pop Are Love 1

Worried about “donor as hero” fundraising? Here’s another way to think about it

Writing
Trigger Warning: this post contains examples of fundraising that address child sex trafficking. Imagine this. As a smart fundraiser, you’ve put together a compelling appeal. It has an emotional story. A tangible offer. And direct asks in all the key…
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Pop Art typewriter

Fundraiser: Disobey Your English Teachers to Improve Your Writing

Writing
Before I found fundraising, I taught English. Mostly to first-year college students, usually some version of that English 101 course that you remember with either fondness or revulsion. We called it “writing,” but what we were teaching was “academic writing.”…
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Pop art story book

3 Elements of Every Effective Fundraising Story

Storytelling, Writing
There’s a lot of theory about storytelling out there. Some of it is very helpful for hardworking fundraisers like you. Here’s what Writer’s Digest says every story needs: Orientation: The beginning of a story must grab the reader’s attention. Crisis: Something…
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Pop Art writer paper

5 More Winning Ways to Start Your Next Fundraising Appeal

Direct Mail, Writing
Lisa Sargent’s last post on this blog, 6 Winning Ways to Start Your Next Fundraising Appeal, was so popular, that we asked her to give you even more! Over to Lisa… The right lead on a fundraising letter is like…
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Pop Art on the air

How to Conduct Interviews That Give You the Best Fundraising Stories

Writing
Decades ago, before I discovered my calling as a fundraising person, I was a journalist. One cool project I worked on was a series on street musicians who played at Seattle’s tourist-infested Pike Place Market. I’d hang out near a…
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Pop Art Great

Fundraising Story Goes from Good to GREAT [Case Study]

Storytelling, Writing
You know telling stories is the better way to motivate donors to give. You’ve probably also seen how that is much easier said than done. One of the main challenges is this:  The story most likely to move donors is…
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Pop Art Start

6 Winning Ways to Start Your Next Fundraising Appeal

Direct Mail, Writing
Ah, the terror of the blank page.  That blank screen – that blinking cursor – that unstarted fundraising appeal – staring back at you from the void.  Waiting for you to let it soar with a clear, powerful, captivating lead……
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3 barriers

It’s Not Just You: 3 Barriers to Success in Fundraising

Productivity, Self-Care, Writing
Some of the most common reasons fundraising can be difficult are in your own mind. Barriers to success built by you, for you. But don’t beat yourself up. It’s not just you. I know this because I do it too.…
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Pop Art pink heart major donor

3 Ways to Raise Funds When Your Cause Isn’t Exciting

Donor Psychology, Writing
I’ve heard many a fundraiser bemoan the fact that their cause isn’t easy.   What do they consider “easy”? They often say it’s cancer. Or helping children. Or rescuing animals.  Whether those topics are actually easier or not is debatable.…
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