The A to Z of writing fundraising appeals (part 2)
It’s time for part two of the fundraising copy writing guide from Bluefrogger, Steve Lynch. As before, remember that this is a little tongue in cheek but packed full of great advice. Part one is here if you missed the previous post. Today, we are…
The A to Z of writing fundraising appeals
I thought I’d share a copy writing guide put together by Bluefrog writing ace, Steve Lynch. Slightly tongue in cheek, it offers a host of tips derived from years of writing hundreds of fantastic charity appeals. His advice should raise a few smiles and hopefully…
A medieval ‘course’ in writing an appeal
There is virtually nothing new in fundraising. It’s one of the reasons I spend so much time in archives, hunting around for historical examples of how people used to raise money for charity. I learn a huge amount that I can implement – with a…
We have reached peak regular giving. So what next?
One of the things that has become apparent in Bluefrog’s ongoing qualitative research is a growing sense of negativity surrounding the issue of monthly gifts – particularly those paid by direct debits. This appears to be more than a general gripe. Take a look at…
The how to fundraise without annoying people checklist
People give to make a positive difference to something that matters to them. Spend as much time, space and budget on showing what donors have achieved through their giving as you do on showing them why money is needed. Remember, your competition isn’t just other…
Inside the mind of the American mid-level donor
In just over a week, I’ll be jumping on a plane for my first trip to Las Vegas to speak at Donor Love Southwest. I’ll be sharing some of the insights I’ve gained over the years about how mid-level donors choose charities and how they…
The Fundraising Ecosystem
I’ve now completed the analysis of Bluefrog Fundraising’s qualitative research into the opinions of donors regarding the safeguarding stories that hit the headlines in February. The process of presenting the findings to clients and sector bodies has begun and we will be sharing them more widely…
What do you do when your most valuable donors don’t read your appeals?
Bluefrog Fundraising has just completed a detailed qualitative study into attitudes to giving and – perhaps more importantly, fundraising – amongst mid-value donors in the USA. It’s the fifth country we’ve looked at in this specific programme of research (the others being the UK, Canada,…
Why we should be worried about where donors get their information from.
I’ve just had my first debrief on a significant qualitative study that Bluefrog Fundraising has undertaken looking at what UK donors think about the recent series of safeguarding stories. We’ve uncovered some things that you might expect, but a great deal of what we’ve found…
Not much has changed in the fundraising environment since 1971
Recently, I had the chance to read a 47 year-old review of the UK fundraising market, produced by a long-closed advertising agency, Rupert Chetwynd and Partners. As I turned the pages, I found myself thinking that much of the content could have been written a…