Asking for money is the cornerstone of most charity publications. But often charities don’t have the cash to pay for expensive fundraising campaigns.
There’s good news though. Being great at asking for money doesn’t have to cost a packet. Subtle, specific and perfectly pitched writing will do the job.
Here are a few ideas you can use in your writing to ask for donations:
1. Tell a story
X Factor judge Simon Cowell is a rich man because he knows the impact of a good story. Like it or loathe it, millions of people pick up the phone to vote during his shows because Cowell’s production team are very good at telling contestants’ stories. In the same way, you have a story to tell that will motivate people to give. The best way to tell your charity’s story is to use a case study to highlight the change you make. Use it to create empathy in your reader, to tug at their heart strings, or if it’s appropriate, to shock or raise curiosity.
2. Include a shopping list
Donors want specifics. They want to know how you’re going to spend their hard earned cash. Vaguely telling them where their money goes isn’t enough. Include a shopping list that focuses on the difference their donation will make. So if your charity works with young homeless people, you might spend £20 of donors’ money buying a project worker’s mobile phone. “That’s a bit extravagant,” a misinformed donor might say. But you could explain: “£20 could pay for a project worker’s mobile phone so a young person can call home, the police or their social worker to help them get off the streets.”
3. Write to someone you know
You’ve decided your target audience is professionals aged from 30 to 45. Picturing someone you know that ticks those boxes is a great way to target your writing. Think about how they spend their time and what their values are. What questions would they ask? What would they be interested to know? What would motivate them to donate? Picturing Fred your neighbour rather than “Donor A” when you write to raise money makes your target audience more real – and your writing more convincing.
4. Include a call to action
Donations don’t just come from direct mail or writing you deem to be “fundraising copy”. Someone might read an article in your charity magazine or a case study on your website and be motivated to give. But if you don’t ask, donating might not occur to them or they might think you don’t need their money. If one of the aims of your website or your magazine is to encourage donations, make sure you include asks for funds. Calls to action at the end of every web pages or article are vital.
5. Monitor what works
People respond to different words, different phrases and different ways of asking for donations. Make sure you try out a few ways of asking for money. So, if you’ve sent out the same fundraising letter, using the same case study for a while now, write a new one or try sending an e.newsletter to a list of contacts instead. What works for your charity will be different to what works for another. It’s your job as a charity communicator to find out what that is. So track any web links you include in your writing, check open rates for emails you send and update titles and subheads on your website to monitor which get the most click throughs.
