The gang's all here! This is the 89th issue of the Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If it's not too much trouble, please share this like a group high five. Thank you! (Your peeps can ​subscribe here for free.)

In this issue:

• I felt that fundraising
• Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Hey Reader,

Have you heard the story of Joe Girard, his greeting cards, and the Guinness Book of World Records?

It's an oldie-but-a-goodie.

In 1973, Girard earned a Guinness Record by selling 1,425 cars, the most by one person in one year. He was known as the World's Greatest Salesman.

For 12 years in a row, Joe sold more new retail cars and trucks than any other salesperson. (He even sold more cars as an individual than most dealerships sold in total!)

The secret to Joe's success: connections.

One unforgettable way he made connections was by sending a greeting card to every one of his customers every month of every year. The messages were simple. They marked holidays and birthdays and anniversaries.

Why did this work? Because Girard made people feel something. Regularly.

He stayed "top of mind."

He stayed "top of heart."

Imagine you've time traveled to 1973 and you're getting a Joe Girard warm-fuzzy in the mail every single month. Next time you're ready to buy a new car, who will you think of?

This concept can power your...

I felt that fundraising

Your donors may not always be ready to give ... but when they've found that giving feeling, will you be top of heart?

I like to think of donor comms connections as being like Scooby snacks. You know: those irresistibly tasty treats that never get old for Scooby-Doo (and Shaggy too).

Most of your donors are hungry to hear from you.

Every appeal, every thank-you, every newsletter you send is like a Scooby snack for the soul.

Donors want opportunities to give.

Donors appreciate being appreciated.

Donors are grateful to hear about their impact.

Like Joe Girard sending all those greeting cards, you can and should send more donor comms. Your supporters will eat them up. 😀

Because... for your true-believer donors: sincere, authentic, top-of-heart connection pretty much never gets old.

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

For your brain, heart, and funny bone...

• Fundraisingly Informative — Writing Tip: Put the Most Important Information First by Steven Screen (a helpful blog post with 2 helpful examples)
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• Audibly Substantive — Down a Rabbit Hole with Seth Godin via A Bit of Optimism (a 34-minute podcast episode in which Simon Sinek interviews Seth Godin about creative generosity, saying no, learning to fail, and more)
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• Bloomingly Beautiful — The rainbow colored flower field🌈 at Hinoyama Koen Park via 1min.traveller (a 10-second video showing the most gorgeous field of flowers I have ever seen)
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• Immediately Actionable — DONATE buttons top and bottom? Yes! by Tom Ahern (an e-news issue in which Tom helps a writer improve the effectiveness of a fundraising email using smart button placement)
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• Mysteriously Ambiguous — How Many Ads Do We See in a Day? by Rishi Rawat (a fascinatingly nerdy blog post that travels a long and winding road of informational sleuthing)

Until next time: May you always be generous with your "donor comms Scooby snacks"... because your supporters' generous souls are hungry for I felt that fundraising connections.

All our best,

PS: Hey — here's the latest in our weekly video series, Win It in a Minute. You can subscribe here.

In this video, Tom answers the question:

"Tom, you often mention the 3-second test. What exactly is this test and what are some of the ways that you apply it in your work?"

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