August 16, 2019 – Letters, Letters, Letters. In Fundraising the Written Word is Key. & Email Communications Makeover

While in real estate the saying goes, “location, location, location,” in fundraising the written word is key. We have heard it time and time again – development writing is different. But why? During this session, we will dig deep to help understand that different letters need different tones, data is the key to understanding how to craft your narrative, and thank yous can either endear your donors or turn them off. We will think critically about how direct mail can impact solicitation and stewardship results. In advance, participants can submit letters for review and receive feedback. If interested, please email solicitation, acknowledgement, and/or stewardship letters by July 31 to [email protected]. We will provide private feedback, and with permission, some of the letters could be used in the presentation as examples of what we think works well and what could be areas to improve. We also encourage participants to bring their letters with them to the session so that they can critique their own while we talk through best practices.

Presenter: Kerri Laubenthal Mollard, CEO of Mollard Consulting