fundraising ireland copywriting for fundraising masterclass

Copywriting for Fundraising

13 February 2014

Damian O’Broin

damian@askdirect.ie

@damianobroin

Annetta Murphy

annetta@askdirect.ie

@annettamurphy

slideshare.net/damianob

www.askdirect.ie

Women’s Aid

‘Working to End Violence Against Women’

Client list 2010-14

Think of a song thatmakes you cry

Did an angel whisper in your earAnd hold you close and take away your fear

In those long last moments

We used to driveThru Lafayette and Baton Rouge

In a yellow CaminoListening to Howling Wolf

He liked to stop in Lake CharlesCause that's the place that he loved

Some questions you need to answerbefore you start...

Who are you writing to?

Describe them

Exactly what do you want my money for?

And why?

Who is signing the appeal?

Why?

What are the tangible and...

...intangible benefits for the

donor?

Why respond NOW?

Stories & Stickiness

SUCCES

implenexpectedoncreterediblemotionaltories

heathbrothers.com

Simple

“It’s about elegance and prioritisation, not dumbing down”

– Chip and Dan Heath, Made to Stick

Simple

Unexpected

This is an unsolicited fundraising appeal from Women’s Aid.

Please discard it immediately if you feel it’s presence may put you at risk

20

Unexpected

Unexpected

Surprise. Then interest and curiosity.

You need to open up gaps in people’s knowledge... and then fill them.

Harris  Interac,ve  Poll,  October  2010

Unexpected

Concrete

Concrete

Concrete

Think about proverbs.

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”

Credible

Credible

The importance of the Darth Vader toothbrush

More details

Vivid stories Concrete words

Active language

CREDIBILITY

Credible

Emotional

Why emotionsare important

Drive action

Enhance memories Increase attention

The Mother Teresa Principle

If I look at the mass,I will never act.

If I look at the one, I will.

The Joe Stalin Principle

One man’s death is a tragedy,

but a million deaths is a statistic.

The RokiaExperiment

Food shortages in Malawi are affecting more than 3 million children.

In Zambia, sever rainfall deficits have resulted in a 42% drop in the maize production from 2000. As a result, an estimated 3 million Zambians face hunger.

4 million Angolans – one third of the population – have been forced to flee their homes.

More than 11 million people in Ethiopia need immediate food assistance.

23% of earnings donated

Her life would be changed for the better as a result of your financial gift.

With your support, and the support of other caring sponsors, Save the Children will work with Rokia’s family and other members of the community to help feed her, provide her with education, as well as basic medical care and hygiene education.

48% of earnings donated

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

EmotionalRational

Combination

Small,  Loewenstein  &  Slovic

Proportion of Earnings Donated

Closeness: Proximity to the victim; feeling of kinship

with them.

Vividness: Detail, description, ‘colour’.

Drop-in-the-bucket:Can I make a difference?

Dan  Ariely,  The  Upside  of  Irra,onality

Rebirth

Tragedy

Comedy

Voyage and Return

The Quest

Rags to Riches

Stories

Overcoming the Monster

H/T to @markyphillips (queerideas.co.uk)

How can you make your appeal sticky

The copywriter’s toolbox

Geroge OrwellPolitics and the English Language

(1946)

1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2. Never use a long word when a short one will do.

3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.

5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Geroge SmithAsking Properly

(1996)

Use Saxon words not Latin

Indicate Show

Information News, facts

Immediately Now, right away

Construct Build, make

Discover Find

Geroge SmithAsking Properly

(1996)

Use vivid words and not hackneyed ones

Use short sentences and vary the lengths

Use short paragraphs and vary the lengths

Geroge SmithAsking Properly

(1996)

Get to the point!

“You are a charity. People expect you to be asking for money. So do not delay this primary reason for communicating. Do not feel you

have to lead up to your vulgar request via 200 words of self-justification, for nothing is more tiresome than an overlong

preamble to a predictable question.”

Geroge SmithAsking Properly

(1996)

Use active verbs and not passive verbs

Donations are needed to complete this vital work

Will you make a donation to complete this vital work?

Geroge SmithAsking Properly

(1996)

Relate the story to the reader

One in three of the population will suffer from cancer.

One in three of your friends and family will suffer from cancer.

Geroge SmithAsking Properly

(1996)

Ask for money not support.

Use ‘I’ and ‘You’

“You” or “Your” is repeated 14 times on Page 1

(and donor’s name appears four times)

Geroge SmithAsking Properly

(1996)

Does it sound like someone talking? If not, why not?

A few points about grammar.

It helps to know the rules. But you can break the rules.

You can start a sentence with ‘And’ or ‘But’

And you can have a sentence without a verb.

(Like this.)

A sentence can be one word long.

A paragraph can be one word long. Or one sentence long.

Long copy almost always beats short copy

Appeal on the basis of benefits, not needs (or features)

Tell people exactly what you want them to do(make a gift of €25 today)...

... And make it as easy as possible for them to do it.

PS: Always include a PS - it’s usually read first and most often

More tips for direct response copy

You can drive up response by using...

... urgency

... deadlines

... targets

More tips for direct response copy

Use a large font (12pt or larger) and a serif typeface

Indent paragraphs and vary their length

Break up the text with sub-heads, bold, underline, italics, images, handwritten notes

More tips for direct response copy

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Putting it all into practice...

Start by writing the response device.

Next, write the outer envelope.

Now, write the lead.

Finally, write the letter.

Damian O’Broin

damian@askdirect.ie

@damianobroin

Annetta Murphy

annetta@askdirect.ie

@annettamurphy

slideshare.net/damianob

www.askdirect.ie

THANK YOU