by Cyndi Lauren | May 2, 2019 | Commentary, communications, Fresh Eyes, messaging, Nonprofit operations
The of the most essential skills we need is the ability to communicate – clearly and directly. While it seems we have come a long way from grunts and shouts, lately the nonsense quotient has been ridiculously high. Jargon is specialized language, a shorthand...
by Cyndi Lauren | Mar 27, 2019 | communications, development and fundraising, Fresh Eyes, fundraising, Making Money, messaging, Nonprofit operations
Good writing is hard to do; strong nonprofit writing is harder still. What are the best ways to make your message understandable and accessible to the people you want to reach? Clear, simple nonprofit writing can be done with a little guidance. We are all deluged by...
by Cyndi Lauren | Oct 30, 2018 | communications, Fresh Eyes, messaging, Nonprofit operations
You Work Hard: If you really want people to read your stuff, make it easy for them to want to read it. Managing the readability of your message is as important as the content. If, at first glance, it looks like too much work, very few will bother to read it. Don’t...
by Cyndi Lauren | Sep 25, 2018 | communications, development and fundraising, fundraising, Making Money, messaging, Nonprofit operations
What is Giving Tuesday? GivingTuesday started 7 years ago to kick off the holiday fundraising season. It is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, following the original Black Friday and Cyber Monday. When Is Giving Tuesday?: November 27, 2018 Can anyone participate?...
by Cyndi Lauren | Aug 21, 2018 | communications, development and fundraising, Fresh Eyes, fundraising, Making Money, messaging, Nonprofit operations, Protecting Yourself
I’m sorry, its going to be a no. As fundraisers, we spend tons of time working hard to get donor prospects to say yes to our solicitations. We crave the check in the envelope and watch the online donor daily totals get larger and larger. I’ve been there,...
by Cyndi Lauren | Jun 19, 2018 | communications, Fresh Eyes, messaging, Nonprofit operations
The tone and language you use in your fundraising communications can have a profound impact on both your open rates, and your reply rates. Being sensitive to your audience and communicating with them in words and phrases they use themselves makes connecting...
