Monthly Archives: May 2014

Go Out and Tell Someone

Posted on May 28, 2014 by impcomdc68

“The gay activist Harvey Milk was once asked by a younger gay man what he could do to help the movement, and Harvey Milk said, ‘Go out and tell someone.’” So begins a recent TED talk by Andrew Solomon, the … more

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged change the world, changing the world one story at a time, donor, fundraising writers, nonprofit, stories, storytelling, writing | Leave a comment

Changing the Way We Lead

Posted on May 22, 2014 by impcomdc68

At the recent DMA Non Profit Federation Leadership Summit, I agreed strongly with Peggy Dyer, Chief Marketing Officer, American Red Cross, who made a huge point about our need to change the way we lead. Peggy started by saying nonprofit … more

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged authenticity, copywriting, DMA Nonprofit Federation, fundraising writers, grit, heart, leadership, nonprofit, philanthropy, storytelling | Leave a comment

No Test? No Biggie!

Posted on May 16, 2014 by impcomdc68

Here at Impact we have worked (and even volunteered!) for a number of smaller nonprofits, with smaller mail quantities. Testing at a small organization can be difficult because tiny sample sizes just won’t yield statistically valid numbers. Testing can also … more

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged copywriting, direct mail, DMAW, fundraising writers, message, testing, tips, writing | Leave a comment

30 Second Sample: A Nice OE Teaser

Posted on May 13, 2014 by impcomdc68

As any direct mail writer knows, the teaser can be the toughest part. So when the package below came across our desks last week, we really couldn’t help but notice it. We think this one is darn clever, and … more

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #Greenpeace, 30 Second Sample, copywriting, direct mail writers, fundraising writers, impactstories, message, OE, teaser | Leave a comment

People & Dogs: You’ll Love This Research

Posted on May 7, 2014 by impcomdc68

You know you want it. We all want it. An email or social media post that goes viral. There is no quick and easy formula to writing headlines that get clicked—but I’m happy to report, there is data. The folks … more

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blog, copywriting, dogs, fundraising writers, headlines, Ripenn, Social Media, viral, writing | 1 Comment

A Fundraising Writer’s Wishlist

Posted on May 1, 2014 by impcomdc68

We all know that successful direct marketing fundraising requires all components of the effort to be the best possible. Strong strategy can be derailed by sloppy design, the best strategy and design can fail with crucial production errors, and good … more

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged copywriting, fundraising writers, interview, nonprofit, stories, storytelling, writing | Leave a comment