"How To Write Effective Copy For A Non-Profit Organization, Charity, Fund Raiser Or Other Organizations That Need People To Give So They Can Survive" 

By: Sandi Krakowski

Can I get really personal with you today?

I know, I know.. you're probably thinking to yourself by now, "Ummm, Sandi, when are you NOT open and personal?"  🙂  Good… now that we have that settled, you know me, I pray I know you…. let's touch on a topic that most people either don't want to talk about or have no clue how to answer. 
 
Writing for non-profits. Getting more donations for a charitable organization. Some people fear this more than public speaking! And no small wonder….

 

Drives me BONKERS when people write emails and letters and postcards BEGGGGGGGGGGGGGING people or repeatedly asking people for money, donations, consideration, etc. I know they mean well. I know they haven't been trained…. so this is why I'm writing this article. To offer some professional help to the non-profit organization.

It takes FAITH to write copy that converts for nonprofits and it takes SKILL to get people to WANT to donate and not look or feel slimy.  I'll show you how… I've brought in millions of dollars for nonprofits and today I want to share with you some strategies that help people feel great about getting behind your mission!

This will be a GAME changer. 

The real issue is this…. for some odd reason people seem to think that if you aren't 'selling' something but you are actually asking people to give a donation, you shouldn't have a need for good copywriting or influence. This couldn't be farther from the truth.

When we write copy to sell vitamins, self-improvement courses and dog training, it's the same thing. To gain trust with donors, seek financial assistance or donations, we need people to make a decision. Fund raising takes the exact same skill as marketing a big business coaching program or selling an information product does.  

How can this be true?  

Look at the common denominator... people. People buy weight loss products and people seek self-improvement.  People want their dog to behave and people want to manage their finances. Now listen real closely… the same people give money to worthy causes and support the care of the poor and the homeless. The same people give money to free slaves out of the sex-trade and to mentor boys in a private school so they can recover from drug addiction.  

It's all people.  

If you want to learn to write copy, you're going to have to learn to understand people more than you understand anything. For example…. NO ONE CARES about your big break, your big article, your big 'transfer from no body to house hold name' story… they care about what is in it for them. It doesn't matter how benevolent, holy, spiritual, different they might seem… when all is said and done, they only care about themselves.

It's NOT about you.

If you run a ministry or work full time in a non profit, here's a BIG tip for you- quit writing on your Facebook wall how IN NEED YOU ARE and how much you need people to give!  That's a great way to get people to put a padlock on their wallets or worse yet, to run to QVC and spend all their money on things that make them feel good so they can then say, "I don't have anything left this month, please contact me in the future."  

The keys to any successful copywriting is understanding people.

When I mapped out what my first book would be, we released, "Read Their Mind: How to hear what the marketplace wants and build a huge business" because the marketplace wants to BUILD a huge business! The marketplace lacked solid tools and training to learn to listen to the marketplace and serve with excellence. So it became my passion to make the goals and dreams of others my project. It became my job to know my clients better than they might even know themselves. I had to study them, listen to them, read and re-read and read again the things they write on Google, Facebook, Amazon and Twitter. It was my homework on a daily basis to really get myself out of the way and learn to hear what the marketplace wants.

When we write good copy, it has to be all about our customers and not about our product or our services. If you don't stop trying to cater to every living human being on the planet and learn to speak to your IDEAL CLIENT specifically you will never see the dream life you deserve.

Let me break this to you gently…… the person giving money to a cause or a project needs to feel as good, if not better, about their donation, as they do when they buy a Louis Vuitton handbag. If they aren't Louis buyers, than they need to feel as great as they do when they get that special 3-Pay Option on QVC and end up saving more than they even spent! It doesn't matter! Your business is not unique and fund raisers aren't either! It's about people. Period.

If you are going to get people to dig deep into their hearts and then pour out their pocketbook for your ministry, you have to learn to SERVE people and stop begging them for money. It's critical that you stop looking for someone who 'wants a year end tax deduction' and find people who will partner with you and be passionate about what they are passionate about. Did you notice? I didn't say what YOU are passionate about. Because repeat after me… it doesn't matter.  

When someone gives to a cause they need to feel like they are a part of something that inspires them, makes them feel good.. it needs to be a moment that is marked down in their year. Just like when they finally go to buy that brand new car.  The only difference between buying a car and giving $5000 to a non profit foundation is one makes you feel like a million bucks and powerful and the other makes you feel like you just gave up something. This is all about marketing.  

Through the last year we've asked many times what people would do with a million dollars on my Facebook wall and I'm always surprised at the amount of people who tell me they are going to give it all away, pay off all their debt and all the dreams they've been hoping for will finally come true. Ironically these same people aren't giving away 10% of their current income and few are paying down their debt at all! Isn't it interesting? Could it be because they are MORE motivated by things that make them feel good then they are by things that could change their future forever?  

You, my friends, need to learn to serve and to listen. 

It's a critical skill. A copywriter worth their salt isn't going to seek to gain fame, they are going to seek to gain respect and trust with their audience. Because it's not about them. If you want more donors, more funds for your project or just plain more volunteers at your non profit organization, it's critical that you discover and make it a part of your DNA the motives and dreams of your audience. The things that make them feel good, push harder, go further and pursue things beyond themselves are your goal. And here's a bigger homework assignment, get past your own poverty mindset and you'll be shocked at how the money begins to flow. God doesn't have any issues with money! His people do! So work on your belief system and watch what happens to your writing, your projects and quite frankly, your entire life.  

With love,

Sandi Krakowski