One of the example fundraising letters I happened to come across on the internet is from the Jeans for Genes campaign. It’s a campaign that raises money for children with genetic disorders in the UK.

They provide a lot of tools and templates for people who participate in the campaign incluing an example letter for parents.

This is also good example of what I try to teach letter writers — you can use other organization’s letters for inspiration and wording, but not usually an exact template.

Just like if you were writing a resume for a job, you’d get a book of example resumes. You’d copy the style, wording, layout from a variety of samples, picking and choosing what elements you like. But you wouldn’t copy Joe Smith’s qualifications.

For example, in the Jeans example appeal letter the first sentence reads…

“As a friend of/member of a family with a child affected by a serious genetic disorder, I would like to bring to your attention the national Jeans for Genes Appeal.”

It’s easy to take that as an example and use it for other purposes and causes…

“As a mother of a child affected by a cancer, I would like to bring to your attention the upcoming cancer research fund drive….”

Or how about this one from the third paragraph of the same letter:

“In the UK, one baby in every 33 is born with a genetic disorder or other birth defect. This means that…”

“In the United States every day [number] of people are diagnosed with [condition]. This means that…”

See what I mean? This is the real value of example fundraising letters. And another reason why in my book, Sample Fundraising Letters, I also included 138 sample words and phrases. Because many times you can take example words, phrases and even content ideas and apply them to many different organizations and causes.

Using wording that’s clear and compelling helps make the letter more interesting. It can also make the difference between a ho-hum letter that doesn’t get results and one that inspires your readers to donate.

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I listened to a free teleseminar from online marketing experts Mark Hardy & Jeff Johnson today about online press releases. They discussed the value of submitting press releases online including media attention and website traffic. The discussion is from a business point of view but the same principles apply for non profit organizations.

The call only lasted about 30 minutes so it is definitely worth the time to listen.

Listen Now (links directly to the MP3; it should open up automatically with the default audio player.)

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In Part one of this series I discussed how you can use the internet to submit news stories to the media. The goal of your news releases is to gain the interest of newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations so that they publish a story about your group. In this article I’ll explore how to set up your organizaton’s website to provide opportunities for publicity.

Press Release Website Referrals

Press releases always contain contact information such as a name, telephone number and address. They should also contain your organization’s website address. So whether you publish your news releases online or send to the local media there is a place to get more information about your cause and events.

Featured Events

A special page or section of pages related to your event will help inform and interest visitors in attending. Provide all of the necessary information online such as dates, sponsorship information, and downloadable forms.

Frequently update these pages during the weeks leading up to your event to build excitement about the event. Is a celebrity attending? Have you added a new band to the concert? Keep your event pages constantly updated with new information and you’ll be more likely to attract publicity for the event.

As new information is published online you can let your supporters and your media contacts know about this new information with email notifications or through your usual email newsletter. (Be sure to follow proper email etiquette when emailing your lists.)

Annual Events

Organizations that have annual events may also want to create an events section of the website. This provides a permanent page to place links to the featured events sections.

One good example of this is the Arthritis Foundation website where in the Events and Programs tab you’ll find information about their annual events such as the Jingle Bell Run and gala events.

News Archive

In addition to publishing your news stories online with press release databases and sending them to local media outlets you should also publish stories on your organization’s website. For example, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society website has a Press Room section with a variety of news stories.

Every website should have a news section as part of its main navigation. This section should contain either press releases or news stories written in a article style strictly about your organization and its activities. The main news page should contain links to all of your news stories and perhaps a brief 3-5 line summary. Articles should be listed with most recent first.

Publicity is also an ongoing endeavor and information online continues to promote your cause long after an event is over. Leave old news releases online, never delete them just because the event is over. These stories help to inform visitors about your group’s past activities and give them a better understanding of what your group is about. These stories may also become listed in search engines like Google which will be found by web searchers, bringing more traffic to your website.

Conclusion

The internet is increasingly important in getting information out about non profit causes and fundraising events. A website should not only be an online brochure, but a continually updated resource which can provide information to media outlets, donors and the public.

Related Resources

Publicity Insider

Publicity Hound

FREE Press Release Tutorial

Online Publicity for Fundraising Events – Part 1: Other Websites

Website Building

Website Hosting Services

Email Communication & Fundraising

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In the December newsletter the feature article discussed why holding a fundraising event annually helps build publicity. One of the points I mentioned regarded using the internet to build publicity.

Newsletter reader Joan C. asked,
“How do you post fund raising events online? You mentioned this in the latest newsletter - and its a terrific idea - but I have no idea how you do it!”

There are several ways to get your fundraising events online, most of which are very cost effective (often free). I’m going to explore two different categories of online publicity – getting exposure on other websites (like news sites) and secondly, effective strategies for your organization’s own website.

Getting your organization’s event publicized online can help you generate attendance at an event and/or support for your cause. The keys are getting your information listed on as many sites as possible and reaching local media who would want to feature a story about your event.

Press Releases Get Media Attention

Press releases, sometimes also known as news releases, are used to announce your organization and its activities to the media. The purpose is to catch the attention of editors and journalists who work for newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations with the result being a story about your organization.

While newspapers charge for ad space, if they produce a news story you will get much more coverage than you would with ad space — and it will be free. The public naturally trusts and listens to news stories more than they do advertisements so this increases the perceived level of credibility of your organization.

Find Specific Media Outlets:

Go to the websites of your local media outlets and look for information about submitting news stories. Many will accept press releases via email, but it is best to find out which method they prefer.

Google – Search for media websites

Media Post - Media outlets, USA

ABYZ Newslinks - Media outlets, International

Distribution Services:

Online services will get your news item out to the widest possible audience. Some services charge a yearly fee and others per press release. However, there are several good sites that will let you submit your press release for FREE or a very low cost.

PR Leap - Submit press releases

PR Web - Offers free and paid submission, click on Register Free for the free
option

Bonus Publicity

Even if you contact your local media directly, it is also wise to submit your press release to distribution services such as PR Leap or PR Web. These websites automatically send their stories to many websites including Google News and Yahoo News.

Widely distributing your press releases has several benefits:

• Gaining the interest of regional or national news media
• Getting incoming links to your organization’s website
• Further increasing your organization’s profile and credibility
• Reach web surfers on sites such as Google News who may be interested in your cause – these could be potential donors or organizations with whom you can partner in the future

Get Your Event Listed

Your organization can gain further exposure by contacting other groups in your area. If the group maintains an online calendar ask if they will list your event. Perhaps they would even include a feature story or short post about your event if it fits within the style of their website.

This is also a great time to find out if you can visit and/or speak at their group meetings to inform them of the upcoming event.

Who to Contact:

• Chamber of Commerce
• Travel & Tourism Bureau
• Civic Clubs like Kiwanis, Optimist, etc.
• Non Profit Management / Resource Center
• Similar or Complimentary Organizations in Your Area (i.e. schools contact other schools, arts organizations contact other arts groups)

What to Expect

Publicity can help your organization find new supporters and encourage people to attend fundraising events. But remember it should be just one part of your total strategy which should also include advertising, partnerships, direct mail and direct one on one selling of event tickets.

Generating publicity for a fundraising event will also bring long term benefits.
Most of the time these are unseen benefits and you may not know which news stories had the most impact.

Nevertheless the quantity of publicity, news stories and newspaper
articles over the long term brings justifiable rewards.
The more the public is exposed to your organization the more
likely it will be that they will come to support you or attend future
events.

Read Part Two: Publicity from Your Website

Related Resources

For more information about publicity and writing press releases the following websites may be of help:

Publicity Insider

Publicity Hound

FREE Press Release Tutorial

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Over the years I’ve compiled a lot of great links to online resources, but most of them have been in my bookmarks or just mental notes. Often when someone emails me with questions is when I finally get these links posted online.

Recently I’ve created several new pages in the resource pages covering new fundraising related topics.

Car Donation
Email Communication & Fundraising
Telephone Fundraising

Is there a topic that you’ve had trouble finding information on? Let me know, I may have a few recommendations or ideas in my files.

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Yesterday I said that one of my goals for 2006 was to gather more great fundraising success stories from those “in the trenches.”

Here are a few of the topics that I’m particularly interested in exploring:

• Food Booth Fundraisers
• School Carnivals
• Raffles
• Church Fundraising Events, Stewardship Campaigns, Building Campaigns
• Recycling Fundraisers (newspapers, cell phones, etc.)
• Fundraisers for Sports Teams
• Unique Fundraising Ideas
• Other Fundraising Events

If you can provide specific details about the fundraiser it will help create a truly informative article. Information such as how the fundraiser was set up and carried out, prices for items/tickets, etc., response rate/number of attendees, success strategies and what worked/what didn’t would be helpful.

If you’d like to contribute to Step By Step Fundraising either by writing your own article or being interviewed for a feature story, please contact me.

Thank you!

Sandra

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Are you ready to increase your fundraising results in 2006?

I’ve spent the past few weeks brainstorming about how to further enhance this website and offer you more of the fundraising success strategies and ideas you need!

Over the past year I’ve gotten valuable feedback from you through surveys and emails and I’m incorporating as much of it as possible into new articles, Step By Step Guides, and even new websites.

New Fundraising Ideas - Articles & Success Stories

This year I’ll continue to offer fundraising tips, strategies and success stories as free articles on this site and in the monthly newsletter. Many of the fundraising ideas and strategies come from my own experience as a fundraiser, from projects that I’ve worked on personally or witnessed.

Some of the best success stories on this site have been submitted by Step By Step readers and I’d like to include even more of your fundraising ideas and success stories (more on that later…)

New Websites Tailored for Specific Groups

Many fundraising ideas and strategies apply across the board and can be used and adapted for any group. As you browse this site you can find success stories from schools, humanitarian groups, health support groups and much more.

One of the aspects that I’ve come to believe in very strongly though is that fundraising projects should be planned that match your group well. Sometimes this just takes a little tweaking and other times fundraising projects can be very specific to certain types of non profits or schools.

Therefore one of my goals for this year is to offer special attention and resources tailored for specific groups. Even now I’m in the development stages of two new websites that will focus on School Fundraising and Church Youth Groups respectively.

Perhaps in the future I will be able to address other groups as well. Stay tuned as more details will follow when these sites go live in February and March!

New Resources: Fundraising Events and Auctions

I’m currently working on several new fundraising guides that will provide true Step by Step information on planning fundraising events.  Auctions are also a topic that I get asked about a lot so they are something that I will continue to research.  Click here to view our current guidebooks

Your Contributions and Feedback Are Needed

Would you like to contribute your own fundraising success stories and ideas? Specifically I am seeking fundraising leaders who are willing to be interviewed either via email or phone and provide detailed information about their fundraising experience. These fundraising ideas would be considered for publication either on the website or in one of the upcoming book/CD’s.

If you’d like to write an article yourself which would contain your author byline I’m happy to consider them as well.

Just contact me and let me know what you’d like to contribute. Your ideas and fundraising experience will help make Step By Step Fundraising an even more valuable resource for fundraisers in 2006!

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