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Product Description
Book Description
There's a sleeping giant in your midst. One with enormous fundraising potential. And unless your newsletter is bringing in thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars every year, it's time to shake it from its slumber. Today, countless organizations are raising more money with their newsletter than with traditional mail appeals. And after reading Tom Ahern's riveting book, Raising More Money with Newsletters than You Ever Thought Possible, it's easy to understand why. Great newsletters, as distinguished from the mundane ones many of us receive, have so much more going for them. For starters, they deliver real news (not tired features such as "From the Director's Desk'' and "Introducing Our New Staff"). They make the donor feel important. They use emotional triggers to spur action. They're designed in a way to attract both browsers and readers. And they don't depend on dry statistics to make the organization's case. Ahern knows newsletters inside and out. Not only has he written his fair share, but he's analyzed scores of them for other organizations. Moreover, his workshop, "How to Write Great Donor Newsletters," is consistently over-subscribed. So when he speaks - as he does in engaging and eloquent prose- you hang onto his every word. The essence of Raising More Money with Newsletters than You Ever Thought Possible centers around seven fatal flaws, as Ahern calls them. "Almost every donor newsletter I see suffers from at least one of the flaws," he says early in the book. "You would be shocked by how many newsletters suffer from all seven." Along the way to discussing – and dissecting – these fatal flaws, the reader is treated to such chapters as: o Making news out of thin air o What a front page is for o Lower the grade level of your writing o Anecdotes versus stats o How should it look? A proven formula And those are only five of the 45! succinct chapters in this book. Chances are you already have a newsletter, that's the good news. You have the vehicle in place. The even better news is that transforming your newsletter into a substantial money raiser isn't all that difficult. As Ahern himself says, "You don’t need a degree in journalism to publish a newsletter that will keep your donors inspired (and generous). You just need a few skills and insights." Read this book. Pick up those skills. And be assured that the ratio of time spent versus gains realized might well be the most cost-effective of your entire career.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Save the Newsletters!, Jun 28 2006
By Jonathan A Feist "zootjs" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mercifully Brief, Real World Guide to... Raising More Money With Newsletters Than You Ever Thought Possible (Paperback)
This book will save you money and time. It's a quick, fun read, and there are great tips on every page. Moreover, it is research-based, with practical ways of implementing all the ideas. No BS, no wild hairs, just sound, practical advice. It will be "immediately usable," to steal the perfect caption of another reviewer.This book turned up while I was mulling over creating two different newsletters for two different organizations. My earlier involvements with newsletters were a bit frustrating. Tons and tons of work went into them, but their impact was disappointing, despite some really good content.
Reading this book, I finally understand why my earlier attempts were, well, stinkers. I was using bad models and repeating bad habits so commonl in this industry. Now, I feel that I have the tools to make much more effective marketing pieces. One of my upcoming newsletters is actually going to be a rescue job of a lackluster publication, and this book has helped me to see exactly how to fix it--and to make putting it together a much easier task.
And to steal another idea from an earlier reviewer, I too am going to give this to some people I know, who really need this excellent advice.
The proof is in the pudding, here. Ahern follows his own advice, and his book is totally engaging, convincing, and if he was a non-profit organization rather than an author, I'd send him a check. "Save the Newsletters!" How much is a membership?
Really, get it. It will help all of your writing, not just newsletters. I hope the author writes more, on similar topics, maybe a general book on writing marketing copy. We need more smart, fun, practical, and mercifully brief resources like this one.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Death to boring non-profit newsletters, Nov 6 2005
By Dianna Huff - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mercifully Brief, Real World Guide to... Raising More Money With Newsletters Than You Ever Thought Possible (Paperback)
I am a B2B copywriter by trade who was roped into doing fundraising letters and marketing for my son's private school --including starting a donor e-newsletter from scratch. Of course, I thought I knew what I was doing. NOT.Full disclosure, Tom and I are colleagues. He personally coached me through my first e-newsletter for a non-profit. "Dianna, your headlines suck. (We're good friends, so he can say things like this.) Do you really want to put your fundraising campaign as the lead story? Why can't you tell me what your students are doing instead? And please, get rid of the word 'we.'"
Suffice to say, while the newsletter wouldn't win any awards, it did draw donors' attention . . . and it increased fundraising dollars.
Read Tom's book. I sat on my couch and read it an hour. Underline it. Doggy-ear the pages. Then, get out your last three donor newsletters and find your own fatal flaws. Circle the "beige" verbs and blah headlines. Put yourself in your donors' shoes and answer $64K question, "Why should I give this organization money?" Your newsletter needs to convince them why. With Tom's advice, you'll learn how to do just that -- with flair, energy, and passion.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brief is better, Nov 6 2005
By Jonathan W. Howard "Cause & Effect, Inc." - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mercifully Brief, Real World Guide to... Raising More Money With Newsletters Than You Ever Thought Possible (Paperback)
I've been taking writing ideas from my friend Tom Ahern for 10 years now. I'm thrilled to finally find his essential insights into the minds of our readers collected between the covers of this book where I can steal them in the privacy of my own office.This guy is a voracious knowledge-grazer, always finding new evidence to enrich his fundamental belief in the importance of respecting our readers. He shares just what you need to know to do your job as a newsletter editor with quick hits on topics like eye-motion studies, readability measurements, and donor psychology.
But the best stuff is really what Tom knows about writing to be read and heard. Making that goal truly your own will separate you from the suffering majority of newsletter writers now tapping away for all the wrong reasons.
This "mercifully brief" guide makes a great quick trip through interesting and important territory for communicators at nonprofit organizations. Read it twice. Read it once for information - the "tell." Then, read it again for the "show." The second time through pay attention to how Tom practices what he preaches so well.
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