The Fundraising Letter P.S.: 100 and 1 Ways to Make Yours More Powerful

By Alan Sharpe (March 2009) E-book $9.99

Attract gifts and motivate donors by improving one of the most important sections of your donor appeal letters.

Your postscript is one of the most important parts of your fundraising letter. It usually stresses the point of your letter and asks for action. Some donors read it first. Some professional writers write it first. According to direct mail consultant Allyn Kramer, there are five “hot spots” in your direct mail package where readers look first. Here they are, in order:

Outside envelope
Brochure headline
Inside address (who the letter is going to)
Signature line (who the letter is from)
Postscript

Since the P.S. is one part of your letter that you can be confident your donors will read, you need to write something there that will motivate your donor to send you a gift or take your desired action.

A donor reading a P.S. is a donor looking for information. And that’s your opportunity. So don’t treat your postscript as an afterthought. Here are one hundred and one ideas to get you started on finishing your letter.

The Fundraising Letter P.S.: 100 and 1 Ways to Make Yours More Powerful is the 14th Handbook in the Hands-On Fundraising Series, published by Andrew Spencer Publishing. It teaches you how to attract gifts and motivate donors by improving one of the most important sections of your donor appeal letters.

Over 100 examples, including how to . . .

Show what a donation “buys”
Show the benefits the donor receives from giving
Invite donors to join your monthly giving program
Stress where the money comes from—and goes
Mention your front-end premium
Mention your back-end premium
Mention your deadline
Suggest a larger gift
Describe the benefits of membership
Draw attention to an important enclosure
Acknowledge your donor’s recent support
Mention someone from your letter
Surprise your reader
Invite your donor to take action
Show what happens if the donor fails to act
Make your donor mad (at the problem you solve)
Share a positive testimonial
Ask a question
Show your appreciation for the supporter
State your goal
Stress the urgency of your appeal
Present a compelling statistic
Invite your donor to an event
Stress that gifts are tax-deductible
Tell the donor what to do to make a donation
Remind donors to renew their support
Ask for designated gifts for special projects or programs

Peek inside the Handbook here

Download this Handbook now. Start reading it—and profiting from its advice and examples—within minutes.

Product Details

Format: E-book in Adobe PDF format for immediate download
Pages: 15
Publisher: Andrew Spencer Publishing
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-9784052-4-3
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11
SKU: sharpe019