Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #129504 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 187 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781889102313
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A tasty feast of ideas, secrets, and uncommon concepts. It guarantees your success at writing materials that sizzle and inspire." -- Jerold Panas, Author of Asking and The Fundraising Habits of Supremely Successful Boards

"Get the book and read it! It has bucket loads of common sense practical advice." -- Richard Radcliffe

"Tom Ahern not only writes intelligently about writing, he writes extraordinarily well. His book is a call to action." -- Kay Sprinkel Grace, Author of Over Goal!

From the Publisher
As journalist Gene Fowler put it, "Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

Certainly, many of us in fundraising feel that way.

Whenever we're called upon to draft a solicitation letter, or write copy for the website, or produce a few passages for the annual report, or, heaven forbid, long stretches of a proposal or case statement, we sit there ... and if we're lucky crank out serviceable prose. Few would call it sparkling.

And too few are moved to write a check in response.

Each year, bland writing costs organizations mountains of revenue.

A) There's the expense of producing the materials - the printing, production, and processing, to say nothing of the postage costs.

B) But much more consequential is the lost revenue - the money not raised when these homogenized materials fail to connect with the very people who would donate if they were motivated by what they read.

It needn't be this way, and it won't be this way any longer for those who invest a few hours in Tom Ahern's new book, How to Write Fundraising Materials that Raise More Money.

But here's a twist: Even if you don't write much, you should read this book. Why? Because it's about more than writing - much more.

In truth, the publisher might have called the book: Getting inside the mind of donors and communicating in a way that inspires their loyalty and generosity.

What Ahern does ¬- while showing you how to craft your materials - is to plumb the psychology of donors, uncovering what stimulates interest and instills confidence. His advice applies to all forms communications, written and verbal.

The short odds are that How to Write Fundraising Materials that Raise More Money will secure a spot in the pantheon of the best fundraising books ever written. Communicating with donors is the bedrock of all fundraising. And no book addresses this topic with such virtuosity.

About the Author
Tom Ahern, author of Raising More Money with Newsletters than You Ever Thought Possible, is recognized as one of North America's top authorities on nonprofit communications. He began presenting his top-rated Love Thy Reader workshops at fundraising conferences in 1999. Since then he has introduced thousands of fundraisers in the U.S., Canada and Europe to the principles of reader psychology, writing, and graphic design that make donor communications highly engaging and successful.

He founded his consulting practice in 1990. His firm specializes in capital campaign case statements, nonprofit communications audits, direct mail, and donor newsletters. His efforts have won three prestigious IABC Gold Quill awards, given each year to the best communications work worldwide. Ahern is also an award-winning magazine journalist, for articles on health and social justice issues. He has his MA and BA in English from Brown University, and a Certificate in Advertising Art from the RI School of Design. His offices are in Rhode Island and France.

Customer Reviews

Like being in a candy shop with a pocketful of money
Two great things about Tom Ahern: 1) he writes in crisp, clear, jargon-free language, and 2) virtually every sentence contains advice or a tip I can actually use. In this straightforward but packed book, he taught me to always put myself in the donor's shoes when I'm writing, to never write anything that doesn't include an offer, to run like hell from "writing by committee", the emotional triggers that get people reaching for their wallets, and how to write great headlines and good copy. I'm not sure what else you can ask from a book that fits in your back pocket, reads deliciously the second and third time, and even apologizes for leaving out a chapter he'd call "Feeling Stupid". Feeling stupid is what you should feel if you don't order this book right after you finish this review.

Tom Ahern is the best!
You can find lots of stuff in print about writing fundraising materials -- but you won't find any book that's more squarely on point or more clearly and compellingly written. Tom Ahern is a master of writing for results. This superb new book is a must for anyone who writes to raise money.

All Fundraisers Can Benefit From This Book
For research purposes, I have more than 30,000 direct mail samples, countless annual reports, and hundreds of newsletters in my business library. And I'd say probably anywhere from 2 to 3% of them are really good (that means they raise a lot of money). They practice what Tom Ahern teaches you in his new book.

If you've ever had the opportunity to see Tom present - and he presents at many conferences around North America - then you'll know why you need this book. His way of thinking about donors, and what they want, will enable you to improve almost any donor-directed publication that you produce.

I strongly encourage anyone working for a nonprofit to buy this book - almost certainly it will improve the quality of the information you give to your donors, and the amount of money they give to you.