6 Parts of an Effective Fundraising Offer

In his video from 2015, Jeff Brooks from TrueSense Marketing explores the 40/40/20 rule of direct marketing and its role in fundraising. The 40/40/20 rule suggests that 40% of the success of a direct marketing campaign comes from the quality of your list, 40% from your request, and 20% from the creative. The video touches on all of these aspects, but focuses on the middle 40%, the offer or request. According to Brooks, there are 6 parts of an effective fundraising offer:

1. Specificity. People want to know exactly what you need and where the money will be going. Don’t beat around the bush here. Ask for a specific amount of money or give a clear way to help.
2. Simplicity. A strong offer omits details. Keep it simple and to the point.
3. Emotional Content. People give when their heart is touched. This step is usually best done with photographs.
4. What’s in it for me? Most people want to help out a fundraising campaign because it makes them feel good.
5. Leverage. The audience wants to know that what they are giving is a good value or that there is a matching grant to make what they are giving worth more. For example, many food bank campaigns use leverage when they let you know that your gift will provide a certain amount of food to hungry people in need.
6. Deadline. Create a deadline for your campaign. A hard deadline ensures that people have a desire to give, because they know there is a need and a time frame in which that need is going to be met.

CDS has been a leader in nonprofit fundraising for the past three decades. Contact us for more intensive help with your major gift fundraising, strategic planning, or in preparing for a capital campaign.