writing

Your Donors Are Number One

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing , ,

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Do you feel as if nonprofit organizations care about you as a donor?  Sometimes it seems like they don’t.

Some organizations brag too much about themselves.  I recently received an appeal letter from an organization that specializes in cancer research and treatment. In the first two paragraphs, they emphasize how they’re “a leading force in caring for adults and children battling cancer.”  That they’re a world leader in cancer research and ranked number one….

This organization does do amazing work, and if I were choosing a place to receive treatment, then this would matter much more.  But as a donor and someone who was drawn to this cause because I lost three family members to cancer in the past few years, I want I want to hear how I’m helping them make a difference.

Your organization is not number one.  Your donors are number one.

Always be donor-centered

I don’t mean to single out this particular organization because they’re not the only guilty party. Many organizations focus too much on themselves and not on their donors.

You see this often in a donor newsletter.  This is supposed to be a great way to engage with donors.  Yet many newsletters feature articles on the executive director receiving an award or a profile of a board member that focuses on her credentials and not on any personal connections she has to that cause.  Rarely is there anything thanking donors and letting them know they’re number one.

How you can do it

It’s not hard to be donor-centered, but you need to make a conscious effort to do it.

Instead of sending the same old appeal letters and thank you letters, take a good, hard look at the content.

  • Are you focused on your donors?
  • Are you showering them with gratitude?
  • Are you letting them know how THEY are helping you make a difference?
  • Are you letting them know they’re number one?

Your newsletters and updates also need to show your donors how they are helping you make a difference.  Share success stories such as – Thanks to donors like you, Steven doesn’t have to live in a shelter anymore and has a place to call home.

Always write to the donor and refer to them as you.  Make sure all your donor communications use the word you much more than we.  How to Perform the “You” Test for Donor-Centered Communications – Do You Pass?

What do your donors want?

Send your donors a short survey to find out what types of things they want to hear from you. Chances are it’s success stories and other ways they can continue to help you make a difference.

Donors also want to feel good about supporting your organization. Let them know they’re number one.

Is Your Annual Report Brilliant, or Boring?

Ann Green donor relations, fundraising, writing , ,

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Annual reports get a bad rap, and sometimes deservedly so.   They’re often these massive, boring booklets filled with mind-numbing text and statistics.  It doesn’t have to be this way.

Remember, your annual report is for your donors.  As you put together your report, think of what your donors will want to read.

It’s possible to create an annual report that will dazzle your donors and not put them to sleep.  Here’s how.

Create a gratitude report

You may want to stop using the term annual report and start calling it a gratitude report instead.  Donors want to feel good about giving to your nonprofit.

Focus on thanking your donors for their role in helping you make a difference.   Here’s an example.  It’s on the longer side, but it will show you how you can stay donor-centered. Interval House – Gratitude Report

How are you making a difference?

Donors want to see results. They don’t want a bragfest.   Share specific accomplishments that show how you are making difference.   Phrase it like – Thanks to you, 85% of the students in our tutoring program are reading at their grade level or above.

Tell a story

Donors love to hear about the people they’re helping.  You can tell a story with words, a photo, or video. Share a success story. For example, Lisa, a third grader at Northwoods Elementary School, used to get butterflies in her stomach if she had to read out loud in class.  The words didn’t come easy.  Now after weekly tutoring sessions with Jen, one of our volunteer tutors, her reading is much better and she doesn’t dread reading time.

Make it visual

Your donors are busy and don’t have a lot time to read your report.  Engage them with some great photos. Photos can tell a story in an instant. Choose photos of people participating in an activity, such as Jen helping Lisa with her reading.

Use colorful charts or graphs to highlight your financials. This is a great way to keep it simple and easy to understand.  Sprinkle in quotes and short testimonials to help break up any text.

Be sure your report is readable.  Use at least a 12-point font and black type on a white background.

Write as if you’re having conversation with friend

Most of your donors don’t use words like underserved or at-risk, and neither should you.  Use everyday language such as – With your help, we found affordable housing for over 100 homeless families. Now they no longer have to live in a shelter, motel, or their cars, and have a place to call home.

Write in the second person and use a warm, friendly tone.  Of course, use you much more than we.

Can you leave it out?

Annual reports often include an introduction from the executive director or board chair. I find these can drone on and don’t entice you to read more. If you do include an introduction, make it brief, friendly, jargon-free, and filled with gratitude towards your donors for their support in helping you reach your goals.

Many annual reports also contain a donor list, which have pros and cons. Some donors want public recognition, but these lists take up space and most people aren’t going to read them.

You’ll have to decide if it makes sense to include one in print. You could include a list of donors at a certain level in your annual report and all your donors on your website. Whatever you decide, be sure to thank all your donors in this section and double and triple check that their names are spelled correctly.

Your donors are not the same

You may want to consider different types of annual reports for different donor groups.  You could send an oversized postcard with photos and infographics or a two-page report to most of your donors.

Your grant and corporate funders might want more detail, but not 20 pages. Aim for no more than four pages.

This Annual Reports Wiki includes some great examples including postcards and videos.

Annual reports can be time consuming to produce.  Create one your donors will take time to read.

How to Create an Awesome Appeal Letter

Ann Green fundraising, writing ,

3698861511_3a03cbfe18It’s officially fall! Many of you are getting ready for your year-end appeal, and the cornerstone of your campaign is your appeal letter.

You want to create an awesome letter that captures your donors’ attention right away and convinces them to donate. Sounds simple, but it’s not. Here are some ways to ensure a successful letter.

Make a good first impression
First, you need to get your donor to open your letter. Give some thought to the outside envelope. You could include a teaser.

You want to be both personal and professional. If hand addressing the envelopes isn’t feasible, make sure your mailing labels look clean, are typo-free, and aren’t crooked. Use stamps if you can.

Create an inviting piece of mail.

Open with a story
Start your letter with a compelling story. Focus on a person or family and not your organization. Your donors want to hear about the people they’re helping.

Include a photo
Include an engaging color photo in your letter or on your pledge form. Photos can tell a story in an instant.

Here’s more information on creating stories and photos. How Are You Telling Your Stories?

Ask and you shall receive
Ask for a donation at the beginning of the next paragraph (after the story). Also, ask your current donors if they can give a little more this year.

Phrase your ask like this – We are so grateful for your previous gift of $50. Could you help us out a little more this time with a gift of $75?

If you have been doing a good job of engaging your donors throughout the year, they shouldn’t mind if you ask for a larger gift. BTW, including the amount of your donor’s previous gift is helpful since people often don’t remember what they gave before.

It’s all about your donor

It’s not about your organization. Show how are you are making a difference and how much you appreciate your donor’s role in that. Make your donor feel good about supporting your nonprofit.

Share your success
Highlight a few accomplishments from the year and show how you plan to continue your good work with your donor’s help. Remember to stay donor-centered!

Be personal
Send different letters to people who have donated before and thank them for supporting you. You can also tailor letters to other groups such as lapsed donors, people on your mailing list who haven’t donated yet, event attendees, volunteers, and friends of board members.

Your letter should have a personal salutation and not be addressed to Dear Friend.

Make giving a breeze
Include a return envelope with amounts to check off or an envelope and a pledge form. Show what each amount will fund.Here’s an example. Project Bread Gift Information

In addition, include a link to a user-friendly donation page on your website. Even if donors receive a letter, they may prefer to donate online.

Offer a monthly giving option

Monthly gifts can generate more revenue. Encourage your donors to give $10 or $20 a month. If they do, you are getting gifts over $100 each!

Make it easy to read
Use short paragraphs and bulleted lists. Use bold or color for key words, but keep it tasteful. Make it easy to read and scan. Use a simple font and keep in mind that 14 point is the new 12.

It’s fine to go over a page, especially if you are breaking up the text with a photo and short paragraphs, but I wouldn’t go over four pages. You can also add a quote or short testimonial. These can be powerful and it helps break up the narrative.

Write as if you’re having a conversation with a friend
Use a conversational tone and keep out jargon like disenfranchised individuals and underserved communities. Be specific and use everyday language. Refer to your reader as you and use you a lot more than we. How to Perform the “You” Test for Donor-Centered Communications – Do You Pass?

Too many editors spoil the appeal

Your entire staff shouldn’t need to be involved in creating your letter. Your best writer should craft it and then turn it over to your best editor. Whoever signs the letter (your Executive Director?) can take a quick look at it, but don’t go overboard.

Not only does involving more people take extra time, it usually weakens the content. Keep it fresh.

All’s well that ends well
Repeat your ask at the end of the letter. Don’t forget to say please and thank you.

Add a PS
People often gravitate to the PS as they scan the letter. Here you could emphasize monthly giving or ask if their company provides matching gifts.

Get your pens out
Include a short handwritten note. Make it relevant to each donor, such as thanking her for a previous donation or letting him know it was nice to see him at a recent event.

Hand sign the letters in blue ink.

Are you ready?
Send out an awesome appeal letter that will capture your donors’ attention and bring you the donations you need. Good luck!

Need some more inspiration? Read on.

112 Tips to Raise More Money by Mail

A winning formula to write your appeal letter

Is it Time for a Message Makeover?

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing, writing

What would happen if you got your staff or board together and asked them to give a short description of what your organization does? Would you get a variety of different answers?

Now take a look at some of your communication materials – fundraising letters, thank you letters, website etc. Are your messages consistent in all your materials? Are they written in clear, conversational language or are they filled with mind-numbing jargon?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, then it’s time for a message makeover.

Create a message platform
Putting together a set of clear, consistent messages, also known as a message platform, is a good project for you to take on this summer.

Now whenever you create a fundraising letter or content for your website, you can draw material from this set of messages.

Having a consistent set of messages is essential when you have more than one person writing for your organization and as new staff or volunteers come on board. All your materials need continuity and a single voice.

Everyone in your organization – staff, board, volunteers – is a message ambassador, and needs to be involved. Although, that doesn’t mean they should be involved in every step of the process.


You may want to get some initial input from staff and board. Ask everyone a few key questions, such as:

  • Who is your target audience? You may need to cater different messages to different audiences.

  • What is important to them?

As you create your positioning statement and talking points, ask:

  • Who are you?

  • What do you do?
  • How do you do it?

  • Why is it important?

  • What makes your organization unique?

  • How are you making a difference for the people you serve and in the community?

  • What do you want to achieve?

Keep it simple
This may sound obvious, but your goal is to make sure your reader understands your message. Your messages should be clear, specific, and include a call to action. Again, they need to be conversational, so avoid using jargon. Most people respond better to a human interest story than a lot of statistics.

Your messages should not say something like – We make a difference for at-risk students. Instead, say Our volunteer tutors help students boost their reading and math skills so they’ll have a better chance to get into college.

Use language your donors will understand
Have someone outside your organization, a friend or family member, look at your messages. Something that’s clear to you may be confusing to others. What Does That Mean?

Stay consistent with a style guide
Continuing on the theme of consistency, I strongly recommend putting together a style guide. Create a Style Guide for Your Organization

Get everyone on board
A small group – marketing staff and board members with marketing experience – should put together the message platform and then introduce it to everyone else.

Resources
Here is some more information help to you create a message platform.

The 4 Cornerstones of Your Nonprofit Message Platform  

Build Your Message Team

Getting to Aha! The Nonprofit Marketer’s Top Challenge

Take some time this summer to make sure that your messages and materials are clear and consistent.


Before and After Kitchen Photo by Patrick via Flickr

Is it Time For an Extreme Thank You Makeover?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing

Summer is here! Yea, finally.  This may be a slower time for you, and over the summer, I’m going to give you some suggestions on how to improve your fundraising and communications to help you get ready for a busy fall.

One area where most nonprofits can do better is thanking their donors, something that often seems like an afterthought. 

A landing page is more than a receipt

Many people donate online now, and your landing page is your first chance to say thank you.  Make it personal and not transactional. 

Open with Thank you, Susan!or You’re amazing!  Include an engaging photo and a short, easy to understand description of how the donation will help the people you serve.  Put all the tax deductable information after your message or in the automatically generated thank you email.

If you use third party giving sites, such as PayPal or Network for Good, this is what your donors will see, and it’s not pretty.How to Go Beyond a Receipt Follow up with a personal thank you email message within 48 hours (see below).

Your thank you email should sound like it’s coming from a human

Set up an automatic email to go out after someone donates online. This will let your donor know that you received her donation and it didn’t get lost in cyberspace.

Again, make it warm and personal.  Just because it’s generated by a computer, doesn’t mean it needs to sound like a computer.

You’re not done yet

I’m a firm believer that even if someone donates online he should receive thank you card, letter, or phone call within 48 hours.

Make your donor’s day with a handwritten note

You can make a good impression by sending a handwritten thank you note.  Personal mail is so rare these days, and your card will stand out.

Now is a good time to create some thank you cards.  One idea is to use a picture of a client or group of clients holding a thank you sign.  If cost is an issue, you could get the cards donated.

Writing cards will take more time, so you’ll need to plan ahead. Craft a sample note; recruit staff, board members, volunteers, and clients to help write cards; and hold thank you writing parties right after you send out an appeal.

Phone calls make a difference, too

You can do the same thing for thank you phone calls.  Create a sample script, recruit people to make calls, and hold thankathons after your appeal. 

Create an awesome letter

If it’s impossible to write cards or make phone calls, then send out an awesome letter. 

This means something personal and conversational without any vague jargon.  Give a specific example of how the donation will make a difference. Something like this.

Dear Matt,

You’re incredible!   Your $50 donation will give a family two bags of groceries.  Thank you so much!

Here are some more examples.

Thank You Letters Donors Will Love 

Thank You Letters – Resources for You

Make new donors feel welcome

Approximately 70% of first time donors don’t give a second gift. Yikes! Don’t let that happen. 

Start thinking about creating a welcome package now.  A week or so after you send a thank you note, send something in the mail or by email, if money is tight.

 Make Your New Donors Feel Welcome

 How to Personalize and Automate the Welcome Series for Your New Supporters

It’s all about relationships

Keep in touch now and throughout the fall, so you stay on your donors’ radar. Thanking donors is not a one-time thing. 

Create a Thank You Plan

Image by Woodley Wonderworks

 

What Does That Mean?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, Uncategorized, writing
When you write an appeal, thank you letter, or newsletter article, are you throwing in terms like at-risk youth and underserved communities?   The problem with those terms is they’re broad and often meaningless. 
 
 
Here’s an example from a thank you letter I received from a social services agency. “As you already know, X organization serves individuals who are often the most disenfranchised members of their communities.” Yikes! What does that mean?
 
Let’s look at some of these problem terms and what you can say instead. You may use some of these terms internally and they might be in your mission statement, but try to limit them when you communicate with donors. How To Follow in the Footsteps of Your Nonprofit’s Promise
 
 
At- risk
At risk means there’s a possibility something bad will happen. Instead of just saying at-risk students or youth, tell a story or give specific examples of something bad that could happen. Our tutoring program works with high school students who are more likely to fail, be held back, and drop out of school.
 
Youth
I like this post How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Write Like a Human and some of the comments in which people describe their experiences of whether to say kids, children, or youth.
 
I’ve had that same discussion at different organizations.  We can say children and youth, but not kids because that’s too informal and demeaning.  

But why not say kids?  I’m sure most donors don’t refer to their children as youth.  Kids sounds warm and fuzzy and well, youth does not.
 
After having this debate, one of my colleagues said it made him think of the two yoots scene from the movie, My Cousin Vinnie.  
 
Disenfranchised  
Disenfranchised means being stripped of power, rights, or privileges.  It’s often used when talking about voting rights.
 
I’m not sure the organization I quoted above used it correctly, but either way, it’s a mouthful. If your clients fall into this category, show how you are giving them a voice or giving them back their rights.
 
Underserved
Underserved means not receiving adequate help or services. Instead of saying we work with underserved communities, explain what types of services the residents don’t receive.  Maybe it’s healthcare, affordable housing, or decent preschool.
 
Be careful not to just say services. The 3 Most Boring Words in Fundraising Appeals Again, tell a story or give a specific example.  Sandra isn’t able send her daughter Lisa to a good preschool because there isn’t an affordable one nearby.
 
Making a difference or changing lives
Yes, you need to show your donors how you are making a difference, but you can’t just say your organization is making a difference or changing lives.
 
How are you doing that, and why is it important?  Maybe you’re helping families find affordable housing so they don’t have to live in a shelter, motel, or their car.  Now they have a place to call home.
 
Use language your donors will understand
Most of your donors don’t use these terms when they talk to their friends and neither should you when you communicate with them.  Use language they’ll understand.
 
Do you have any terms to add to this list?
 
Photo by Colin Kinner via Flickr
 
 
 
 

 

 

So Many Channels and Nothing’s On

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, writing

Today we have many different ways to communicate with our donors and other supporters – direct mail, email, websites, social media, and phones. Your nonprofit organization is probably using all these channels.

All these channels work, and they work better if you use them together, use them properly, and share good content.

Which channels do your donors prefer?
You can have 100 different channels to choose from, but that means nothing if your donors aren’t using them. Think of how many cable channels you have and how many you actually watch.

How do you know which channels your donors like? You ask them. Conducting surveys a couple of times a year can be helpful. You might find out your donors prefer print newsletters or they love using Twitter.

What works best will be different for every organization, and it will often be a combination of channels.

Once is never enough
You’ll have more success with a fundraising appeal or an event invitation if you use a variety of channels. You can send a heads up or save the date by email. Then send a letter or invitation by mail and follow up regularly by email, social media, or phone.

In addition, your donors are busy and are bombarded with information from a variety of sources. DATA NEVER SLEEPS 2.0

She might miss a fundraising appeal when it comes through the mail or email, but makes a donation when she gets a reminder on Facebook. On the other hand, some people never use social media or email and respond better to direct mail.

All channels are not the same
Even if you’re sharing the same content on different channels, you need to know what works best for each channel.

Print and electronic communication are often not interchangeable. Don’t stick a PDF newsletter or brochure on your website unless you intend for someone to print it out. How to stop the PDF from killing your nonprofit communications 

People read print and electronic communication differently. Since most people scan electronic communication (they may scan print, too), use short paragraphs, lots of white space, and at least a 12 point font.

Electronic messages should be shorter and social media, especially Twitter, needs to be very short.

Is there anything good on?
You may have all these channels available, but make sure you have something good to share. Again, think of all the TV shows that are on at one time and how only a few of them are any good.

Don’t just put something on Facebook because it’s been a few days since you posted anything or send out your monthly newsletter without a compelling story.

Be donor-centered and share content they’ll like such as success stories, engaging photos, or just saying thank you. Remember social media is social, so ask questions and start a conversation.

If coming up with all this content for different channels stresses you out, a communications calendar (aka editorial calendar) will be a huge help. Become Your Own Publishing Powerhouse with LightBox Collaborative’s 2014 Editorial Calendar  

Stay consistent 

When communicating across channels, make sure your messages and look are consistent. If a donor goes to your website after receiving a fundraising letter, your donation page should have the same message, along with your logo.

Everything you send out needs to look like it’s coming from the same organization.

Which channels work best for your organization?


Photo by Ludovic Betron via Flickr

Let’s Skip the Formalities

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
When you’re writing to donors and other supporters, don’t be so formal. A recent post from the Nonprofit Marketing Guide reminds us not to “channel your inner English teacher”. How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Write Like a Human 
How can you make sure your nonprofit communications don’t sound like a Ph.D thesis? Here are a few tips.
Write in the second person
Your fundraising letters, thank you letters, newsletter articles, etc should be written in the second person. Pretend you’re having a conversation with your reader.
Keep that person in mind when you write and think about what they would want to read.

Be sure to use the word you much more than we.  When you’re having a conversation with someone, do you spend a lot of time talking about yourself? I hope not.
Create a jargon-free zone
Jargon confuses your readers.  Let’s pretend it’s Thanksgiving and you’re talking to your family about your work.  If Aunt Shirley starts to look glazed when you talk about capacity building and disenfranchised communities, imagine your donors doing the same thing.
Most of your donors don’t have a medical or social services background and don’t use terms like at-risk populations. Use language they’ll understand.
Get active
I’m not a fan of the passive voice, because it weakens your writing.  It can distance you from what you’re trying to say.  I’m reminded of the politicians in their mea culpa press conferences who say, “Mistakes were made.”
Which sounds better?  Over 5,000 meals were served at the Southside Community Center or Our volunteers served over 5,000 meals.
Also, use strong, active verbs and avoid adjectives and adverbs.  Say depleted instead of really tired.
You want your readers to take action whether it’s donating, volunteering, or reading a success story.  Active language will help with that.
Back to school time
Write at a sixth to eighth grade level.  You’re not dumbing down; you’re being smart because you’re making it easier for your readers. 

Don’t use a lot of fancy words.  It makes you sound pretentious.  You don’t want your readers to have to hunt for a dictionary.  Most likely they won’t, and they’ll miss out on what you were trying to say.
Now, forget what you learned in English class. It’s okay to start a sentence with a conjunction and use sentence fragments. 
Get out your red pens
It’s important that you take time to edit.  Circle all passive verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to see if you need them. Check for jargon, too. 

Read your content out loud.  Do you sound like a friendly person or a robot?
Word Grammar Check is a mixed bag.  It flags contractions and sentences that start with conjunctions. But the Flesch Kincaid feature is useful because it determines grade level and finds passive sentences.  
This post includes additional editing tips and resources. Why Your Nonprofit Communications are a Waste of Time: 10 Easy Fixes
Always think of your reader
Your donors are busy.  They don’t want to slog through a newsletter that looks like a legal brief.  Skip the formalities and give them something they’ll enjoy reading.

Photo by Greg Smith via Flickr

Show Your Donors How You Are Making a Difference

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
Do your donors know how they are helping you make a difference? Because I often don’t see good examples of that. What I see is a list of activities or accomplishments that are focused on the organization. Some examples (these are fictitious) include:


Feeding Families served over $50,000 meals in 2013.

We received a $30,000 grant from the Baker Foundation.

ReadingWorks just started a tutoring program at Eastside High School.

These are okay on one level, but don’t answer the question – How are you making a difference for the people you serve?

Why is this important?

When you are communicating with donors, let them know why your accomplishments are important.

Instead of just reporting that you served over $50,000 meals, emphasize how that will make a difference. Are people in the community finding it hard to make enough money to put food on the table?

Why is it important that Eastside High School now has a tutoring program? Maybe it’s because 70% of their students are two grade levels behind in reading and your program can help boost their skills.

Of course, publicly acknowledging your major funders is important, but what will that grant be used for? How will it help people?

Speak your donor’s language

Be personal and conversational. Use language your donors will understand. Here’s a good example from an organization specializing in cancer research and treatment.

“Tests revealed Chris had a tumor the size of an orange in his colon.” That’s easy to visualize isn’t it?

Then they wrote about developing treatments “of precisely targeted radiation to locate and destroy small, early stage lung tumors. That means less pain, fewer side effects, and faster recovery time for patients.”

Okay, there’s some passive voice in there, but it’s fairly easy to understand. The organization could have gotten overly technical. I think they gave a good example of how this treatment helps their patients battle this dreaded disease.

You need good stories
A great way to show your donors how you are making a difference is to tell a story, and the best stories are about the people you serve. I know they are harder to get, but this is what your donors want to hear.

When you tell a story, introduce a protagonist – an individual or family- and give them a name. You can change their names to protect their privacy.

Your story will continue with a challenge and end with how your donors helped make you make a difference. How to Simplify Your Nonprofit’s Story to One Paragraph 


Here’s more on the story about Chris. “Chris was a marathoner, and in perfect health, except for what he thought was an upset stomach.” The story went on about finding the tumor the size of an orange and starting treatment “to win that fight.” The organization “discovered that Chris has genetic condition that puts him at high risk for his cancer to return. We put together a long-term screening program to ensure cancer never surprises him again.”

Show your donors how they are helping you make a difference

I didn’t quote that story verbatim because I thought the organization tooted their own horn a little too much by saying “We helped him win that fight” and “Our experts discovered…” There wasn’t any mention of their donors’ role in helping them, although this came from an appeal letter to prospective donors.

Your organization needs to be in the background. Your stories are not about you.

If you are communicating with current donors, don’t forget to thank them and let them know that they are a key to your success. After all, you wouldn’t be able to make a difference for the people you serve without their support.

How is your organization making a difference?

Photo by Bob McElroy US Army via Flickr

I’m Bored

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
When our nephew was younger, his favorite phrase seemed to be, “I’m bored”.  Is this what your donors are saying when they read your annual report or newsletter?  They might be if the first thing they see is one of those dull letters from the Executive Director. 
There’s nothing inherently wrong with a letter from the ED, but they’re usually not very interesting.  They tend to brag about how great the organization is and are filled with jargon.
How can you ensure that you’re giving your donors something they will want to read?
First impressions matter
I recommend starting annual reports, fundraising letters, and newsletters with an engaging story.  If your lead story doesn’t capture your readers’ attention, they may not read anything else. 
They may not read everything anyway, which is why you need to use the inverted pyramid and put the most important and engaging information first.
Short and sweet
What do you think your donor is more likely to read, a postcard annual report or a ten-page report, half of which is a list of donors?   

Donors don’t have the time or patience to slog through pages of long-winded-text. Most People Skim. Few Read Deep. 

Don’t use jargon
I write a lot about not using jargon because it deflates your writing.  It’s often meaningless.
Instead of saying we are making an impact in underserved communities, give a specific example.  Thanks to you, we are helping people in the Northside neighborhood get better access to healthcare.
It’s not about you
If your communications are focused on how great your organization is, you’ll probably bore your donors pretty quickly.
But if it’s focused on how great they are, they’ll want to keep reading.  That dreaded letter from the ED is often organization-focused.  You want to focus on the people you serve.  That’s why you should be sharing stories and profiles. It’s Not About You 
Quality counts
Nonprofits need to make a commitment  to do a good job of communicating with their donors. 
I think one of the problems is that organizations keep using the same boilerplate content for so long that they become immune to it.  Look at your messages and put yourself in your donors’ shoes.  Is this something that will interest them?
You want to create and use a consistent message platform. The 4 Cornerstones of Your Nonprofit Message Platform  Review it once or twice a year to make sure it’s still relevant.
You might want to find some people outside your organization to look over your materials to see if they are interesting and engaging.  What may be interesting to you, may not be to others.
In addition, be careful of how many people look over and edit your materials.  You often run into trouble here.  The people in your fundraising and marketing departments should be trusted to know how to write fundraising letters, annual reports, newsletter articles etc.   I recommend one writer and one editor.
Don’t bore your donors
Take time to create materials your donors will want to read.  Write thank you letters that are filled with appreciation and don’t look like an ATM receipt.  Don’t drone on in the About Us section of your website.

You never want to hear your donors say, “I’m bored.”

Photo by Mark Engelbrecht via Flickr