Today, countless organizations are raising more money with their newsletter than with traditional mail appeals. And after reading Tom Ahern's acclaimed book, you'll 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. The essence of Ahern's book centers around seven fatal flaws, which he exposes one by one. Nicely complements Ahern's other How to Write Fundraising Materials that Raise More Money, and Seeing Through a Donor's Eyes.
If you write newsletters for your organization, this is a great book to read. It's a quick & dirty breakdown of how you can improve your newsletters, without a lot of extraneous information. I found several things that I can incorporate into my next newsletter. Wanna see it? The next one goes out 3/15/09 and you can find it at www.caresswm.org.