Your New Favorite Three Letter Word
You’re going to ace this quiz, I know you are: What’s the single most profit-generating word in advertising? A. FreeB. SexC. You You guessed it! C. You. You can’t help …
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Legacy Donor Thank Yous
You know how important donor thank-you letters are. You’ve heard the stats about how donors give more when they feel appreciated. You’ve read the studies on how donors increase their …
Donor-Centric But Still Sincere
The other day my friend showed me a piece of mail she received from an anti-human trafficking organization that she donates to. The main headline screamed: “The Murder Conviction That …
What’s Your Problem?
From the dawn of time, storytellers have known that a good story starts with a problem.
PopPop’s Legacy
My grandfather, “PopPop,” had plenty of money but wore the same Wal-Mart swim trunks for a decade. He loved to sing but couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. He …
Writing Rules You Can Break
Here’s an irony I’ve noticed writing for nonprofits: Most of the development folks I’ve met are wonderful, kind-hearted people. And you are excellent communicators in person. You build relationships, inspire …
What’s Your CTA?
Pop quiz! What does CTA stand for? A. Charitable Trust Annuity B. Chicago Transit Authority C. Call To Action Okay, trick question. C is the real answer. But if you …
Being Quiet
I never lived in the same ZIP code as my husband before we got married. He lived in New York, and I was in Chicago for the first year of …
The L-Word
I’ve been thinking about the origin of words recently. It started with finding out that the word ‘priority’ was—for at least 600 years—singular. As in, one. One priority. The very …