Your fundraising letters need to do the same. And the quickest way to a donor's heart is through the adrenal glands. Consider, for example, this opening paragraph from a fundraising letter mailed by Covenant House:

"She stood on the curb looking scar

How to Increase Business, Sales, and Success, and Guarantee Results
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” Andrew CarnegieThe following techniques when applied consistently, are guaranteed to get results in achieving greater business success, increased sales and personal success. Consistency is key. Be specific and realistic. Practice these techniques daily. These are the same

If your fundraising letter doesn't tell a great story, it's not a fundraising letter. It's a memo. Direct mail fundraising is all about storytelling.

If you want your direct mail donors to respond to your letters in greater numbers and with larger gifts, learn the craft of storytelling. Learn how to write human-interest stories that inspire, motivate and move your donors—to give.

As a gospel preacher and one-time university instructor, I've learned over the years that the safest way to make your point stick is to tell a story. As UK fundraising consultant Ken Burnett observes in his book, The Zen of Fundraising, fundraisers should tell stories because "we have some of the best stories in the world and the best reasons of all for telling them."

Jesus Christ revealed complicated truths about God's character, God's prophetic plan for the ages, and moral absolutes by telling parables. The Prodigal Son. The Good Samaritan. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. These phrases are in common use today because the person who coined them 2,000 years ago told stories. Memorable stories. Stories that reached the hearts of His hearers.

Your fundraising letters need to do the same. And the quickest way to a donor's heart is through the adrenal glands. Consider, for example, this opening paragraph from a fundraising letter mailed by Covenant House:

"She stood on the curb looking scare

Success Sucks!
Let's be straight up honest for a moment....success can really suck. Not all success, of course. Just the kind that sneaks up behind and knocks you down. The wading-through-the-swamp-wrestling-alligators kind of success that leaves you panting, breathless, staring deep into the gator's mouth.How does success go so terribly wrong? And could it happen to you? Oh yeah. It's as simple as h

ng. Learn how to write human-interest stories that inspire, motivate and move your donors—to give.

As a gospel preacher and one-time university instructor, I've learned over the years that the safest way to make your point stick is to tell a story. As UK fundraising consultant Ken Burnett observes in his book, The Zen of Fundraising, fundraisers should tell stories because "we have some of the best stories in the world and the best reasons of all for telling them."

Jesus Christ revealed complicated truths about God's character, God's prophetic plan for the ages, and moral absolutes by telling parables. The Prodigal Son. The Good Samaritan. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. These phrases are in common use today because the person who coined them 2,000 years ago told stories. Memorable stories. Stories that reached the hearts of His hearers.

Your fundraising letters need to do the same. And the quickest way to a donor's heart is through the adrenal glands. Consider, for example, this opening paragraph from a fundraising letter mailed by Covenant House:

"She stood on the curb looking scar

Handing in Your Resignation and Serving Notice
Have you made the right choice? Before deciding to resign from your current position and move to a new employer, you should weigh up as objectively as possible all the relevant factors: remuneration, working environment, location, travel demands, training and development opportunities, promotional prospects, and your future bosses.Consider also what impact a job with the new company wo

urnett observes in his book, The Zen of Fundraising, fundraisers should tell stories because "we have some of the best stories in the world and the best reasons of all for telling them."

Jesus Christ revealed complicated truths about God's character, God's prophetic plan for the ages, and moral absolutes by telling parables. The Prodigal Son. The Good Samaritan. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. These phrases are in common use today because the person who coined them 2,000 years ago told stories. Memorable stories. Stories that reached the hearts of His hearers.

Your fundraising letters need to do the same. And the quickest way to a donor's heart is through the adrenal glands. Consider, for example, this opening paragraph from a fundraising letter mailed by Covenant House:

"She stood on the curb looking scar

The New Paradigm for Entrepreneurial Success
Entrepreneurship is a great magnet to deliver new ideas, unique approaches and innovative technologies. When conducted in a proper way, turning people into entrepreneurs improves a country’s economic situation and aids sustainable progress. However, transition to become an entrepreneur is not that aspiring to all. Risks and uncertainties involved in starting a new business coupled with stagna

the ages, and moral absolutes by telling parables. The Prodigal Son. The Good Samaritan. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. These phrases are in common use today because the person who coined them 2,000 years ago told stories. Memorable stories. Stories that reached the hearts of His hearers.

Your fundraising letters need to do the same. And the quickest way to a donor's heart is through the adrenal glands. Consider, for example, this opening paragraph from a fundraising letter mailed by Covenant House:

"She stood on the curb looking scar

Yes - We Have No Bananas
I stayed in an Orlando hotel suite for ten days. Breakfast was available in the concierge lounge each morning: oatmeal, bread with butter and jelly and an assortment of sliced melon.Each morning I looked for a banana to top off my oatmeal. Sliced melon, yes. But banana, no.On the third day I spoke to the staff in the lounge.‘You want a banana?’ she asked. ‘No problem. I’l

His hearers.

Your fundraising letters need to do the same. And the quickest way to a donor's heart is through the adrenal glands. Consider, for example, this opening paragraph from a fundraising letter mailed by Covenant House:

"She stood on the curb looking scared and lonely in a skimpy halter top and bright red lipstick. It was two in the morning. A chilly breeze whipped up in the street and seemed to make her shiver. She was a child . . . just a child. We pulled our Covenant House van up to the curb and rolled down the window . . . ."

Or this opening story from an appeal letter mailed by The Cousteau Society:

"A shipwrecked sailor was struggling in the water. The shore was near, but his strength was almost spent. Then suddenly there was a friendly presence in the water, a strong, sleek body that buoyed him up, escorted him to shallow water, saved his life. This story, or something akin to it, has been told countless times about dolphins and porpoises."

Or this opening from an appeal letter mailed by the YWCA:

"Shortly after the latest increase in heating oil, a fuel company received an inquiry from the Mother Superior of a Convent: "How much," she asked, "has the price of oil gone up? Wanting to break the news gently, the salesperson asked, "Are you sitting down, Sister?" Replied the nun, "I am kneeling." In its str