Here are a few ideas:

1. Personalize by first name: Dear Bill,


2. Personalize by last name: Dear Mr. Phillips,


3. Personalize by prefix: As a doctor, you appreciate tha
   Be Prepared - Get an Emergency and Disaster Kit
   When a disaster happens, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Those that are prepared in advance with the correct supplies and action plan will inevitably be in a better position than those that do not. You should develop a unique action plan for each place that you and members of your family visit; this includes work, school, the gym and the homes of other members of your fa
   Have you ever played The Mennonite Game? When two Mennonites meet for the first time, they soon start asking each other questions designed to discover who and what they share in common. The game goes something like this:

   Moses: You look like you’re Mennonite.
   David: I am. My name is David Martin.
   Moses: Hullo. [Shake hands.] I’m Moses Yoder. Where are you from, David?
   David: Goshen, Indiana. How about you?
   Moses: Steinbach, Manitoba.
   David: Oh, Steinbach. Do you know John and Mary Hostetler?
   Moses: No, I don’t think I do. Where do they fellowship?
   David: Bethel Mennonite Church. He’s one of the deacons. He’s a carpenter.
   Moses: Does he work for Yoder Construction?
   David: Yes.
   Moses: I know Cliff Yoder, the owner. His son and my son served together in Belize with Voluntary Service.
   David: You must know John and Sarah Statler, then.
   Moses: Yes, I do. We’re second cousins.
   David: We had John and Sarah at our church just this past week for revival meetings. Moses: Imagine that!

   And so it goes, The Mennonite Game, played by complete strangers the world over to build rapport and discover what—and who—they have in common.

   Your goal is similar when writing a fundraising letter to an unknown donor. You want to be friendly and personal, to establish rapport between the two of you. But how can you be personal with an impersonal letter, one that you are mailing to someone you do not know personally and will likely never meet?

   The answer is personalization, particularly database personalization. Your database is a mine of information about each donor. You can use just about every single fact you know about each donor in a creative way to build rapport, sound conversational, be genuine and strengthen your relationship.

   Here are a few ideas:

   1. Personalize by first name: Dear Bill,
   
   
   2. Personalize by last name: Dear Mr. Phillips,
   
   
   3. Personalize by prefix: As a doctor, you appreciate that
      Franchise Problems - Trouble In Store For New Franchisees
      Sometimes when I read franchise prospectuses I am struck by the tone used in the copy. One would think that franchises are charitable institutions judging from the way that they seem to be practically giving away their business to prospective franchisees!However, every now and then the mask slips and the true nature of the relationship becomes clear. Here are a couple of q
      Indiana. How about you?
      Moses: Steinbach, Manitoba.
      David: Oh, Steinbach. Do you know John and Mary Hostetler?
      Moses: No, I don’t think I do. Where do they fellowship?
      David: Bethel Mennonite Church. He’s one of the deacons. He’s a carpenter.
      Moses: Does he work for Yoder Construction?
      David: Yes.
      Moses: I know Cliff Yoder, the owner. His son and my son served together in Belize with Voluntary Service.
      David: You must know John and Sarah Statler, then.
      Moses: Yes, I do. We’re second cousins.
      David: We had John and Sarah at our church just this past week for revival meetings. Moses: Imagine that!

      And so it goes, The Mennonite Game, played by complete strangers the world over to build rapport and discover what—and who—they have in common.

      Your goal is similar when writing a fundraising letter to an unknown donor. You want to be friendly and personal, to establish rapport between the two of you. But how can you be personal with an impersonal letter, one that you are mailing to someone you do not know personally and will likely never meet?

      The answer is personalization, particularly database personalization. Your database is a mine of information about each donor. You can use just about every single fact you know about each donor in a creative way to build rapport, sound conversational, be genuine and strengthen your relationship.

      Here are a few ideas:

      1. Personalize by first name: Dear Bill,
      
      
      2. Personalize by last name: Dear Mr. Phillips,
      
      
      3. Personalize by prefix: As a doctor, you appreciate tha
         Job Hunting Tips: Taking Care of Yourself
         Looking for work is generally a miserable undertaking. No matter how much education and experience you have, you are in a powerless and vulnerable position.You spend days preparing for an interview, trying to build up your self-confidence, create a relaxed, competent demeanor to disguise the turmoil and anxiety inside, and practice answers to questions you hope the intervi
         in Belize with Voluntary Service.
         David: You must know John and Sarah Statler, then.
         Moses: Yes, I do. We’re second cousins.
         David: We had John and Sarah at our church just this past week for revival meetings. Moses: Imagine that!

         And so it goes, The Mennonite Game, played by complete strangers the world over to build rapport and discover what—and who—they have in common.

         Your goal is similar when writing a fundraising letter to an unknown donor. You want to be friendly and personal, to establish rapport between the two of you. But how can you be personal with an impersonal letter, one that you are mailing to someone you do not know personally and will likely never meet?

         The answer is personalization, particularly database personalization. Your database is a mine of information about each donor. You can use just about every single fact you know about each donor in a creative way to build rapport, sound conversational, be genuine and strengthen your relationship.

         Here are a few ideas:

         1. Personalize by first name: Dear Bill,
         
         
         2. Personalize by last name: Dear Mr. Phillips,
         
         
         3. Personalize by prefix: As a doctor, you appreciate tha
            Business Force Multipliers!
            There is a concept in the military called a force multiplier. This is anything that increases the effectiveness of the military unit. Like a machine gun verses a single shot rifle. The machine gun is several times more effective than the rifle. Thus, the machine gun can take the place of a whole group of riflemen.The main force multiplier of the modern business world is
            r goal is similar when writing a fundraising letter to an unknown donor. You want to be friendly and personal, to establish rapport between the two of you. But how can you be personal with an impersonal letter, one that you are mailing to someone you do not know personally and will likely never meet?

            The answer is personalization, particularly database personalization. Your database is a mine of information about each donor. You can use just about every single fact you know about each donor in a creative way to build rapport, sound conversational, be genuine and strengthen your relationship.

            Here are a few ideas:

            1. Personalize by first name: Dear Bill,
            
            
            2. Personalize by last name: Dear Mr. Phillips,
            
            
            3. Personalize by prefix: As a doctor, you appreciate tha
               The Use of the Internet for Finding Good Jobs
               You are looking for a job and you don’t know where to start. Don’t panic, this is a frequent problem job seekers come across every day. The best place to start is Internet. Things aren’t as they use to be a few years ago when everyone would have looked for a new job in a newspaper or trade magazine. Companies used head hunting and search firms in order to find good workers. Nowad
               formation about each donor. You can use just about every single fact you know about each donor in a creative way to build rapport, sound conversational, be genuine and strengthen your relationship.

               Here are a few ideas:

               1. Personalize by first name: Dear Bill,
               
               
               2. Personalize by last name: Dear Mr. Phillips,
               
               
               3. Personalize by prefix: As a doctor, you appreciate that . . .
               
               
               4. Personalize by state/province: Child abuse is a problem in every state of the union—including Ohio.
               
               
               5. Personalize by date of first gift: When you first supported us in 1991, we were a small, struggling operation, as I am sure you remember. Not today!
               
               
               6. Personalize by donor interests: Here is the update on East Timor that you asked me to send you.

               These tips are taken from 53 Creative Ways to Personalize Your Fundraising Letters, Handbook 23 in the popular Hands-On Fundraising Series from Andrew Spencer Publishing. Learn how to build rapport, sound conversational, show genuine interest and strengthen your relationships with donors. Learn more here.

               © 2006 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the Author" message).