1. Friends of current supporters

The first place to look is friends, family and colleagues of your current supporters. The odds are good that your most generous and faithful donors have friends or co-workers or family members who will want to support your cause as well.

One of the most popular ways of acquiring new donors like this is through a Friend-Get-a-Friend program. At the best times during the year (which you discover through testing), you invite your current donors to refer a friend to your organization. This is usually done with a buckslip or liftnote that goes out with your regular fundraising appeal letter. But you can also include a tear-out coupon in your newsletter and a sign-up form on your website.

2. Clients

Another source of new donors is your clients, the people that your organization serves. Naturally, if your clients are homeless or poor, they are not prospects for donor appeal letters. But if your clients are former hospital patients, or university alumni, or retired folks, then you have a valuable source of potential supporters. These people already know your mission, who you serve and how you help them.

3. Volunteers

Another group of individuals that knows all about your organization is your volunteers. They not only know you, they believe in you. That’s why they give you their time and talents. Now you can ask them to give their treasure as well.

4. Staff

One advantage of asking your staff for donations is that you know two things about them. You know that they know your case for support. And you know that they have money. So send them an appeal letter. Or better yet, ask them to join your monthly giving program, with their gift coming right out of their pay each payday.

5. Peer groups

One organization I have written fundraising letters for is Doctors Without Borders. They are a group of volunteer doctors and nurses who deliver emergency medical care in places where no medical infrastructure exists, usually because of war or natural disasters. In one acquisition campaign that I worked on, Doctors Without Borders sent acquisition letters to two peer groups—doctors and pharmacists. They reasoned that these two groups of medical practitioners would identify closely with the mission of Doctors Without Borders, even if they were not able or inclined to volunteer overseas.

Does your organization have a professional peer group that is a natural source of donors? Send them a well-crafted appeal letter that speaks to them as peers and is signed by a peer, and see what happens.

6. Affinity groups The Information Age, Make It Work For You
The Information Age. That is what writers and analysts have labeled the concluding years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century.Throughout the time-line of history every great era has been given a name to identify the major achievement or advance in progress that marks that time period.Some that come to mind are the Ice Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Industrial Age and now the Information Age.<hich you discover through testing), you invite your current donors to refer a friend to your organization. This is usually done with a buckslip or liftnote that goes out with your regular fundraising appeal letter. But you can also include a tear-out coupon in your newsletter and a sign-up form on your website.

2. Clients

Another source of new donors is your clients, the people that your organization serves. Naturally, if your clients are homeless or poor, they are not prospects for donor appeal letters. But if your clients are former hospital patients, or university alumni, or retired folks, then you have a valuable source of potential supporters. These people already know your mission, who you serve and how you help them.

3. Volunteers

Another group of individuals that knows all about your organization is your volunteers. They not only know you, they believe in you. That’s why they give you their time and talents. Now you can ask them to give their treasure as well.

4. Staff

One advantage of asking your staff for donations is that you know two things about them. You know that they know your case for support. And you know that they have money. So send them an appeal letter. Or better yet, ask them to join your monthly giving program, with their gift coming right out of their pay each payday.

5. Peer groups

One organization I have written fundraising letters for is Doctors Without Borders. They are a group of volunteer doctors and nurses who deliver emergency medical care in places where no medical infrastructure exists, usually because of war or natural disasters. In one acquisition campaign that I worked on, Doctors Without Borders sent acquisition letters to two peer groups—doctors and pharmacists. They reasoned that these two groups of medical practitioners would identify closely with the mission of Doctors Without Borders, even if they were not able or inclined to volunteer overseas.

Does your organization have a professional peer group that is a natural source of donors? Send them a well-crafted appeal letter that speaks to them as peers and is signed by a peer, and see what happens.

6. Affinity groups How to Leverage Your Expertise with Tips Booklets
I first heard of tips sheets and tips booklets from the author of Making a Living Without a Job, Barbara Winter, a completely delightful writer and entrepreneur who aspires to have everyone create an inspired business. I then attended several teleclasses by the woman I consider to be the tips booklet queen, Paulette Ensign, where I fully understood the idea of how a tips booklet could help you leverage your expertise.Ensign describes a tips bospital patients, or university alumni, or retired folks, then you have a valuable source of potential supporters. These people already know your mission, who you serve and how you help them.

3. Volunteers

Another group of individuals that knows all about your organization is your volunteers. They not only know you, they believe in you. That’s why they give you their time and talents. Now you can ask them to give their treasure as well.

4. Staff

One advantage of asking your staff for donations is that you know two things about them. You know that they know your case for support. And you know that they have money. So send them an appeal letter. Or better yet, ask them to join your monthly giving program, with their gift coming right out of their pay each payday.

5. Peer groups

One organization I have written fundraising letters for is Doctors Without Borders. They are a group of volunteer doctors and nurses who deliver emergency medical care in places where no medical infrastructure exists, usually because of war or natural disasters. In one acquisition campaign that I worked on, Doctors Without Borders sent acquisition letters to two peer groups—doctors and pharmacists. They reasoned that these two groups of medical practitioners would identify closely with the mission of Doctors Without Borders, even if they were not able or inclined to volunteer overseas.

Does your organization have a professional peer group that is a natural source of donors? Send them a well-crafted appeal letter that speaks to them as peers and is signed by a peer, and see what happens.

6. Affinity groups The Spontaneous Application
Many of the available jobs in the market are not published by the companies. This is the perfect opportunity to make a spontaneous application. Don't know what it is? The spontaneous application is a way of getting someone to know you, to make your own self promotion. And exactly how do you do it? Just write and publish your own job add. Write and send letter with a spontaneous application. Advertise yourself!! How do you write your own add? Starw two things about them. You know that they know your case for support. And you know that they have money. So send them an appeal letter. Or better yet, ask them to join your monthly giving program, with their gift coming right out of their pay each payday.

5. Peer groups

One organization I have written fundraising letters for is Doctors Without Borders. They are a group of volunteer doctors and nurses who deliver emergency medical care in places where no medical infrastructure exists, usually because of war or natural disasters. In one acquisition campaign that I worked on, Doctors Without Borders sent acquisition letters to two peer groups—doctors and pharmacists. They reasoned that these two groups of medical practitioners would identify closely with the mission of Doctors Without Borders, even if they were not able or inclined to volunteer overseas.

Does your organization have a professional peer group that is a natural source of donors? Send them a well-crafted appeal letter that speaks to them as peers and is signed by a peer, and see what happens.

6. Affinity groups Advances in Print Technology: What About?
A number of dramatic technological innovations have been added greatly to deal with the character of printing process. Linotype is a method of creating movable type by machine instead of by hand and was introduced in 1884 which marked a significant leap in production speed.The typewriter made the production and "look" of standardized print much more widely accessible. The process of setting type continued to go through transformations with the acquisition campaign that I worked on, Doctors Without Borders sent acquisition letters to two peer groups—doctors and pharmacists. They reasoned that these two groups of medical practitioners would identify closely with the mission of Doctors Without Borders, even if they were not able or inclined to volunteer overseas.

Does your organization have a professional peer group that is a natural source of donors? Send them a well-crafted appeal letter that speaks to them as peers and is signed by a peer, and see what happens.

6. Affinity groups

Is your not-for-profit affiliated with a particular religious group, ethnic group or service organization? Then you have a ready-made source of new supporters, provided that they also meet your other criteria for suitable donors. If you are an evangelical Christian, for example, as I am, then you can look to fellow evangelicals for donations. If you are Italian-American and you live in Little Italy (in New York City), then you have a large group of folks whom you can approach for funds. If you are a member of Rotary International, your fellow members are a source of new support.

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