A monthly electronic bulletin, keeping you up-to-date on
Women Work! activities, partnerships, news and much more!
Development Doctor
Fundraising Letter Success
Writing a successful fundraising letter can seem like a daunting task. It can be difficult to get into the donor's mind and understand what is most effective in getting a (monetary) response. Here are some tips when writing fundraising letters to individual donors.
1. Use "I" and "You," but mostly "You." Think of how you would write a letter to another individual. Using I and You provides human interest and is a powerful way to engage the reader.
2. Base your appeal on benefits, not needs. Donors give in order to get something in return, primarily the good feelings that come from helping others, but sometimes it is also because of some tangible gift they will receive from you.
3. Ask for money, not for support. Be explicit when asking for money. Example: Send a special gift today of $25 or more. Be clear and repeat some variation of the message throughout the letter.
4. Write a package, not a letter. At the very least, your package will contain an outer envelope, a reply envelope, and a reply device, as well as the letter. Use a unifying theme, symbols and colors so the package is memorable and accessible.
5. Write in simple, straightforward English. Readers skim, so make it easy to find the meat of your message without reading the entire letter. Your words should be powerful and your sentences short and punchy.
6. Format your letter so it is easy to read. Keep paragraphs short and formatting minimal to make sure your reader can focus on the content.
7. Give readers a reason to send money now. Create a sense of urgency by citing a deadline for a matching grant, or tie your request to a budget deadline or a particular holiday.
8. Write as long a letter as you need to make your case. Many people will read every word while others will simply scan. Write to both groups with a reasonably long letter that is set up to be easy to scan.
Credit: How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, by Mal Warwick.
Questions or Suggestions?
Send your questions or leads to the Development Doctor. Remember good prescriptions for financial health should be shared, so let the Doctor know about resources you find useful!
Resources
Census Toolkit
A new toolkit has been developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to assist community and faith-based organizations in accessing its data for use in their grant proposals. The toolkit is also useful for community needs assessment. To access this toolkit, visit www.census.gov.
Funding Opportunities
Fund for Southern Communities
The Fund for Southern Communities is a public foundation that supports small community groups in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina working against racism and for environmental justice, women's rights, youth development, LGBTQ rights, worker's rights, civil and disability rights and other issues that address social change through community organizing.
Complete program information and grant application are available at the FSC web site, www.fundforsouth.org.
Quill Corporation and DeVry University Scholarships
Quill Corporation, with DeVry University , is offering ten $1,500 scholarships. These scholarships are for Chicago-area administrative professionals as well as office assistants to attend DeVry University and enhance their career opportunities.
Applications can be downloaded at www.quill.com or at www.devry.edu.
Spouses of Deployed Military Personnel
The Women's Opportunity Center at YWCA of Burling County in Mt. Laurel, NJ announced a third partnership with the Department of Community Affairs to manage a $150,000 federal grant. The grant provides direct financial assistance to spouses of deployed military personnel in all branches of service in the state. Direct financial assistance and referrals will be offered for needs such as child care, utilities, groceries, home repairs, car insurance payments and camp fees to help defer costs during financially stressful times for spouses in the state.
For more information and an application, contact Fawn Mutschler, Military Grant Liaison, at 609-543-6200, extension 325 or email: wocmilitarygrant@ywca-bc.org.
What's New at Women Work!?
Join Our Pay Equity Campaign
This Labor Day, Women Work! and our coalition partners are teaming up to tell Congress that women demand protection against gender-biased wage discrimination.
When Congress returns from summer recess in September, they'll be completing work on two important pay equity bills, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. Our goal for our Labor Day Pay Equity Campaign is to let Congress know that pay equity is important to voters and makes a huge difference for women and their families, especially those on the lower end of the earnings spectrum.
Starting August 10, visit www.womenwork.org to download an easy to use op-ed template and instructions on how to personalize it and submit it to your local paper. With one simple action you can gain publicity for the important work you do and help us raise the profile of the equal pay issue in communities across the country.
If you have any questions please contact Lily Davidson, Women Work! Communications Director, at ldavidson@womenwork.org.
Women Work! on TV
Women Work! CEO Jill Miller and several clients of Women Work! member organizations recently were interviewed for an appearance on the television show Caucus: New Jersey. The panel, Enterprising Women: Women in Transition, will air in August on NJN in New Jersey and on CN8 for Comcast cable subscribers. Check local listings and encourage anyone interested in women's economic security to tune in.
The IDA Advantage
This fall Women Work! is offering The IDA Advantage, a new four-part remote training program on Individual Development Accounts (IDA) called. IDAs are a proven method for low-income individisuals to build savings and self-sufficiency. This training series will give you the tools you need to implement an IDAprogram with your clients.
The training is FREE for Women Work! organizational members. Individual members are invited to upgrade their membership to the organizational level at a discounted price to participate in the training.
To get further information on this important new program, or on changing membership status, visit the Women Work! web site.
Featured Web site: Women Work!'s network of organizational members are doing great work.
Check out this month's featured web site to learn how our network is bringing economic justice to women across the country. |
New Organizational Member
Women Work! welcomes its newest organizational member who joined during the month of July.
Brockton Area Workforce Investment, MA
What's New at www.womenwork.org?
Advocacy Tool Kit
Women Work! introduces the Women Work! Advocacy Toolkit. This resource is designed to give you all the skills you need to be a successful advocate for women's economic justice and equality.
The guide will be released in monthly installments between August 2007 and July 2008. Each installment will be released first to Women Work! members through the Economic Equity Insider and will be available to the public in subsequent months in the Policy & Advocacy section of www.womenwork.org.
For more information contact Women Work! Public Policy Director Erin Mohan at emohan@womenwork.org.
Upcoming Events
To find contact information for any of the following events or to submit your own event, visit the Women Work! Online Calendar.
September 5-6
WISCAP Women in Poverty Conference - Madison, WI
The Wisconsin Community Action Program Association will hold its Women in Poverty Conference at the Marriott Madison West in Madison, Wisconsin.
September 28
South Dakota Women's Summit - Sioux Falls, SD
The 2007 South Dakota Women's Summit will be held at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Sioux Fall, SD from 8:30a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The first Outstanding Woman in Civic Participation & Leadership Award will be awarded to a current South Dakota resident who has demonstrated leadership qualities that has made an impact on the state. The Summit 's keynote speaker will be Judge Judith Meierhenry.
November 1-2
Diversity Best Practices Network and Affinity Leadership Conference (NALC) - Washington, DC
Diversity Best Practices and Working Mother Media will present the first annual Network and Affinity Leadership Conference (NALC) at the Hilton Washington in Washington DC . The event will offer training to individuals who are responsible for developing, or reinvigorating their network and affinity groups.
November 1-2
Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Summit & Gala : Examining Critical Issues & Exploring New Opportunities - Washington, DC
Diversity Best Practices and Working Mother Media will present the first annual Network and Affinity Leadership Conference (NALC) at the Hilton Washington in Washington DC . The event will offer training to individuals who are responsible for developing, or reinvigorating their network and affinity groups.
in the News
Study Finds Working Mothers Prefer Part-Time - A majority of working mothers in the U.S. said they would be happiest in part-time employment, with fewer seeing full-time as an ideal, according to a Pew Research Center recently released.
Financial Empowerment Curriculum Developed To Help Victims of Abuse - In 2005, the National Network to End Domestic Violence Fund and the domestic violence program of the Allstate Foundation in Northbrook , Illinois , created a "financial empowerment" curriculum that works with victims of abuse to develop safety and self-sufficiency. The skills taught in the curriculum range from making budgets to qualifying for mortgages.
Sarah Lyon's Female Mechanics Calendar - Using a grant from the Kentucky Women's Foundation, Sarah Lyon has traveled the country challenging occupational stereotypes by photographing female mechanics and making calendars of her work. She is already looking for mechanics to feature in her next calendar.
Websites help keep women safe as they travel - Two new web sites, www.journeywoman.com and www.womentraveltips.com, are helping women to be safer and more self-sufficient as they travel.
Make Women Work! work for you!
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