Comments on: Share Your Newsletter Success or Horror Stories

By: Kivi Leroux Miller

Kivi Leroux Miller — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:13:53 +0000

Love the anecdote, Matt! Will probably use it . . . I’ll let you know.

By: Matthew Bregman

Matthew Bregman — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:11:42 +0000

The main thing I learned, long long ago, is that there is a strange syndrome that overtakes the brains of many people when they write articles for a nonprofit newsletter. Somehow, perhaps fantasizing that they work for a magazine, they decide that important topics merit high word counts. The result is that the staff person spends an inordinate amount of time writing the piece, which is guaranteed to be read by almost no one.

I remember, decades ago, asking a colleague to write three paragraphs on a recycling project. She spent a week squirreled away in a conference room and then turned in four or five pages. I doubt anyone read it from beginning to end but the two of us.

Everyone in the organization needs to be on the same page (no pun intended) about the purpose of the newsletter. Whatever it is for a particular organization, it’s probably not a platform for program directors or project leaders to explain everything they know about the subject on which they work.

By: Craig

Craig — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:00:22 +0000

Hi Kivi,

A couple of pointers from a fundraising perspective.

I’d recommend Tom Ahern’s book on writing newsletter’s as a must for anyone who wants to produce an interesting newsletter.

From personal experience, if you are mailing your newsletter then there are two key things:

A personal, friendly, cover letter, highlighting the key call to action or point from the newsletter.

A donation/comments form for people to give feedback and donate.

Hope that helps and good luck with the chapeter in the book,

Craig