The artistry of fundraising

To be successful, a fundraising letter must have some sort of visual appeal, it must come across as distinctive, as if, in short, it was written not for the eyes of thousands of donors, but for one lone individual. It’s like creating art.

The charm offensive: Imagine if newly minted Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured on Sept. 12, 2022, with his wife Anaida and their son Cruz, sent out a seemingly handwritten letter on his own letterhead to party donors that said something like, 'Dear Joe; it’s late at night and I’m sitting here in my study worried about our party’s finances. The bills for the leadership campaign are piling up on my desk. That’s why I’m writing to you. You’ve stood by me from the beginning so I know you’ll stand by me now at this crucial moment when I need your help.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY GERRY NICHOLLS

September 29, 2022

OAKVILLE, ONT.—The worst enemy for any fundraiser is the trash can. After all, anyone who receives a fundraising letter in the mail is always tempted to throw it out, likely after reading only the first few sentences. Certainly, I know I’m always tempted to callously toss fundraising pitches i...

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