Donor Doctor Show

Whether you're a seasoned expert or just starting out in fundraising, the chances are you're going to experience mistakes and setbacks. In today's episode, James is joined by his brother Jonathan to share the 5 most common marketing mistakes and how you can prevent your fundraising efforts from becoming fundraising failures. Show Highlights: Learning from wounds, scars and failures (0:45) What the Vietnam war can teach you about market communication (1:30) The fine line between cockiness and confidence (2:00) Can you really learn from other people's mistakes (6:30) Classic marketing principles most fundraisers will overlook (11:30) Principles Marketing principles are the fundamental cornerstones to every successful fundraising effort. Simply put, it is the art and science of being able to understand and communicate what a group of consumers want and then how to get it to them. Today's episode will tell you why it's critical you have marketing principles in place if you want your fundraising to succeed. Comm

In today's episode of the Donor Doctor Show, James Newberry interviews special guest Greg Munford, star singer from the group Strawberry Alarm Clock who had the #1 hit Incense and Peppermints. They discuss Greg's background in direct marketing, how that has translated over to his fundraising campaigns and the real reason behind why people give to charity. Show Highlights: Gregs background in direct marketing (6:10) Are print newspapers dying? Can they be saved? (10:10) The truth behind why people really give money to charity (11:45) How to tap into the fundamental drive of human beings (13:10) Meaning Believe it or not, fundraising saves lives, but not just in the way you think it does. Of course, money raised can be used to directly save lives. Alongside that, fundraising also saves lives through the very act of giving in itself. People develop a true meaning in the world today from their giving, their volunteering and their participation. James Newberry is an expert in fundraising. He's had a seasoned car

Welcome to the Donor Doctor with your host James Newberry. On today's show, James talks about the odd similarities between panhandling and country music and how they can affect your fundraising efforts. Panhandling The term panhandling can often be confused with begging. Although a nice gesture, many people do not believe in giving their spare change to panhandlers. The feeling of only treating a symptom when you could be helping in a more meaningful way by giving a more sizeable gift to a larger establishment such as the Salvation Army. Country Music To be a great country music singer, you have to go through trials and tribulations to reach your goal. The same can be said for panhandling. The hard fact that most people will ignore you is difficult to live with. Yet people who line the streets panhandling manage to make a living. Although not obvious, James noticed parallels between country music and panhandling. Country music tends to lend itself to tones of sadness and stories of heartbreak. By establishing

Most people would say that a charity is always good - but not everyone. Some people would argue that charity work is carried out badly or less than optimal. In today's exciting episode of the Donor Doctor Show, James talks with his son about charity rating services and whether or not they do more harm than good. The Overhead Myth According to GuideStar, "The overhead myth is the false conception that financial ratios are the main indicator of a nonprofit's performance". Today's donor is more interested in knowing if there will be a measurable return from their donation. Creating a bigger impact comes from having access to more resources, but are charities spending too much of it's donations on administrative salaries and expenses? Expectations Today, people's expectation of charities are higher than ever. People want to know that their donations are being allocated in the right areas to generate meaningful results. But our increasingly connected world and an ever growing level of transparency is only going to

Today's episode features Robert Collier -- Author Of The Famous Robert Collier Letter Book -- A great read for any business man who is looking for more effective ways of putting their letters into practice. Attention Grabbing If you want people to read your letter, the very first you must do is grab your reader's attention. Any letter you write must have a unique way that makes you stand out from the masses. Otherwise, it's highly likely all of your hard work will end up in the trash. Unopened and not read. In today's show, James Newberry shares with you some of Robert Colliers most effective ways of grabbing your reader's' attention.   Emotion People will always give when you've stirred their emotions. There are 6 prime motives that you will learn about in today's episode that make people buy or take action. As any great fundraiser, it's your job to know and understand these emotional motives and align your strategy to make sure your letter is as effective as possible. James Newberry is an expert in fun

On today's episode, James Newberry talks with his sister Diane about suffering and the importance of flavour in your marketing. Make sure you listen to the full episode to hear James's important announcement and what he has planned in the very near future. Show Highlights: How to successfully host an event in the comfort of your own home (5:30) The key ingredient for attaining credibility in your marketing (8:40) The biggest sin when it comes to writing compelling copy (14:10) Stories & Suffering Everybody loves a great story. They draw us into our own imagination. A story has the power to stir our feelings and make us cry or burst out with laughter. One of the main reasons to use stories and suffering in your marketing is simple - it can encourage people to take action and evoke a response. It's something you want to try and incorporate in all of your communication where possible. Flavour Boredom is the biggest sin when it comes to writing compelling copy. Most people believe they have to conform to 'r

Today's episode features John Caples -- Author of Tested Advertising Methods -- discussion. John is one of the most important individuals to study. He can hit a pitch and is very good at testing copies. Tune in! Importance of Headlines The first five chapters of John's book talked about headlines. It served as a guide for Stuart when he was just starting his career. While he was waiting for the elevator one day, a guy came in after him. The guy just received a couple of mails. But he only kept about 2 to 3 mails; the others went straight to the trash can. That's when Stuart realized how very important headlines are. It should be interesting enough for the recipient. Headline Examples John Caples can hit a pitch. One of his most famous ads was "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano, but When I Started to Play...". It became so popular that a comedian made a spoof out of it. Another headline he made was for Arthur Murray. It was "How a Full Prom Made Me Popular". John was very good at testing. He was a bril

A lot of guidelines exist in fundraising. Some of them, however, are not really good. Similar to sins, you suffer a negative effect if you do them. What are the seven sins in fundraising? Listen to James Newberry and Stuart MacLean in this episode! Sin #1: Being Boring The first sin is being boring in what you do and how you do it. You can always do exciting things instead. Unfortunately in fundraising, some do not want to explore new things. "Things that worked at one time can become stale." -James Newberry Some clients and fundraisers have the mistaken idea that the cheapest option is the best. What they fail to realize is they can spend on things that really matter. That way, they add value not just to their cause and the things they distribute but also to their donors. Sin #2: Not Cultivating Relationships The second sin is failing to cultivate or upgrade donors. Some agencies and organizations simply consider those in their lists as those that are good for another appeal for money. Unfortunately, not a l

On today's episode, James Newberry features Copy Advice from Denny Hatch and Drayton Bird. Denny is the author of Million Dollar Mailing, and is the Founder of Who's Mailing What. Drayton, on the other hand, is the author of Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing. Tune in! Two Approaches in Using Carriers There are 2 different approaches in using carrier envelopes. One is to make it look personal, while the other is to simply make it intriguing. Along with these approaches is a debate between copywriters Gary Halbert and Bill Jayme. "Your outer envelope is where your prospect decides whether to stop, look, and listen." -Bill Jayme Pile A letters like those from the IRS and commodity bills are typically read as a priority. Gary believes that carriers should be crafted the same way. But, Bill Jayme disagrees with it and believes it misleading. A Thoughtful Consideration In light of the debate, James recalls the project he had for the grand opening of the Battle of Gettysburg museum. They had their carrier loo

Do you have a mentor? On today's episode, James Newberry discusses the Importance of Mentors and Lists with Glenn Grigsby. Mentors guide people to doing the right things. For this, James and Glenn recalls the mentors they've had in life. Tune in and listen to how each made an influence on them! You too just might be needing one. Importance of a Mentor Many people fail because they have no mentors. Mentors help you understand things you may have difficulty with. They are there to guide when you have a question. One example is the Mount Rushmore project. From it, James came up with 2 lists or 2 groups of mentors. One included people he worked with, while the other included people he only knew or just met. Mentors that James Worked With James learned from people he worked with. One of them is Bruce Eberle, who wrote a couple of books on direct mail. His writing is easy to understand, and is great for those who are still starting in the field. Stuart McLean and Dan Gray are his two other mentors. James remembers

On today's episode, James Newberry discusses How to Build a 40-Million Social Following with Eric Rardin. Eric is the Vice President for Business Development at Care2.com, the world's largest social network. They have about 40 million people in their online community. Tune in! Up to Make a Difference Petitions are a great way to spark engagement. It gives people the opportunity to make the first step and make a differences in the causes they care about. People enjoy having those kinds of opportunity. They do not necessarily have to do desperate actions. As a whole, they can really make a significant difference. Success Story with GREY2K USA Eric has been working with GREY2K USA. Care2 recently gave them an Annual Make a Difference Award. They have been working with them on a petition to ban greyhound racing in Virginia. In just few days, they gathered more than 60,000 signatures to turn it into a law. Complementary Channels Care2 has millions of people to sign up on charities. They engage them through differe

On today's episode, James Newberry interviews Erica Waasdorp -- Author of Monthly Giving the Sleeping Giant. Erica is the President of A Direct Solution, a company that offers direct marketing and fundraising solutions. She is also the author of the book titled Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant. Tune in and learn how you too can leverage monthly giving in your campaigns! The Option to Donate Monthly Monthly giving has been the primary way to give in Europe. According to Erica, people could just provide their bank account information to others. Everything goes through the bank, and it's more comfortable than credit cards. This has been the way they donate money. Bank Accounts vs Credit Cards In contrast to bank accounts, credit cards expire. They can cause problems in the process. Fraud is among the major issues that you can encounter. This is why Erica highly recommends receiving donations through banks in the electronic funds transfer option. The increasing fee that credit cards have is another thing to con

On today's episode, James Newberry interviews Richard Armstrong: Legendary Copywriter, Speechwriter and Author. He successfully transitioned from being a fundraising copywriter to being a commercial copywriter. Tune in as he shares his experiences and insights, and learn where you can receive a free copy of his book! A Lucrative Career Richard has had a lot of jobs, but found copywriting as the most lucrative. It pays well consistently. According to him, a writer can make a living out of it.  He has worked in commercial writing. He enjoyed speech writing as well. There are lots of things he likes about it but it still does not pay as much. Speech Writing vs Copywriting Richard has worked for awhile as a speechwriter. He directed much of his efforts on it in the 80s, but the flat fees are lower compared to copywriting. A top speechwriter would get paid for $5,000 to $10,000. A top direct mail copywriter, on the other hand, would get paid more than that. Advice to the Aspiring Copywriters His book, My Firs

On today's episode, James Newberry and Stuart MacLean discuss about Claude Hopkins -- Scientific Advertising. Claude ranks among the prominent men in advertising. He wrote the books My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising. Tune in for some classic insights that you can use in fundraising!   Into the Field of Advertising Claude originally desired to become a preacher. But, some of his experiences in life discouraged him from pursuing it. He entered the field of advertising instead. His parents both graduated from college. His father died while he was still young. From his mother, Claude learned the value of hardwork. He worked diligently, which was why companies paid him a considerable amount of money for his talent. Advices from My Life in Advertising Claude knew how to deal well with the common people. He believed in the power of demonstrations and free samples. Also, he believed that it's wrong to rely on ourselves when judging others. "Real men judge us by our love of work." -Claude Hopkins

On today's episode, James Newberry talks with Rev. Brian Tubbs, Letter Writing Advice from Apostle Paul -- Philemon. Rev. Tubbs is a good friend, and has been serving as a pastor for 10 years. Tune in for some classic fundraising insights on the letters of The New Testament's most prolific author! From Persecutor to Preacher Paul was both Jew and Roman. That gave him lots of opportunity to preach. He was known to be a persecutor of the followers of Christ. While he was on his way to Damascus, however, he met a bright light from heaven. He became blind from that experience, and it turned his life around. Since then, he became a preacher and wrote letters to different churches. A Friendly Approach Paul's letters always started cordially. You can find an example in the book of Philemon. Paul directed the letter to his friend Philemon, the family he had, and the church. He wrote it in a very personal approach. There you'll see Paul's heart, and how he deals with his friends. In all of history, the book of Philemo

On today's episode, James Newberry talks with his son Jonathan about 50 ways to improve your fundraising copy. James gathered lots of insights from experts like Herschell Gordon Lewis about fundraising. Don't miss each unique idea. Tune in!   The Importance of Storytelling Storytelling is important in any area of life. James shares how his deceased father still receives mail. One was from the American Legion, and told a story about grandparents. Another was from the USAA, and told a story as well. Stories are everywhere. It's up to you how you'll use it.   More You's than I's Fundraising is more about the donor than about yourself. Some even count the number of you's they use in their copy. Exceptions are when the signer is telling a story and when you're an expert in the field. Authenticity to Public Perception An example to this is Wendy. She did a lot of animal charities. To be effective, she'd use a rough carrier which was authentic to her niche. Also, there's a need to consider color apart from

On today's episode, James Newberry talks about Texting Secrets -- Mike Brown of RAINDROP Technologies. Texting enables organizations to advance their candidates or causes. It's what Mike and his team has been doing. They do text messaging, polling, and raising. Tune in to learn about his interesting experiences and insights about texting! A Successful Endeavor James and Mike recently met at a successful CPAC event. Lots of famous personalities and press attended. It also had a contest and free drinks. In addition, emails were sent to inform and draw people in. Credibility was also an important factor. Mike shares how they used a text randomizer to choose the winner for the contest.   Advancing Causes with Texting Mike has been collaborating with grassroots activists since 2009. He also helped form a group in Utah two years later. He saw how texting helped nonprofit organizations. His experience inspired him to start RAINDROP Technologies. Texting has been around for many years. Even former President Obam

On today's episode, James discusses Bank Robbing & Copywriting with Greg Ellis. Greg had a unique experience of copywriting in prison. Tune in to his inspiring story, and listen for some classic insights that you too can apply in fundraising! Off to Copywriting Greg hails from New Hampshire. After graduating from college, he worked for Senator Humphrey. One of his colleagues then referred him to Eberle Associates. That's when he started in direct mail fundraising. He got hired as copywriter despite his lack of experience. Robbing Out of Sight Despite his success at Eberle Associates, Greg tended to an addiction. He spent his earnings to keep up with it. He eventually got fired out of the company. Unfortunately, Greg found it difficult to leave drugs. He needed money to maintain it. Inspired by a book he read, he decided to rob banks. He did so for around ten times until the police finally caught him. Consequently, he served his sentence for 16 years. Writing Against Drugs Greg wrote copies while in prison

Welcome to the Donor Doctor with your host James Newberry. On today's episode, James talks with Jim Boyd -- Poker Pro, Lessons that Apply to Fundraising. Learn the similarities and understand how you can raise funds more efficiently! How did Jim start in poker? Jim learned a lot from Bobby Baldwin, a world champion in poker. He read his books, and followed his style in playing. Jim likes the way Bobby handles himself at the poker table. While in his youth, Jim joined a number of poker tournaments. He won around a million dollars in total. Now, he's into cash games where he could just join and leave whenever he wants. Read to Improve Reading hones the mind and provides more information about a particular subject. It is among the things that copywriters and poker players could do to enhance their skills. James has worked with young copywriters. He recalls one time he asked one of them if he's read a particular book. The binding suggested that he really didn't read it. Many simply skim through the pages inst

Welcome to the Donor Doctor with your host James Newberry. On today's show, James and Stuart interviews Chip Heartfield -- Environmental to Advocacy Fundraising. Chip is the COO of Production Management Group, a company that provides fundraising services to nonprofit organizations. Tune in to their interesting talk! Raising Funds for Nonprofits Fundraising for nonprofits takes time and patience. It requires a great copy, a good list of potential donors, and other relevant things. Some say it takes 18 months before you receive the funds. It could be challenging at the start. You just need to be consistent, persistent, and dedicated enough to succeed. Experiences in the Industry Chip used to cage mails for Environmental Educators. It's where he first got interested in direct marketing and fundraising. He enjoyed creating, analyzing, and validating results. Eventually, he worked for Viguerie's company where he spent 10 years. Chip later moved to Washington Animal Rescue League as Director of Development. 10 Year