Write Effective Fundraising Letters By Being Conversational (Includes Examples & Samples). Canine Mastitis.
I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer, trying to get my thoughts out of my head and into a written form that will help you make a decision. In this particular case, I am trying to write a few intelligent remarks about sounding conversational on paper. You know, how to write a fundraising letter that sounds like it came from the mind of a person and not an institution.
I suppose the first thing I can tell you is that you should write the way you talk, unless, of course, you talk in halting sentences punctuated with "ya knows" and "like, you know what I mean?" And if you usually write fundraising letters that are signed by someone else, your executive director, for example, then you need to write the way that person speaks.
The secret to sounding personal and conversational on paper is to imaging that you are actually having a conversation with your donor. A back-and-forth exchange where your donor asks questions and you supply answers. That way, your letter sounds like it is written by a living, breathing person, since it addresses issues that are important to the donor, and does so in a warm, lively style.
Which reminds me, try to keep your sentences short. Not like the one that ended the last paragraph. What else can I tell you?
Rhetorical questions are one device at your disposal. Rhetorical questions, as I am sure you know, are questions that are asked for rhetorical effect, not expecting an answer. You can use one or two in your letter if you like. Rhetorical questions create the sense that a conversation is taking place between you and your donor.
I don't have to tell you that another way to sound conversational is to use the first person a lot. That means you say, "Your gift today means a lot to me," instead of saying "Your gift today means a lot to us," or, even worse, "A gift from you designated towards our Annual Fund will be appreciated at this time." Remember, people give to people, not to establishments, so you want to sound like a person, not an organization when you write your donor appeal letters.
I just thought of another one. Without being fake or insincere, mention that you thought of your donor today, or yesterday, or recently, showing that there is a relationship between the two of you. Naturally, only say "I was thinking of you this morning" if you actually were. Otherwise you will be making stuff up.
You may be relieved to know that that you can be colloquial, too, which is a humdinger of a way to establish rapport and sound genuine. If your donors know what a humdinger is, then by all means throw one into your letters at least once a year. You goal, if I may say so, is to sound authentic without being overly familiar or coarse.
Another way to sound conversational is to be open in the way you talk about things. Give your donors a glimpse into what life is like at your organization. You probably want an example of what I mean, so here it is (here are two examples, actually):
Institutional: "Your membership is about to expire." Conversational: "I see from our records that your membership is coming up for renewal soon."
Institutional: "Prayer meetings were held today at head office about Hurricane Katrina."
Conversational: "All of us here at the office in London met this morning to pray for the victims of Hurricane Katrina."
Another sure way of avoiding "bureaucratic-speak" is to say everything in the active voice. Don't say "funds were raised" when you can say "we raised funds." Avoid writing "100 scholarships will be created" when you can instead write "we will create 100 scholarships." See the improvement? Passive voice sounds institutional. Active voice sounds conversational.
I suppose if you went back to the start and began reading this message again, you'd pick up a few methods that I did not mention (using parentheses like this, for example, which look as though you are lowering your voice and whispering a piece of inside information to your donor). I hope that these tips help you write effective fundraising letters. Ones that come from your heart, and are effective mainly for that very reason.
About the author
Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer who helps non-profits raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using creative fundraising letters.
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Canine mastitis is a breast infection in brood bitches, usually occuring a few weeks after whelping. It is not that common, but you should be aware of it. The breasts of a lactating brood bitch are normally warm and enlarged, but never red, dark, hot or painful when touched. Advanced canine mastitis presents as a hard, hot and almost black breast segment, which is extremely painful for the brood bitch when touched. Canine mastitis can be caused by weaning puppies too early, severe scratches from puppies claws or some other infection.
A bitch with canine mastitis may be running a fever, be listless and possibly be off her food. She may not allow her puppies to nurse, and if she does, she will be "snappy" when they touch the affected area.
Treating Canine Mastitis
If your brood bitch shows signs of breast infection it may be canine mastitis, so get her to your vet immediately. He will prescribe some antibiotics and possibly advise hand feeding of the pups. However,
I have found that on getting the canine mastitis fever down, she will allow the pups to nurse again, and feeding from the infected breast will not affect the pups at all... in fact I've found it helps clean the breast infection out.
Invariably the infection will cause the breast will rupture out the side, leaving a large open wound which must be cleaned daily. The antibiotics will prevent further reinfection. You'll find that when she has litters of puppies in future, she not produce milk in the breast segment that was affected by canine mastitis.
Russell Savige has 18 years experience as a professional dog breeder. He is the owner of Training Dog Breeds, which includes a massive Directory of dog related websites, covering breeds and breeding, training, rearing and health issues in dogs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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Choosing An Estate Agent
With so many estate agencies vying for your business, choosing the right agency can be difficult. We have put together the following top ten tips to help you find and use the most appropriate estate agent to sell your house.
1 - Shop around
Shopping around different agents is a must and will allow you to get a good idea of the different prices and service you can expect. If the agent knows that you are talking to their competitors, you are more likely to get the deal you want on their fees.
2 - Local presence
Opt for agents with a good local presence. Good indicators of a local presence are plenty of boards, reading 'sold', a prominent office on the local high street and listings in the local papers. Speak to friends, family and colleagues about agents they have used in the past as personal recommendations are often invaluable.
3 - Valuations
Always get more than one valuation and don't always accept the highest. Quoting a high figure is one thing, actually achieving the sale is another. Try to find out from the estate agent if the figure is a result of knowledge and experience in the area or are they just trying to win your business.
Do your own research, using the internet and local papers to compare the valuation against other similar properties in the area.
4 - Sales and marketing package
Find out how the agent is planning to market your property and what the marketing collateral, i.e. brochures, adverts, website, will look like.
When it comes to selling, try to find out how good the agents will be at negotiating on your behalf. Do they appear organised, focussed and professional? Would you buy a house from them?
5 - Website
The Internet is now a very popular tool amongst people looking for new homes and it is vital that your agent has a good website to market your property with. Can the site be found on search engines, does it provide clear navigation to the property listings and are properties presented appropriately?
A number of agents also list their properties in the large national property search engines like RightMove and Fish4Homes, extending their reach to a further national audience.
6 - Trade association
Try to use agents that are members of associations, such as The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) or The Ombudsman of Estate Agents Scheme (OEA). You are more likely to get a professional service and if anything goes wrong the associations will often help you and the agent resolve the dispute.
7 - Fees
Negotiating a lower fee with the agent may prove to be a false economy. Remember the agent is working for you and by cutting their money, you will be reducing their incentive to work as hard on your sale.
Instead, try to create an incentive to benefit both parties. If the agent can get the full asking price, then let them have the full fee, but maybe you can negotiate a reduction in the fee, if they are not able to achieve the full asking price.
8 - Contracts
Read the contract thoroughly, ask questions and never sign up to anything that you do not understand. Check the period of time for which you will be legally bound. There is nothing worse than being locked in with an agent providing poor service. Insist on a time period that will allow you to change agents easily, such as monthly or even weekly.
9 - Multiple agents
To achieve a quick sale, you may want to use more than one agent to market your property. If so, another point to check on the contract is whether the agent insists on 'sole agency'. This means that they will still be able to charge you a commission fee, even if you sell your home privately or through another agent.
10 - Transparency
Estate agents are required by law to not make false or misleading statements about the features of a property.
They must also declare both promptly and in writing if either they, a business partner or relative would like to buy your property or if the agent will benefit in any way (above and beyond the agreed commission) from the sale of your property.
Don Suter is Managing Editor of the UK Property Portal (http://www.ukpropertyportal.co.uk), an online directory and magazine for UK property sales, rental, surveyors, mortgages, conveyancing, property insurance, removals, news, investment and development.
For more information on selling your home and finding estate agents, browse through our property search pages
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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