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A weekly look at how charities can communicate better with donors through design.
Last night I was asked to be a volunteer tweeter from the CAMH Unmasked event in Toronto. Have a listen and consider doing it for your next event!
Here are the tweets from before, during and after the event: http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23CAMHunmasked
Attention all lawyers,
Great case for you newer grads or those lawyers looking to pad their experience list.
We are a small firm who wants to sue Microsoft and its board for being responsible for producing some of the crapiest software through the years for mac users like us.
We need your help to prepare our case and file for action.
The lawyer who comes up with a solid case and pulls together all the facts and papers and such, the best, we will pay $100.
Good luck and tell all of your best lawyer friends to respond as well!
Love, Idea Design.
No, I jest. This isn’t for real. In “real life” we would never ask a pool of lawyers to do work without proper compensation would we?
This is a issue that I feel really strongly about. The issue of spec work. (I written about it here before as well.)
Sadly, I hear about this issue far too often in our sector and as a creative person who values what I, and my creative colleagues offer to this sector – I take exception.
And let’s not confuse pro-bono with work being done on speculation.
I do a lot (too much) of pro bono work – where I either offer my services at no cost to the charity or I am asked to offer my services for a specific task.
Compare that to a charity or business looking for designers, or writers or whoever, to provide a service for free and if they like it, maybe they will pay for it.
I really want to ask you – please do not do this.
That means no “contests” for new logos, or “open calls” for web site redesign ideas…
This is a great site called NO! SPEC which I invite you to check out for further education and reading.
Poster by Chad Behnke.
EDIT: I posted this post over at the Communication Arts group on LinkedIn and have been astounded at the comments that have been pouring in. The consensus seems to be it would take an industry of people to say no to see this type of work go away but sadly, I think that there will always be those who try to take advantage of those desperate for work. I plan on posting this in some of the Fundraising groups in LinkedIn. I don’t expect the same level of commenting but would love to hear from you about this issue nonetheless.
I leave you with: (some of this sounds way to familiar to me…)
I heard a story about a man and his small son who were hiking up a mountain. Suddenly the little boy slid about 30 yards down the mountainside, getting caught in some brush. Unhurt but frightened, he called out, “Somebody, help me!”
A voice called back, “Somebody help me!”
The youngster looked surprised and confused. He asked, “Who are you?”
The boy began to get aggravated. “You’re a coward!” he yelled.
The voice shouted back, “You’re a coward!”
The boy shot back, “You’re a fool.”
The voice repeated, “You’re a fool.”
By then, the boy’s father had reached him and helped extricate his son from the brush. The boy looked up and said, “Dad, who is that?”
The father chuckled and said, “Son that’s called an echo, but it’s also called life.” He said, “Son, let me show you something”. The dad shouted out, “You’ve got what it takes.”
The voice boomed, “You’ve got what it takes.”
The dad shouted, “You can make it.”
The voice shouted back, “You can make it.”
“Son, that’s exactly how it is in life,” the father explained.
“Whatever you send out always comes back to you.”
Let me ask: What messages are you sending out about yourself?
~Joel Osteen, Success From Home Magazine
I’ve been following copywriter John Bethel for a short while on twitter and recently he has been randomly publishing a bunch of direct mail tips for your next appeal – take a look.
Direct mail letter tip: Tell a real story & weave it throughout your entire letter.
Direct mail tip: Mixing typeset w/handwritten teasers on outer envelope can boost response.
Direct mail tip: For your next No.10 envelope mailing, test using No.11 or No.12 against it.
Direct mail tip: Place the name of the person signing letter above the corner card on carrier envelope in courier typeface.
Direct mail tip: When using No.11 or 12 carrier envelopes, make sure you also use larger carrier window.
Direct mail letter tip: “You” & “Your” most important. And type “I” instead of “we” most of the time. Keeps it a 1-to-1 communication.
Direct mail letter tip: Occasionally use 1-sentence paragraphs for emphasis. Even 1-word paragraphs are great.
Direct mail letter tip: Hook your paragraphs together with “connective” words – ex: And But Then Why – to build & keep reader moving.
Direct mail letter tip: Try using “handwritten” marginal notes in blue or red ink.
Copywriting tip: Read your draft copy ALOUD & anywhere u stumble, revise & smooth it out.
Direct Mail letter Tip: Write about a real live person — NOT just your mission statement or programs.
Direct Mail Tip: When using hand-written copy — be sure to keep it short (hard to read otherwise).
Direct Mail TIP: Giving a deadline date for reply can boost response, but give a believable reason for it.
Thanks John for these great tips. I look forward to doing a part 2!
