Creating Effective, Meaningful Brochures

.

When preparing your next brochure, focus on first impressions. You'll have mere seconds to get someone's attention.

What will they think in a "Blink?"

Here are some questions to consider, prepared by GoalBusters' Jim Anderson. Getting the answers right for your organization insures that your print materials reflect your values and your value.

Who's the Audience?
Who will you be giving this to? What action do you want to motivate them to? How can the brochure attract their attention enough so they want to know more?

What's the "hook?"
The front panel is your "storefront/display window." It should be visually interesting, vibrant and intriguing.

What's your story?
Someone needs to care about what you do before they care about how you do it. Story should be the ultimate goal. A few long content sections are fine, but more people will read it if you break up the content with design. If you have procedures or processes that you want to include, that can be available on a separate "fact sheet."

Why should we care?
Identify who you're helping. Identify the challenges they face. Identify why they need you. Identify how you help. Share the difference you make. Share how the reader can make a difference by supporting you. This sounds like a lot for a brochure, but you can achieve it by having your "non-verbal" communication (images, graphics, design) compliment your verbal communication (text). A picture is worth a 1,000 words.

Where are the people?
Story is driven by "who" you help. Faces and eyes make connections. More personal imagery will make a stronger connection.

What's your identity?
You should be able to communicate your organizational identity with design and graphics. One way to test this is to ignore text. If someone who did not speak English picked up the brochure, would they understand the nature of your organization based on the design, graphics and photos?

What does someone think in their first "Blink?"
Malcolm Gladwell's book "Blink" explores how we tend to make snap decisions. When someone gives the brochure a five second scan, how do we want them to feel? Do they feel anything? If not, we're wasting paper.

Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Farewell to "Flagstaff's Good Samaritan"

.
On Saturday, April 18, Dr. John H. Caskey III, a mentor and inspiration, passed away at his home in Flagstaff, Arizona.
He was 80.

The obituary published in the Arizona Daily Sun talks about many of the wonderful ways that he contributed to the well being of people in Flagstaff. They mention his role in founding the emergency physicians practice, his leadership of the High Country Hounds, and his creation of the Flagstaff Free Clinic, which is now North Country Healthcare.

But as is the case with all obituaries, there are a lot of stories that go along with those facts. When Dr. Caskey was recognized as the AFP Northern Arizona Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year in 2007, his nominator, Rick Swanson, North Country's Development Director, spoke about Dr. Caskey being the heart of the campaign. That was definitely the case.

John Caskey was one of our "rock star" volunteers on our North Country capital campaign. There were many things that John did that both affirmed fundraising best practice and demonstrated how practices can be modified to fit a rural community. Here are some things, among many, that we learned from Dr. Caskey:

Volunteers with strong networks are critical.
Everyone knew John, or knew someone who knew him. In many cases, Dr. Caskey would be calling on a prospective donor that he delivered as a baby! One of the issues at the beginning of the campaign was that North Country did not have an established fundraising program, so we didn't have a donor base to draw from for the initial asks. John took care of that.

Don't beat around the bush. Once John told me why he believed physicians weren't more charitable. After delivering his theory, he ended with a pause and added, "Well, I think that's a load of bull." Dr. Caskey would tell it like it was, not pausing to be politically correct. It demonstrated powerful belief and commitment to the cause.

Remember it's not about you: it's about making the community a better place. As we were in the final stages of the campaign, Dr. Caskey suffered a stroke. We were immediately concerned about being able to recognize his vision and efforts before he passed away. We approached Dr. Caskey and his family about naming the Learning Center in his honor. He wasn't interested. His main objection? "Seems like you could sell that naming right and get more money for the clinic." As a result, we established the John H. Caskey Endowment instead, to fund uncovered medical expenses for uninsured and underinsured patients. With John's support and his contacts, the endowment campaign has raised over $100,000 to date.

Passion for the cause combined with confidence makes you hard to resist. Rick would often joke that Dr. Caskey was a "chick magnet." We found him to be a "donor magnet," too! He exuded a level of command that made you want to listen to his stories and consequently, do the right thing for the health of the community. He talked about his inspiration for the Free Clinic--a young mother who's child didn't have a pediatrician. He spoke about asking doctors to donate their time to provide clinic hours once a week. He talked about the inadequacies of the current facilities to continue to serve those who needed care. And then he said he needed you. How could you say no to that?

We were very privileged to get to know Dr. Caskey over the last few years, and were honored to put together video and audio clips for the tribute dinner to launch the campaign in April 2008. He is someone we aspire to be like, and we will continue to think on a daily basis, "What would Dr. Caskey do in this situation?"

John Caskey was a great leader and friend. He made healthcare in Northern Arizona better for all of us. John, we'll miss you.

Links:
Caskey Tribute Dinner Video
John H. Caskey III obituary
North Country John H. Caskey III Endowment

Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Communicating Your Mission with Infectious Passion

It has been said that no one ever gave to an organization because of a Power Point presentation. Or a case statement.

Fundraisers talk about case statements a lot. It’s a document that outlines the history, mission and vision of the organization, plus gives the detail of the project that is the center of the fundraising campaign. Sometimes the documents are long, and sometimes they can be a bit dry.

The question becomes, “Will the donor even read it?” Maybe not.

So, turn your case statement into a “bedtime story.”

First, you have once upon a time. What was the situation that caused your organization to come into being?

Next, introduce your hero or heroine. This might be a founder, or a current leader, or a person your organization serves. Highlight the quest or mission—what do they want or need to accomplish?

Then, put obstacles in the way. Why can’t our hero succeed in the current state?

But don’t leave it at that. Describe what happily ever after looks like. Show how the world can be a better place if the hero accomplishes his or her goals.

Finally, put the donor in the story. Show how the donor can be your “deus ex machina” or “god from the machine.” Demonstrate that your donor can help make the happily ever after, happen.

It’s very easy to fall into the habit of putting together slides and charts to communicate your cause. While valid data is still critical to support your case, if you can develop a short “once upon a time” tale, you have a great way to immediately connect with a potential contributor.

This Tip is excerpted from “Storytelling: Communicating Your Mission with Infectious Passion,” soon to be presented in Tucson, Arizona. For more information on this workshop, contact GoalBusters or check our Workshops and Presentations page.

Also, for a great article on storytelling in fundraising by Alessandra Bianchi, visit Stanford Social Innovation Review.
#####

Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace