Book Title:

How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters (Hardcover)
by Mal Warwick

Editorial Reviews:

From Library Journal

According to this practical handbook, a “fundraising letter is like a personal visit.” Writing from extensive experience in guiding companies and organizations through fund-raising efforts, Warwick offers detailed advice and analysis along with copious examples and instructive case studies.

Warwick, who is both personal and hard-hitting, suggesting a cross between a preacher and a salesman, views fund-raising by mail as a three-stage process. “First, donors are acquired… Then, they are converted into repeat donors… Finally donors may be upgraded into higher levels of generosity and commitment.”

The well-organized instructions include the planning of whole campaigns, the phrasing of appeals, composition and punctuation, information packets, and follow-up. In a time when fund-raising is perquisite to nearly all professions and organizations, library managers of all types as well as library users should find this both fascinating and worthwhile. – Margaret Bush, Simmons Coll., Boston; Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Warwick sets the tone for this book, which may prove as valuable for library administrators as for patrons, with the advice contained in the first chapter’s title: “You’re Writing for Results – Not a Pulitzer Prize.” How to get results is the theme here, and the advice offered ranges from the broad (“How a fundraising letter is like a personal visit”) to the specific (“What to put on the outer envelope”).

Book Description

For busy fundraisers, writing letters of appeal can be confusing and laborious. Now, a guide from the nation’s premier letter-writing tutor – direct mail expert Mal Warwick – shows fundraisers what makes the best letters work. Whether its general advice about the most effective mail strategies, or specific advice for those interested in the details of a direct mail campaign, Warwick keeps fundraisers on track when he reminds: “You’re writing for results – not a Pulitzer Prize.”

In How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, Warwick’s step-by-step model for writing a successful appeal walks you through the critical stages; his topics range from laying the groundwork for a prosperous campaign all the way through to the importance of thanking donors. Supported by an extensive collection of model letters, Warwick’s no-nonsense, jargon-free work has helped thousands of fundraisers achieve results.