8 steps to moving your donors to action

Fundraising is all about action. That’s why the most important thing you write in any fundraising piece is the call to action — CTA.

Here are some ways to create a strong CTA from the Stelter Blog at 8 tips for writing calls to action that readers won’t overlook:

1. Keep it to one important thing. Focus on one thing you hope the donor will do.
   
2. Aim for short. Make it quick and easy to understand. Not the overall message — longer is usually better. But keep the call to action succinct.
   
3. Use action words. Verbs like save, rescue, preserve.
   
4. Make it urgent. Make it clear that now is the time.
   
5. Personalize. Talk to the donor about her role. Use the donor’s name as possible and personal pronouns.
   
6. Shorten contact information. Don’t make readers wade through all possible ways of reaching you. Just give the main ways.
   
7. Add color. If you want more people to notice something, use a contrasting color.
   
8. Build in white space. Clear space makes it easier to read what you most hope they’ll read.