Fundraising is usually a form of “elder marketing.” Donors are overwhelmingly over age 60. If you want to reach them, here are some great tips from the Boomerang Blog, at Don’t Leave Them Behind: Writing And Designing To Truly Reach Older Donors:
- BIG type. Being older means less visual acuity. Type smaller than 12 point is just hard to read. Bigger is better: 13 point, 14 point, even higher. It really matters!
- Oxygen. White space really helps readers. Wide margins. Indented paragraphs. Short paragraphs. Bold, italic, and underlines (in moderation) help too.
- Contrasting colors. Text should be black on white. Anything else can be difficult.
- Matte paper. Glossy paper really makes colors look great. But because it reflects the light, it is a barrier to readability. Avoid it.
- Amply-sized reply forms. Tiny reply devices are a problem for older donors — for most donors, really. Full page is the best size, but bigger is better, both for readability and usability.
- Simple, not busy. Busy design baffles the eyes. Don’t let that happen!
- Clear call to action. If you want to raise funds, ask donors to do one straightforward thing. Don’t force them to complete a tutorial about your work.
- Emotional copy. People give with their hearts. Their heads only play a supporting role. Speak to their hearts!
While these are all ways to connect better with older donors, they are best practices for all fundraising, no matter the age of the donor. When you make things work for those who struggle with barriers, you make it work for everyone.
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 35 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com.
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