The most-often-googled blog posts of the year

What people are Googling is a sometimes-scary look into the soul of mankind. Here are the 10 most-googled posts on this blog. There are much more terrifying things you could be looking at and thinking about…

1. Why fundraisers send those annoying address labels. First posted back in 2014, this one is a look at the economics of address labels and other “freemiums” in direct mail fundraising.
2. What happens when you send a check to your donors? Also posted in 2014, it’s about the (now fairly rare) practice of mailings that include actual, cashable checks made out to the donor.
3. Are coin-mailing charities stupid and wasteful? I suspect most of the people who found their way to these are not fundraising professionals, but normal people wondering about these direct mail fundraising tactics. I hope I satisfied their curiosity!
4. How to raise funds with “soft” and “hard” asks. Posted in February of 2024, this one attempts to define different styles of asking.
5. How to conduct a tour that will win over your donors. Want to know about effective tours for donors? This post from 2023 might help!
6. Rewrite this fundraising letter P.S. Classic post (2014) that examines the art of the direct mail P.S.
7. Why long letters work better in fundraising. From June 2025, this is about one of the most oddly controversial topics in fundraising. Show it to micromanaging board members and others!
8. Do you want your donors to “give” or to “donate”? (July 2025) A look at two synonyms for what we want donors to do, and how to use them.
9. How to master the fundraising lift note. This 2021 post zeroes in on good lift notes, a powerful and under-used part of almost any direct mail piece. It’s part of a whole series on The art and science of “Lifts”
10. Board member names on fundraising letterhead: why or why not? There’s almost a hands-down right answer to this question. What do you think it is?