September Program: Tom Ahern

On Thursday, September 4, 2008, Tom Ahern will present three workshops that will enhance the communication skills of Tulsa’s nonprofit organizations.  The event is being sponsored by the Eastern Oklahoma Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Oklahoma State University – Tulsa.  The workshops will be held at OSU – Tulsa.

8:00 am to 8:30 am                 Registration

8:30 am to 10:00 am          “Creating a Flat-Out Great Case for Donor Support”

 Find out if your case statement answers the three questions

donors care about most and learn to look at your organization

through fresh eyes.

10:15 am to 11:45 am             “How to Build the Perfect Donor Newsletter”

  Learn how one organization doubled its newsletter income by following the advice from this workshop.

11:45 am to 1:10 pm               AFP meeting and lunch program: “Your donor communications, bless their hearts: Are they any good? The amazing do-it-yourself audit”

Learn what the world's top communicators know about the subtle

science of persuading people to give and stay loyal.

1:20 pm to 2:00 pm                 “Do-it-yourself audit part 2”

 Judge your own materials against the standards of communications experts.

Tom Ahern is considered one of North America’s leading authorities on donor communications.  Each year, he delivers dozens of workshops on the techniques of (and psychology behind) effective fundraising communications. He is the author of two well-received books, on donor newsletters (2005) and How to Write Fundraising Materials That Make More Money (2007). Keep Your Donors, a book about donor retention methods co-authored with Simone Joyaux, will appear late in 2007. His newest book, How to Write a Winning Case for Support, is due out in November 2008.

Tom works with dozens of clients nationwide every year. They come to him for bequest marketing; donor communications evaluations; direct mail; newsletter interventions; and case statements that are bold, swift, and intense.  Tom is also an award-winning magazine journalist, for articles on health, women's rights and other social justice issues. He has his MA and BA in English from Brown University, and a Certificate in Advertising Art from the RI School of Design. His office is in Rhode Island. He writes his books at his second home in France.

The cost of all three workshops for members of the Eastern Oklahoma Chapter of AFP is the customary $15 lunch fee.  OSU-Tulsa staff and Foundation staff may also attend the workshops for just the cost of lunch ($15).  Reservations must be made for lunch AND the workshops in order to obtain a copy of the handouts.  Luncheon seating is limited, so make your reservation early by contacting Ruth Richards at rerichards@cox.net.  Payment may be made in cash or with a check upon registration that day.

Non-AFP members are also encouraged to attend these workshops.  The fee for all three workshops and lunch is only $60.  You may also register for one or two sessions at a cost of $20 each.  Your check should be made payable to AFP and should be mailed to Lori Mathis at 815 S. Utica Avenue, Tulsa, OK  74104-3633, or register and pay online at afpeastok.afpnet.org.  Reservations must be received by September 1.

For more information, contact Amy Miller at amy.miller@tulsaballet.org. 

Workshop Descriptions

Creating a Flat-Out Great Case for Donor Support

You can't raise lots of money and keep your donors loyal unless you have a great case for support. Is yours in good working order? Do you know exactly what to say and write, when you ask people to support your cause? Are you, for instance, answering the three questions donors care about most? (Probably not, studies show.) In this revealing session, one of America's leading case writers shares his secrets for selling your vision and mission effectively -- whether you're mailing an annual appeal or chasing millions for a capital campaign. This session will teach you to look at your organization with fresh, outsider eyes again; and cure what's rightly called "the curse of knowledge."

How to Build the Perfect Donor Newsletter

Do donors really want or even need a newsletter? "Absolutely," research says. Yet most donor newsletters are ignored. Why? Join award-winning journalist, Tom Ahern, for a fast, in-depth look at the secrets behind great donor newsletters. One national organization that followed the advice in this workshop doubled the income from its newsletter immediately. You'll learn how to craft a powerful headline (and why that matters). You'll learn how to invent news when you think you have nothing to say. And you'll learn how to avoid common but fatal graphic design mistakes. Bonus: a proven formula for using your newsletter to solicit gifts.

Your donor communications, bless their hearts: Are they any good? The amazing do-it-yourself audit.

Effective donor communications all have a dozen or so things in common. These secrets to success derive from many fields: marketing, psychology, eye-motion studies, journalism, and of course fundraising's own vast body of knowledge. Today, you'll learn what the world's top communicators know about the subtle science of persuading people to give and stay loyal -- AND you'll learn to judge your own materials against these very same standards. This session allows to return to your desk and ruthlessly (but profitably) assess the competence of your donor and prospect communications materials.