Today I’d like to share some tips that will help you write a donation request page that is more interesting, easier to read, and may end up getting better results for you. Please don’t take this negatively or as a criticism of any of the pages that have been submitted so far! I just want to point out a few things that may not be apparent to you, especially when you are stressed-out and worried about money.
First, go ahead and write out your story, using a pen and paper, or word processing software – anywhere other than the little data entry box you have on the screen you use to create your donation site. This will allow you to organize your thoughts, and make all of the points you’d like to mention. Consider this a rough draft, and make sure you include anything you consider relevant.
Now, go back through what you’ve written, keeping in mind the following:
- Choose a title that summarizes your appeal. Keep it brief, but make it a descriptive sentence that communicates why you need money.
- Make good use of “white space.” It is difficult to read a narrative that is formatted as one long section of text. Try to use short sentences and break your essay up into double-spaced paragraphs in order to make your letter easier on the eyes.
- Make your message as short as possible. Be sure to include any significant details, but if your story starts to get too long, do your best to trim out any unnecessary background information or extra elements. It’s sad but true: our attention span has grown noticeably shorter in this era of half-hour sitcoms and 5-minute YouTube videos. If your description is longer than three or four paragraphs, your readers may begin to lose interest, and your response rate will suffer.
If you follow these tips as closely as you can when you put together the text for your donation page, I can assure you that your request will be read by more people, and you will have a better chance of securing the financial help you desire.
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