The easy way to avoid raising money for your cause

Want to know the quick path to fundraising self-destruct? Read How to destroy your direct mail fundraising at the Oneicity blog.

Here it is:

Imagine your audience is you. Write for yourself. Write your direct mail the way you'd want it. Write about what you think is most important in your organization.

That's it. The most common cause of failed fundraising.

Fundraisers who aim at themselves not only don't raise as much as they can, but they are in a perpetual snit over how lame and unresponsive their donors are.

Those fundraisers who pay attention to what real donors respond to and tailor their work to that -- well, they're happier people who like their donors more and raise a lot more money.

(Chapter 15 of my new book, The Fundraiser's Guide to Irresistible Communications, is called "Self-Centric Fundraising" and is full of tips and information that can help you or anyone you know break free from the curse of fundraising from yourself.)