NEWS!
Frank Reynolds once said, “It’s not a newsletter, if it’s not news!” You may call your publication a newsletter, but if it’s not newsworthy, just how many people are actually reading it? I get several newsletters each week, some hit the trash can with a cursory glance, but there are a few that I look forward to seeing. They are doing a lot of things right. I want to see what is happening in their center.
Check your newsletter by giving it an easy test. These two points qualify the “news” in newsletter.
- Is your story timely?
Has it happened since your last newsletter? Is this a topic that people are talking about? Take a news article as the lead for your newsletter and work from that. An article about overcrowding at a local prison could be an excellent tie in to Teen Challenge. Use quotes from the article with one or two testimonies of students who are or have been court mandated. Perhaps a calculation of how much money your center is currently saving the state by having this or other students in the program instead of them serving their prison sentences. This can be a significant savings of tax dollars.
Local meth statistics could be used with a student’s testimony of the dangers of meth production or addiction and their transformation at your TC center. Check the newspaper, television or internet for news articles to give you ideas for your newsletters. - Is the story dramatic, or unusual?
We believe that all our students’ stories are dramatic, but they can become monotonous to the readers if you don’t find an odd or interesting twist to their story. I once saw a TC headline that read, “I traded a cookie for Teen Challenge”. That was enough to get me to read the testimony. The student while in jail traded his cookie from lunch for an application to Teen Challenge. The rest was a “typical” TC testimony. Some students tell of surviving gunshots or other dramatic events, but all students have something odd or unusual that can be shared in their story.
Today’s donors are busy people who receive more mail than just your newsletter. They want several things from your ministry if they are going to take time to read your newsletter and support your ministry. You must answer their questions without the donor asking them.
- Why should I continue to give?
You need to give them exciting, compelling reasons to send their donation to you. Not in the form of generic vision statements, but relevant ways that you can use their support to make a difference. Tell them about new projects or students on the waiting list that can be helped with their financial commitment. - What did you do with my donation?
In today’s society, with instant media, donors want to know if you are trustworthy and handle their donations responsibly. Donors want to see and hear that their previous donations are making a difference. They want to see that you’re using their money to accomplish results. Highlight your accomplishments. “Thanks to the financial gifts last month, two new students entered the program and both have accepted Christ as their savior!” This sentence could be used as an introduction to one of the student’s story. - Does it matter if I give?
Your donors want to know that they and their money is important to you. This goes beyond the thank you letter that they receive in a timely manner. Show them that you value them, and their willingness to fund your ministry. Make sure your newsletter has news stories that demonstrate the link between their donations and the good that you are accomplishing with their financial help. One way to accomplish this is to tell the stories of the student’s families in the student’s testimony. If a student’s children and spouse are impacted by the student’s transformation, the donor can see a greater impact for their support.
Your challenge is to find stories that will interest your donors. Look for accomplishments within your center, if you can’t find obvious ones, use an ordinary accomplishment and turn it into an exciting donor-centered accomplishment. Remember every accomplishment or student story is a donor-centered one. Without your donors, you’re not open for ministry to take place.
If you mail a special appeal for an item, report back on even small steps. An appeal for thousands of dollars to remodel the kitchen can be reported in small goals – “The generous donations received last month will be enough to purchase a new stove and freezer; these will be used to serve hundreds of delicious, nutritious meals to our students.” This could be an ongoing update of the progress, perhaps as a sidebar in your newsletter. Use a unique view point; write using action words that inspire your donors to give more.
