Over-communicate, trim your message & get a cheatsheet.
Three weekly insights to get funding
Xin chào
I’m in Vietnam this week. A country I love for its artistry, fierce confidence, and history of feminism. Reading The Sympathizer, getting a new tattoo, and eating ridiculous amounts of phở.
Any subscribers here from The Land of the Blue Dragon?
— Kevin
💪🏽💛
Three insights
1. Over-communication is not micromanagement.
Your team should be mocking you.
Because you repeat the same message.
Over and over and over again.
Why?
Regular internal communication is different from micromanagement. That’s telling people 𝘩𝘰𝘸 to do their jobs.
Overcommunication is constantly reminding your team 𝘸𝘩𝘺 their work matters, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 is responsible, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 they should be doing, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 it needs to be done, and 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 the organization is going in the future.
That’s just good leadership.
And that leads to maximized funding, because you operate more efficiently and make the most of your fundraising. So repeat, repeat, repeat your messaging, theory of change, and strategy. Repeat your brand.
Until it sticks.
And “over-communicate,” says Alex Irvine. “It’s better to tell someone something they already know than to not tell them something they needed to hear.”
2. Trim your message, fatten your funding.
Nobody will read all that you write.
Nobody will listen to all that you say.
Not your donors nor your team. Because humans scan headlines, skim subject lines, and browse images. Our attention spans are just 8 seconds — shorter than a fish. 🐠
(𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵: 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶.)
That’s why lengthy text destroys your fundraising game.
So get three writing tips in this 1-minute guide.
Keep it short.
Keep it funded.
3. Theory of change cheat sheet.
The ultimate theory of change cheat sheet.
For your comms and fundraising.
A classic logic model isn’t enough — it falls flat. And many theories of change are too complex — with arrows, assumptions, and academia — leaving donors confused.
But this magic one-pager helps you:
Raise money
Improve M&E
Inform staffing
Motivate teams
Clarify messaging
Fine-tune programs
Generate partnerships
Develop a strategic plan
Make the most of funding
Borrow this infographic. Make it your own.
And turn theory into tangible funds.
The weekly bonus
A few of our sector friends wrote a collaborative article in Stanford Social Innovation Review:
COVID Was the Rehearsal
Just a few years ago, philanthropy showed what it could be at its best: nimble, coordinated, unusually brave. This time, facing the sudden slashing of foreign aid, the cavalry is quieter.
In the piece, they offered this excellent 2x2 which showed the menu for philanthropy in the wake of foreign aid cuts.
Get my help
My new book is a four-time bestseller with a 5-star rating on Amazon with 4.97 on Goodreads.
One recent review said, “A game-changer for every non-profit leader.”
Another, “Started reading and highlighting but put the marker away when I realized every page, nearly every paragraph held something important.”
P.S.
How to get 55 million views with a simple video.