Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Ten Commandments of Layout and Design for Donor Newsletters

And Curt Harlow, Chi Alpha West Coast Area director, spoke all these words: 

"I am married to a great graphic designer and she brought me out of the land of bad newsletters and spake unto me:
  • "You shall have no other information at the top except YOUR NAME and the FULL NAME OF YOUR MINISTRY.

  • "You shall not make for yourself a newsletter that is OVERCROWDED. Nor shall it have small text and a cacophony of images or you will not receive support for a thousand generations.

  • "You shall not use THE COLOR BURNT ORANGE (or similar Kinko's discount paper colors) on your newsletter.

  • "Remember the Sabbath and actually SCHEDULE TIME every month to do the job with excellence. If thou doith it at the last minute your supporters shall thinkith 'This is a sloppy ministry and I shall find another place to investeth my coin.'

  • "HONOR YOUR SUPPORTERS in every letter and it will go well with you. Tell them thanks, but avoid financial appeal (it won't work anyway) and never use 'poor' talk.

  • "You shall not murder the English language. FIND A PROOFREADER.

  • "You shall not engage in BAD PHOTOCOPIES.

  • "You shall STEAL GOOD IDEAS from friends in ministry.

  • "You shall not give five testimonies and seven updates with six prayer requests and fourteen scriptures. STICK TO ONE MAIN THEME and this shall you do creatively.

  • "Don't covet your neighbor's COLOR LASER PRINTER. Raise your budget and get your own."

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