Crafting an Effective Solicitation: A Writing Workshop is an interactive workshop designed to provide nonprofit fundraisers with key strategies to improve all forms of written solicitations. The workshop will focus on the most important factors to consider when writing letters, emails, and texts. Writing a compelling solicitation in this era of short attention spans requires an efficiency of language and a definite sense of one’s purpose and audience. Participants should bring a device on which they are comfortable writing (laptop, iPad, pencil/paper) since they will spend time crafting and receiving feedback on actual solicitations.
Susan Brennan
Susie Brennan is a firm believer in the ability of the written word to educate, motivate, entertain, and empower people.
She earned her A.B. from Princeton University in 1989 and her Ed.M from Rutgers University in January, 1992. As a fifth grade teacher for the majority of her career, Susie taught Language Arts, served on a wide range of curriculum writing committees, and edited Chapin School’s literary magazine. Her publications include Resources in Early Literacy Development and a newsletter featured in Literacy Development in the Early Years: Helping Children Read and Write.
An avid volunteer, Susie has been involved with a number of nonprofit organizations, most recently CASA, HomeFront, and Princeton Community Works. In addition, Susie has worked as a fundraiser for Princeton’s Class of 1989 since 2000, serving initially as Participation Chair and later as Class Agent for her 25th and 30th Reunions. She and her team achieved a record-setting participation rate of 71.5% for the Class of 1989’s 25th Reunion and raised the third highest amount (at that time) in Princeton’s history. While serving as a fundraiser for Princeton Day School, Susie secured record-setting parent participation rates of 98% and 96% for the Class of 2018.
Susie and her husband of 27 years are enjoying their “empty-nest” years by traveling to all 50 states to hike, bike, kayak, or paddleboard and then visiting a winery or a brewery. She is excited to present to you what she has learned through the years about crafting an effective solicitation.