"How to increase your support raising 6 ways using Curt's favorite tool . . . " By Curt Johnson
	Dear Friend: If you have been in missions work any length of time you obviously have come to realize the critical nature of communication. Great communication produces great results in any sphere of life. You need effective communication with your supporters, friends, and family. After I signed up for this service that this page will explain to you, I sent my first card with my personalized font and signature to my mom. A few days later we talked on the phone and I asked if she got it. She had, and I asked her to go get it and look at it again. (I knew she still had it, even though I am 49 years old - she still keeps all the stuff I give her!) After quizzing her - she had NO idea that this card was sent from a service. She thought I had driven to the store, picked out the card, hand written it, and put it in the mail. She had no idea the time and money I had saved! One of the main traits of successful people is they are masters of communication - consistent and effective communication. Ineffective or inconsistent communication will sabotage any relationship, particularly long distance relationships. The most successful missionary fundraisers are the ones that incorporate the power of automation in their efforts. Many of the fundraising activities are painfully ineffective. The reason why, is that people are simply too rushed these days to pay attention to your efforts. And it's getting tougher to contact them. Think about it - Lots of your phone calls go unanswered and most voice mails or answering machine messages get no replies. (And it's not because your contacts want to blow you off - They simply don't have the time to reply - or like me it is hard for them to return the call because I am over seas.) And if you are communicating by email, things aren't a whole lot better - With today's over-aggressive spam filters, many of your emails are either not getting through, or they are ending up in or junk folders - those that DO get through, many never get opened or replied to. Once I discovered how critically important consistent and continuous communication systems were to growing my support base (and the limitations of most "conventional" methods), I began a search for the most effective method to use in my own fundraising. This quest brought me to an unexpected and startling discovery - The most effective (and efficient) fundraising method for ANY mission work is sending postcards and greeting cards. Don't believe me? Let me prove it to you - Why do postcards and greeting cards make the perfect communication tool? Because they do 3 important things -   1. Cards almost always get delivered, opened and read.   Think about it - remember back to the last time you received a greeting card in the mail. Did you open it? Of course you did!   We've been trained since childhood to open, get excited about and read greeting cards that are sent to us. (Remember how great you felt as a child when you opened that card from your grandma and saw a crisp brand-new dollar bill inside?)   The same thing is true for postcards. With postcards there's not even an envelope to open, so you're almost guaranteed your message will be read.   2. Greeting cards and postcards create a great feeling in the recipient, they are remembered and appreciated. Again remember back to the last time you received a greeting card or postcard, how did that make you feel? How did you feel about the sender?   After all - who sends us greeting cards and postcards? Our friends and family - loved ones!   So wouldn't you like your supporters to automatically view you as special? Well, sending a heartfelt greeting card is the fastest and easiest way to do just that.   3. They remind your supporters or potential supporters about the important reasons to be part of your work and journey.   But because of the warm feelings and positive associations people have for greeting cards and postcards, your messages will get past the usual "advertising filters" and be received much more easily and effectively.   Successful fundraisers are always looking for reasons to send follow-up messages, postcards and greeting cards to people both in and outside of the current supporters.
	We are seeing a balancing swing back towards conventional wisdom in relationships: Those that send out cards in the mail (greeting cards, follow up cards, appreciation cards, etc.) as part of their fundraising efforts will find that they will have a huge impact compared to those who cling to on-line communications only.   It Just Makes Sense in this busy - techno crazy world - People are wanting and needing something tangible! Only 2 - 3 % of emails even get read. Did you know that when you send out cards, over 95% will get read. Sending a card through the postal service is effective.
	Here are 6 quick and simple ways YOU can begin harnessing the potent power of postcards and greeting cards to build your own business or organization. 1. Send cards to your loved ones - Sending fantastic cards through this great system saves time and money! Your friends and family will love them! All your family card sending activities should be sent through your new service. How many times have you wanted to send a card to a loved one, but simply forgot to pick one up at the store? Well, now that doesn't have to happen ever again. As soon as you think of it, you can pop online and within a few clicks you can have a custom, personalized card ready to go out on ANY date you want it to mail. (Even if the birthday, event or holiday is weeks in the future!) Imagine having the ability to import the addresses and information of all of your family and friends, set things up once with a few clicks of your mouse and then NEVER miss another birthday, anniversary, holiday or special occasion ever again! And the best thing is - You can "click it and forget it". All of your cards will be printed, personalized, signed, stamped, addressed and mailed automatically with absolutely no additional time or hassle on your part. No more spacing out birthdays or holidays and then having to send one of those lame "sorry this is late" cards (if you even send one at all!) No more trips to the supermarket or card store to search for the right card. No more expensive, over inflated prices. Nope! Set it up once and the system does the rest! (And with over 12,000 professionally designed and written cards to choose from, with more added each day, you'll never again be at a loss for the "perfect" card.) 2. Send cards to your current supporters - Sending cards to and following up with your supporters can have an amazing impact on your support raising. Far too often when new supporter start to give, but their excitement and enthusiasm can die off over time. The key to keeping them is to build and maintain relationships within your supporters. At first, when your work is just starting this is pretty easy to do. The hope though is your support base will rapidly grow - beyond your ability to have personal relationships with each and every individual. This is where is the tremendous power of sending cards on a regular basis to your supporters will pay off big time. When individual supporters begin receiving sincere and personal cards from you, they will begin to feel as if they know you and that you care about them. This makes it possible to build strong relationships and strong loyalty from individuals that you may have never even met in person. Just a few of the many reasons and opportunities you have to send cards to your existing supporters are -   *When they start to support you. * On their birthday. * On their anniversary. * Thank you cards for their gifts. * Holidays and special events. * Reminders about your upcoming missions work or when you are in their area. * Cards educating them about your work. The number of reasons you can come up with to follow up with your existing supporters is limited only by your imagination. The thing to remember is this - try and make sure every supporter in your organization receives at least one postcard or greeting card from you every month. If you do just this one thing, you will see your supporter be more loyal and the retention within your support group remain strong. 3. Send Out Cards to potential supporters - One of the best ways to introduce your work to a person whom may be interested in supporting your work is to send them a greeting card. When you do this, you'll find that they are far more receptive and responsive to your message. And your support base will grow! Your card doesn't have to be pushy - In fact you shouldn't try. Simply introduce yourself - this opens the door for you to them. Also, if you have a fund raising appointment set this is a great opportunity to send a "reminder card". By sending a reminder card to prospects you can dramatically reduce your "no show" rate for your support raising meetings. This one step alone could give a significant boost to the effectiveness of the time you invest building your support raising. 4. Send thank you cards after speaking with a supporter or potential supporter - You should send out a thank you card to everyone you speak with, expressing your gratitude and offering to answer any questions they may have. Taking the extra couple of minutes like this does a tremendous thing A thank you card reminds them about you and your missions work (and does it in a professional, non-pushy way.) In today's busy world, people will often forget or lose interest in your message, even if they were interested, simply because "life gets in the way". So by sending out a thank you card, you not only creating a welcomed reminder, and establish yourself as a professional, you also do it in a way that makes them feel honored and appreciated. (Which in turn cultivates your friendship with them.) 5. Send thank you cards to those who can't or don't support you - Let's deal with this - No matter how effective your fundraising and follow up system is, there are going to be some people that simply say "No." This is just a fact of doing support raising. But - When you have an effective follow up card system in place, it becomes easy to stay connected. They may still pray for you! They also may support you in the future after seeing you are taking your missions work very seriously as a professional should. Send a sincere thank you card. Particularly if in the card you tell them that you respect their decision and you don't push them to change their mind, but would love to keep them in touch with what you are doing. Building trust and respect and makes it very easy for them to possibly give in the future as your work grows. They may not be interested in your current work, but in the future something may pull at their heart! 6. Create referrals using cards - One of my favorite uses of cards is for creating referrals. Professionals know referrals are the oxygen of their support raising. We shouldn't neglect the amazing, support raising building power that creating referrals can have. The problem with most traditional referral methods is that you have to continually keep asking. Which for many people is not an easy or comfortable thing to do. Asking in person or over the phone for referrals often feels awkward or pushy - uncomfortable for both the person asking and the person being asked. But by sending out cards you can begin to simply and effortlessly generate referrals in two main ways - First, simply as a result of sending out many of the cards we've already mentioned you'll naturally begin getting spontaneous contacts a wonderful side effect. This will happen because the people who get your cards will start to get to know, like, and trust you. They'll be continually reminded and educated about you and your missions work . And, because of all this and because people naturally keep and even display or show cards they have received, they'll be far more likely to tell friends, family and coworkers about you and your missions work. Some of them will even show off your cards to their friends! (There is a difference between you pushing "word of mouth" with your own support raising and having your supporters do it for you. This is the true kind of word of mouth we want because it's pressure-free for them.) The second way sending out cards can help you generate referrals is by actually sending cards that REQUEST them. People will hear about your work through others and simply want to know more. However, as you'll discover as you keep reading, you don't need to worry about making expensive and time consuming trips to the store and post office each week, or having to "create" a system. A system that can help you do all 6 things I just told you about already exists! But before I tell you about that system let me reveal a bit more with you -
	How To Maximize The Impact Of A Send Out Cards Strategy! Here are a few "on-target practices" I recommend to help you get the greatest results from your greeting card and postcard sending efforts. (Don't worry if this sounds like too much "hassle" or too expensive. I'm going to show you the way I do this in my own support raising that takes me almost no time, and surprisingly little money to send hundreds of cards with a few clicks of my mouse!) To get the best results, you want your cards to look and feel as personal and authentic as possible. The three most effective ways to do this are - Cards that have IMPACT Are Personalized Personalize your cards. You should use the recipient's first name in the card. Don't simply use a mass-produced, generic message. Begin your message by greeting them with their first name. Cards that have IMPACT Are Handwritten Your cards should be in your own handwriting. The main, personal message in your cards should be handwritten. Consider this - What feels more personal to us when we read a store-bought card? The message printed on the inside of a card or the hand written note below it? With today's technology it's possible to create a "handwriting font" of your own writing. So you don't have to worry about the time it takes to personally scribble dozens of cards. (I'll show you how to get your own handwriting font for your cards in just a minute.) Cards that have IMPACT Are Personally Signed Personally sign each and every card with your signature. It just makes sense that personal messages are personally signed. Again, if you are trying to build a personal relationship with the reader of your card you must sign the card with your own signature. Of course there is a way to add your signatures to your cards digitally as you'll see.
	"But Curt - Isn't This a Ton of Work?" My answer is always the same - Its surprisingly easy and affordable. If you've read this far, then by now you can obviously imagine the impact sending out cards will have on your support raising. Let me ask you an important question - What if there was a system that would allow you to:   * Create professional, personalized (with the recipient's name) postcards and greeting cards   * Write the cards in your own "handwriting font"   * Add YOUR signature to each card   * Add your own pictures to your cards   * Automatically print, address, stamp and mail them for you   * Quickly and easily upload your address book ( I uploaded 5000+ contacts easily)   * Organize all of your names into groups (such as family, friends, supporters, prayer partners, etc.)   * Allow you to set up "campaigns" that go out at pre-selected intervals   * All for as little as $1 per card? Well guess what? That system exists NOW, and I've been using it to grow my support base for two years now! Introducing The Most Powerful, Impacting And Easiest To Use System Ever Created - This system for sending cards that is nothing short of revolutionary! It has benefited my own support raising in ways I cannot even begin to explain. This system allows you to:   * Choose from a massive selection of over 12,000 professionally designed and written cards. (Compare that to the fact that most card stores have only a few hundred designs to choose from.)   * Send cards that are glossy and top quality. Your recipients won't be able to tell the difference between your cards and the cards that cost FAR more in the stores. (In fact many people say that our cards are even higher quality than "store bought"!)   * This system allows you to - Digitally "write" the message on the inside of your card with your own professionally created handwriting font. This doesn't just look like your handwriting, it IS your handwriting! (But don't worry... if your handwriting is bad, there are many other handwriting font styles to choose from.)   * This system allows you to - Sign each and every card with your personal signature. In fact you can actually add up to 4 different signature files to allow you to customize your cards even further. You can have a "family signature", a "support raising signature", a "first name signature" and a "full name signature".   * This system allows you to - Upload your own pictures and images to further customize and personalize your cards.   * This system allows you to - Personalize each and every card you send with the recipient's name to make them feel remembered, appreciated and special. By using the receivers name in the body of the card (done automatically for you whether you are sending 1 card or 1,000 cards), you'll build strong, lasting relationships.   * This system allows you to - Never lick another stamp ever again - Your cards are all printed, addressed, stamped and mailed automatically for you. This is the easiest, fastest and most convenient system ever created for sending cards.   *This system allows you to - Upload your entire address book in one easy step. Your days of searching for names and addresses are over. Add your information to the Online Contact Manager once and you can find anything you need to stay in touch at the click of your mouse!   * This system allows you to - Never forget another birthday, holiday or special occasion with the Online Calendar and Reminder System. Just load all of your important dates, birthdays and anniversaries and get reminded of them right when you need to be. (Or just schedule all of your cards for the entire year in one sitting and they will go out automatically, right on time!)   * This system allows you to - Create custom cards from scratch. For the ultimate in personalization you can quickly and easily design and upload your own cards. Or you can even have a team of professional card designers custom create a card just for you for a very small fee.   * This system allows you to - Organize your names and contacts into groups. You can separate your family contacts from your support raising contacts. Staying organized has never been easier.   * This system allows you to - Send cards internationally. You are not limited by borders. In fact you can send cards to anyone, anywhere there is a post office. So if you're building an international support raising like I am in New Zealand, now you have a truly international follow-up tool!   * This system allows you to - Save tons of money when sending cards. Not only do you save hours of time and effort - unlike expensive, limited selection card stores, (where cards can cost you $3 to $9 each) this system allows you to buy cards wholesale. So you only invest about $1 per card you send.   * This system allows you to - Send gift cards. You can even have gift cards to popular stores and restaurants included with your cards.   * This system allows you to - Get started right away WITHOUT a steep learning curve. This system is fast, fun and easy to use. But to make it so easy that even an 80 year old grandmother could use it, there are short, easy to follow video tutorials that guide you step by step through the entire process.   * This system allows you to - Get fast, friendly support whenever you need it. If you ever have a question, comment or concern, the customer service and support staff are second to none. They are always responsive and will give you a fast, friendly and knowledgeable reply. There is more. You can actually - Build Your Support Base as you Send Out Cards! One of the main reasons that this system is IDEAL for missionaries is this revolutionary system is actually structured as a fundraiser itself! This gives you a tremendous opportunity to leverage your card sending efforts and expand your support base at the same time.   This is just another reason why - THIS as my favorite fund raising Tool! Each and every card you send out as has YOUR unique URL on the back. So the more cards that go out, the more others may want to use this service for themselves as a natural side effect. A few other details you should know about the company behind this system and the strong and fair compensation plan are -   * The system is backed by a 4 year old, 100% debt free company.   * The company has a strong representative focus and they seek out supporter feedback and input.   * The compensation plan is generous high up front commissions when new people join and long term residual commissions on card volume sent.   * Commissions are paid weekly to maximize your cash flow and you are given multiple ways to get paid and earn money, including retail sales and a generous rewards and incentives program.   * You earn over $100, for every new that you guide through the training. Also, you earn 2% to 25% monthly residual income on all cards sent by your referrals several levels deep.   * The support raising you build is fully family transferable.   * There is copious amount of support and training. This includes a wide section of online training videos and checklists.   * You can offer your friends an absolutely FREE Gift Account which lets them send a free card and test drive the system. Once they see the ease and fun of sending cards this way, it's easy to sign them up! In fact, if YOU would like to experience for yourself how fun and easy it is to send cards using this system. then simply click here and follow the instructions to get your free test drive. BUT be sure to come back and finish this letter - there is MORE!
	I, Curt, will personally contact you (usually within a couple of days) to schedule a LIVE one-on-one walk through of the system and help you send out your first card! There is no cost, no obligation. Now that I've shown you this fast and easy way to boost your support raising by simply sending out cards - and adding a powerful new income stream at the same time - the next step is up to YOU. Here's how to join today - fill in this short form. You will receive an email in an instant with Sign Up instructions - and probably a call from me! (Hit the submit button once and please be patient as your submission is processed. It a "Thank You" does not appear in 30 seconds - please refresh page and try again.) Coach Curt's Priority Signup Form I'm wanting to get moving now! Its time to be empowered to strengthen my support raising, relationships and income. Look. - If you want to give your current support raising a serious boost then you need to use this system and tap into the power of sending cards in your own support raising. Your fellow missionary and fund raiser,       Curt Johnson   P.S. #1 - Because you've read this far, you must see and understand the enormous boost an automated, card based communication system will give your support raising efforts. So do yourself a favor and sign up right now in the form above while it's still fresh in your mind. You'll be glad you did! I'll personally be waiting for you on the other side. P.S. #2 - Don't forget - As effective as sending cards will be for your support raising, you may discover that the most fun and fulfilling part will be the way it cultivates your relationships with your loved ones. P.S.#3 - If you're still not sure this system will carry your support raising, relationships and income significantly forward, then take the free test drive! Get a FREE Test Drive of This Powerful & Fun System! Signup to send a FREE card to anyone of your choice. Send one to yourself!!! (We even pay the postage!) I will PERSONALLY contact you (usually within a couple of days) to schedule a LIVE one-on-one walk through of the system and help you send out your first card! (Because I am a professional and am looking to work with other professionals, there will be NO obligation and certainly NO high pressure tactics.)