Like a lot of people, I shudder at the word “sales.” But as a child, I do remember one moment where the thrill of the sale was worthy of a good squeal. Even at the tender age of 7, I knew people didn’t come to the grocery store to buy Girl Scout cookies. Their agenda was to … Continue reading What a few little girls selling cookies can teach us about “selling” the environment.
What every environmental organization should be doing this month.
You might think you’ve got the year all planned out, but are you sure you haven’t missed a step?
How to Get Past Emotions to the Stuff that Really Matters.
If you feel angry about something, it’s likely you assume the emotion you’re feeling is anger. Right? Not quite… Fiction writers are masters at showing (without outright telling us, of course) this subtle difference. As environmental writers, it’s to our direct detriment to ignore this delicate dissimilarity.
Don’t write to the hippies.
Most writers and marketers understand the concept of aiming your message to a specific person. Imagining someone real, whom you might have an actual conversation with, makes your persuasive techniques more relevant and convincing. But when you are writing a persuasive piece about nature… just who are you writing to?
Find the happy people
It’s a major misconception that happy people aren’t serious enough about serious issues. But beware, writing off happy people as ditsy or shallow is at your environmental organizations peril.
Why you should focus on next year, and not the end of this one.
Most environmental donors give for reasons other than meeting your year-end quotas. Here, you have the chance to focus on the New Year, a time when resolutions and dreams of being a better person run wild. Why not take advantage of those new dreams?
