Your donors expect something from your donor newsletter that they don't expect from their daily newspaper or cable news show.

Yes, your supporters read your newsletter and the newspaper to discover what's new, what's going on, what's current. They read to be better informed, to understand the issues better.

But your donors have one question they want answered when they read your newsletter, and it's not a question they ask of any other media. Their question is this: "What have you done with my money?"

Answer this question well and you'll keep your supporters. Answer it poorly, or not at all, and you'll watch your donors fall away.

Why news isn't #1 for your newsletter

Don't be fooled into thinking your donor newsletter has to present news only. That's what newspapers do. That's what your communications department would do if it had its way. But your publication's primary purpose isn't news. It's stewardship. And you prove that stewardship through news.

Unlike newspapers and magazines, you have a moral obligation to your readers to show what you've done with their money. Your donors support your organization because they want to change the world. They've decided to do that through you rather than another charity.

That means your supporters demand to know how their donations have made a difference. They don't want to read about your latest committee. They're not interested in Bob's promotion, or that a group went to the local bowling alley and a good time was had by all.

"How did you use my donation?" That's what your supporters want to know. So show them. Tell them. Use vivid photos, stirring testimonials, gripping narratives and donor-centred stories to prove (as though you're the CEO reporting to your shareholders) that you have used your donor's gift to improve the world. Show proof.

Evidence - it's all that matters

What you need before you write any newsletter story is not a good hook or a great photo or a message from your executive director delivered before you go to press. What you need is evidence. Concrete evidence. Evidence that would persuade a jury of your peers in a court of law that you invested your donor's gift prudently and that it generated a return on investment in terms of lives changed.

I recommend you draw a picture of a jail cell and tape it to your monitor. Stare at it before you write any story. Imagine a group of your donors ready to press charges unless you answer the one question they demand from you. Then start writing.

Alan Sharpe is a fundraising practitioner, author, trainer and speaker. Through his weekly email newsletter, books, handbooks and workshops, Alan helps nonprofit organizations worldwide to acquire more donors, raise more funds and build stronger relationships. Alan is the senior strategist at Harvey McKinnon Associates. More information and contact details