The 10 Commandments of Newsletter Design

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jmuehleisen
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The 10 Commandments of Newsletter Design

Post by jmuehleisen »

Here is another excellent resource from http://www.supportraising.org. Be sure visit their site for more great ideas!

Creating a Monthly Newsletter
(That People Will Read!)
The Ten Commandments of
Layout and Design for Donor Newsletters


And Curt Harlow, the National Chi Alpha Resource Guy, 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 OVER CROWDED. 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 placeth to invest 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 INK JET PRINTER. Raise your budget and get your own.”
John Muehleisen
Mentoring Emerging Christian Leadership in Africa for Excellence / Integrity / Innovation
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