Volunteers typically run nonprofits and forget their organization is a business. Whether selling causes or candidates, they need money to cover rent, lights and salaries. They ask for donations, then sell clothing, books and courses.

Expanding the donor base is critical to any nonprofit’s fundraising. Prospect universes are expanded by buying lists from mailing houses or swapping Group A’s donor list with one from Group B.

Which is why it’s impossible at year-end to turn around without encountering countless fundraising appeals. They find you on the street, checkout lines, cable television and in your mailbox.

Last month I received a letter from VIA International asking me for money. I’d never heard of this group but looked them up out of curiosity. Their website profile stated they support families living in poverty along the border, as well as training women and youth to become local leaders, building stronger, more self-reliant communities.

Interestingly, their letter didn’t say anything about any of this. It talked about dualities, cultivating community, and an invitation to be part of their next 50 years.

Question: Why would I donate to a group that can’t be bothered to tell me about themselves?

Answer: I wouldn’t.

These folks had three seconds to grab my attention but waited until the second page to talk about their cause. The copywriter apparently assumed they’re a household name.

That’s a rookie mistake.

Every American adult will see up to 10,000 marketing messages in the next 24 hours. Meaning every business or nonprofit needs to find ways to break through a tremendous volume of clutter and noise to get noticed.

And with so much competition for attention, any business must have outstanding messaging to survive. Lack of clarity, uniqueness or value leads to squandered opportunities and bored audiences.

You can skirt this challenge by asking folks matching your customer profile to look critically at all your messaging and tell you if it’s consistent and makes sense. Finding possible hiccups before you invest in printing and postage will greatly improve your chances of long-term success.

Finally, look at what other industries do to see what communications strategies they use successfully, then mimic them.

However, if you’re just assuming I know who you are and will automatically give you money, save yourself the postage.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

Get free marketing advice. www.askmrmarketing.com.