I am at the portion of my fundraising summer where I want to grab the children by their lapels (okay, I know children's clothing doesn't actually have lapels, just work with me here) and shout, "Just give me the damn money, tiny motherfuckers!" But I suspect that the church camp may be looking for a slightly different approach.

Ha, Jesse!

And Liese, who knows? That approach could just well work wonders!

I've found that shaking children generally results in, at best, loose change, which doesn't go very far toward paying the bills. Just my professional opinion....

I've found that shaking children generally results in, at best, loose change

Because barf pays no one's bills.

Just my professional opinion....

Okay, fine. Instead we told a goofy story and a moving one. And lots of the money from previous fundraising efforts has started to come in, so I'm no longer feeling so wroth.

I don't know how an introvert ended up in a career where the only break from talking to students is when you start talking to adults about the students. Isn't there some nice quiet paperwork somewhere that needs doing? Oh, right, that's me too!

Guys, I sent out my first invoice! And I have a business banking account, and a biz debit card, and a merchant PayPal with an invoicing system set up!

WOO HOO!

I'm drafting contacts right now; posted a Press about it, if anyone has advice on THAT sticky wicket. I wanna cover my ass as much as possible in regards to legal issues and money.

I don't know how to say this without coming off like a jerk, so I'm just going to say it and please know, Erin, I don't intend to be brusque. Of course the Buffista lawyers on here are free to offer whatever services they wish, but doing stuff like that is, in fact, stuff that people get paid for. You might offer to pay even a small stipend for their work. Otherwise it's like people asking you for free editing, and people asking techs for free computer services. You know? Of course people are friends, and may be perfectly happy to give you their opinion, but they are also professionals with value to their labor.

Oh, no, no, Liese, I didn't mean it that way at all!

If anyone was inclined to, they could; I am, in fact, offering a discounted service to someone who's looking at it, but the more eyes, the better.

But you are right, I have been asking an AWFUL lot of questions lately, and people have been absolutely wonderful, and I shouldn't take advantage.

I am SO SORRY if anyone else feels this way, and I am so grateful for any and all help that any Buffistas, including you, have offered me.

I will go and edit it to make it clear that I would be happy to do a quid-pro-quo.

Thanks for speaking up, Liese!

Good, Erin, I didn't think so! I know I'm only hyperaware of it because of the vast dollars worth of services that have been donated to me. I once pressured my graphic designer into invoicing me so I could receipt her as gifts in kind, and I was shocked to discover the total I'd run up (and she did it conservatively). So since then I've been much better about at least being aware of what I'm being given, even if the people in question are still happy to give it.

So good! Yay for collaboration!

Here is my latest quick blog post that features one of the most important question s we can ask ourselves to 'keep cool.' (see what I did there?)

Plus, it includes a summer deal.

Here is the same post in blast email form.

This is my question. How can I make these emails more attractive?

My list isn't huge...a bit more than 300. And, lately, my open rates have been down.

I've read what seems like reams of advice on this sort of thing, but I'm just not feeling successful.

I'm beating my head against that marketing wall until I bleed. What should I be doing differently?!