Nerd glasses on... This is the 150th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can ​subscribe here for free.)​

In this issue:

✅ 1 super nerdy fundraising writing tip for you (ASK ... transition)

✅ Question of the week: You've just received a large donation from a well-known philanthropist. Should you acknowledge it in your next appeal?

✅ Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

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Wednesday, October 23, 2024
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Hi Reader,

When I was a kid, nerds were not cool.

Today, well, nerds are still not exactly cool, but they are definitely cool-er. There are plenty of "safe spaces" for nerds nowadays.

This is one of them.

Fine, I'm a nerd.

Anyway...

1 super nerdy fundraising writing tip for you (ASK ... transition)

When you're writing an appeal, one thing that could trip you up — but need not! — is transitioning from an ASK back to your fundraising story.

1 super nerdy way to do this is to connect a keyword in the ASK to a keyword in the transition sentence.

You just have to come up with that 1 connection.

Simple, right?!

Challenge mode: See if you can spot this approach in action in the example below.

I'm hoping you noticed the keyword "Christmas" in the ASK connects to the keyword "Advent" in the transition sentence.

I'm going to emphasize with highlighting so the idea is more likely to burn into your brain:

A nerdy little notion like this can help keep the ole readable flow going for your dear donors.

It can also save YOU precious time and brain power while you're writing.

So embrace your inner nerd! 🤓

You've just received a large gift. Should you acknowledge it in your next appeal?

Question:

Our organization just received a very large gift from a well-known philanthropist, which made news in our area. Should we acknowledge this gift in our upcoming appeal letter?

Answer:

Let's first clarify the purpose of an appeal: to raise funds from the good-hearted people reading it. Acknowledging such a large gift in your upcoming appeal letter could have the opposite effect: suppressing donations.

Donors need to feel they can make a difference through their giving. Reading about a large gift in a fundraising letter can be demotivating. It may make most donors feel that their own contributions would be insignificant or unnecessary. 😟

Donors respond best to a "donor-size" problem they can help solve. Often, this is illustrated through a story of need. An effective appeal also presents an offer that feels like a good opportunity and conveys a sense of urgency.

Now here's the most interesting part, and it applies to any major gift (or group of gifts):

An effective way to mention a large gift in your appeal is to leverage it strategically as a matched giving opportunity...

​Click here to read the rest of the answer, where we talk about matched giving and give sample language for an appeal.​

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

For your brain, heart, and funny bone...

• Fundraisingly Informative — Write Money Raising Appeals with Rachel Muir (a 90-minute workshop happening tomorrow — filled with fun and actionable strategies, templates, and examples to help you craft your best-ever year-end appeals)​
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• Soaringly Secret — The hidden spaces on planes that are off limits to passengers by Jacopo Prisco (a CNN article featuring photos and descriptions of intriguing places usually only known to airline industry insiders)​
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• Accurately Social — TikTok via SNL (clever commentary in the form of a 4-minute comedy video short from the perspective of someone's doomscrolling TikTok reel while they are missing out on real life)

Until next time: May you never be ashamed to go full writing nerd, especially when it could help you and your donors!

Grateful,

P.S. When you're ready, we're happy to talk with you about your donor communications needs for 2025. We can lighten your load and help you raise more money with print and digital appeals, gratitude/ impact reports, newsletters, supporter surveys, holiday gift catalogs, cases for support, and more. Choose from full-service "Done-For-You" solutions or collaborative "Done-With-You" options. Book a time on Julie's calendar today. The first call is always free!

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