A puppy for your happy fundraising summer thoughts. This is the 173rd Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can ​subscribe here for free.)​

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Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Hi Reader,

Summer snuck up on me.

So did this puppy.

Meet Charlie! He's a cavapoo. We've had him for 1 week, and already we are head over heels.

After Brett and I lost our dear Pepe and Daisy within 12 months of each other last year, we swore we were done with dogs. We couldn't go through that again. But then we kept seeing cute pups. On TV... Out and about... Visiting friends and family... Everywhere. As valiantly as we tried, we could not escape the onslaught of adogable doggos.

After several week of hemming and hawing and researching, we found our way to Charlie... and now we feel like new again.

Feeling like new again is fantastic.

At least 2 other things make me feel this way: summer and the Fourth of July. Summer reminds me of being a kid. And July 4th fireworks have that new-country, new-you vibe.

In honor of new beginnings, here are 7 things for you in case you missed them from us in the past year...

7 things you may have missed

Did you see these already?

1. ​Thinking of sending a fundraising letter from 2 people?​
   (One voice speaks louder than 2. This Q&A shows how to handle multi-signature appeals gracefully.)
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2. ​Make your fundraising sparkle: 5 examples for you​
   (Real-life examples from my mailbox show how small changes can make your appeals shine bright.✨✨)
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3. ​Don't AI-ify your fundraising story notes!​
   (When AI polishes your stories, it erases what donors care about most: specifics. Here's what to do.)
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4. ​Please don't "over spice" your fundraising stories​
   (Do you want donors to feel your story? Learn when to add story details... and when to hold back.)
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5. ​You don't need to scramble for your fundraising stories (there's a better way)​
   (Do you only search for stories when deadlines hit? Create a year-round story collecting system.)
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6. ​Are you looking for your "lucky duck" fundraising stories?​
   (Keep your eyes open for story moments that can create powerful, unexpected emotions in donors.)
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7. ​What Brett's tracking in AI and why it matters
   ​(In 2024, Brett called an AI backlash early. Now he's doubling down with evidence it's imminent.)

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As always, thank you for reading! ☺️

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

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

• Fundraisingly Informative — Thermometers Still Work! by John Lepp (a great reminder blog post about how the classic thermometer visual of funds raised and funds still needed continues to be motivating for donors for a number of good reasons)
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• Trivially Enjoyable — ​Richard Osman's House of Games via Mundo (a free-on-YouTube TV show from the UK, in which the author of the Thursday Murder Club mystery novel series hosts a winsome trivia show with plenty of fun gameplay twists)
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• Socially Questionable — Status (and the grass tax) by Seth Godin (a short blog post about the origins of the front lawn as a status symbol and how we'd do well to question whether we want to buy into all the trappings of such symbols)

Until next time: May your fundraising be full of fireworks, your life be full of puppies, and your summer be full of fun!

Grateful,

Brett Cooper & Julie Cooper
Fundraising Copywriters​
​ FundraisingWriting.com​
​​ 100% human, thank you very much.