Quack-quack! This is the 164th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can βsubscribe here for free.)β In this issue: β Are you looking for your "lucky duck" fundraising stories? β Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you Wednesday, March 12, 2025 Hi Reader, There's a very cool-looking Jeep that Brett and I often notice during our neighborhood walks. On its dashboard are a bunch of cute little rubber ducks. Eventually, driving around, we noticed other Jeeps with ducks on their dashboards. Finally we got curious enough to ask the Internet. Yep, it's a thing. It's called "Jeep ducking." π¦ According to this article from Sleep Hollow Auto Group, the trend kicked off in early Covid days: In July 2020, Allison Parliament had recently moved to a new town and purchased a Jeep Wrangler. After a tough day, she was out shopping and spotted another Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot of the store. Wanting to spread a little positivity, she took out a marker and wrote βNice Jeepβ on a rubber duck sheβd just purchased, and she left it on the vehicle for the owner to find.
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As she was finishing up, the owner of the vehicle β who she described as a βburly, scary-looking, 6-foot-5 guyβ β asked what she was doing. She showed him the duck, and he loved it! He told Allison she should post it on social media. β She posted the photo that day, and her unique act of kindness spread like wildfire under the hashtag #duckduckjeep. People started buying rubber ducks and leaving them on Jeeps across the nation, inspiring a fun tradition among Jeep owners and enthusiasts alike.
β Soon, people were buying ducks in different colors, ducks of different sizes, ducks in outfits β all with the intention of giving them away to make someone else smile. And as people collected them, Jeep drivers displayed them on their dashboard β in what's now lovingly known as a "duck pond." I love this. You can build a vibrant community based on true kindness. Sounds a lot like fundraising, right? Are you looking for your "lucky duck" fundraising stories?Jeep owners are "lucky ducks." They're lucky when they give. And when they receive. It's a virtuous circle. I'm reminded of a client appeal Brett and I wrote β that performed very well β in which a senior who'd endured terrible trauma later took to calling herself a "lucky duck." Can you imagine? When Brett and I interviewed this woman, who goes by "CP," we could hardly believe what we were hearing. CP's spirit was so incredibly bright, in spite of it all. That's why we leaned into the lucky duck aspect of CP's story. We featured it on the first page of the appeal letter, below. I want to call your attention to 2 paragraphs.
Then I was attacked on the street, twice. My back was broken in 7 places. (Iβll spare you the other details.)β
β But Iβm happy! Iβm lucky to be alive and to be living here at Potiker Family Senior Residence. I have a roof over my head and a full belly every day. I really am a lucky duck. Quack-quack!!!
Talk about powerful, unexpected emotions! π’ β€οΈβπ©Ή 3 takeaways for you:
The next time you're crafting an appeal, think of CP's "Quack-quack!!!" spirit and look for those "ducks on a dashboard" fundraising story moments. Few people can resist the "unexpected feels"! Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge youFor your brain, heart, and funny bone...
Until next time: May you always spot those authentic story details that can help your donors feel connected to your cause β and remember fundraising is a "duck pond" of generosity that ripples far beyond what any of us can see! With gratitude, β P.S. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Click here to sign up for your own free weekly subscription. |
We're Julie Cooper and Brett Cooper, fundraising copywriters for great causes. Does your fundraising bring in as much money as it could? You can send donor communications that stir hearts to action. We'd love to help. π Start by subscribing to our FREE and fun weekly newsletter.
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