Quack-quack! This is the 164th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.)

In this issue:

✅ Are you looking for your "lucky duck" fundraising stories?

✅ 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." 🦆

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 “Nice Jeep” on a rubber duck she’d just purchased, and she left it on the vehicle for the owner to find.

As she was finishing up, the owner of the vehicle – who she described as a “burly, scary-looking, 6-foot-5 guy” – asked what she was doing. She showed him the duck, and he loved it! He told Allison she should post it on social media.

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.

Soon, people were buying ducks in different colors, ducks of different sizes, ducks in outfits – 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 – 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 — that performed very well — 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 worked hard all my life. I followed the rules. Then my world fell apart. I hadn’t realized some people take advantage of seniors.” (But at Serving Seniors, we know YOU care!) ⸻ Please give today to protect our seniors. Your gift of <$ASK1> can become <$ASK1x2> with matching funds! (Deadline: 12/31) Dear , When I think of seniors who’ve been transformed by our “miracle in a meal”— that first meal that’s a gateway to all our wraparound services: housing, social work, activities, and so much more—my 80-something friend CP jumps to mind. CP had a good life until she was attacked on the street, twice. At Serving Seniors, she began to heal… First, she came for a warm meal. Then came her “miracle.” CP says it best: Hi, my name is CP. ‘It stands for Cutie Pie,’ as my dear late husband Henry used to say. I’m a San Diegan through and through. I was a flight attendant for 22 years. I drove a bus for the Port Authority for 15 years. I was even on TV for 3 years as an astrologer! Then I was attacked on the street, twice. My back was broken in 7 places. (I’ll spare you the other details.) But I’m happy! I’m 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!!! CP is grinning ear to ear as she says this. But others like her are desperate right now. Please give today to make sure that a San Diego senior like CP has their very (Over, please)

I want to call your attention to 2 paragraphs.

Then I was attacked on the street, twice. My back was broken in 7 places. (I’ll spare you the other details.)

But I’m happy! I’m 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! 😢 ❤️‍🩹

3 takeaways for you:

Build on authentic story moments — like CP's "lucky duck" spirit. When someone shares something that strikes you as unusual and makes you feel "some kind of way," note it and think carefully about how you might honor it in your appeal.
Embrace the unexpected — Who could have guessed that rubber ducks would become a symbol of Jeep community? Or that a woman who survived brutal attacks would radiate such joy? Such unexpected elements are key to creating unforgettable stories.
Recognize that your donors are "lucky ducks" too — Remember that giving can feel as good as (if not better than) receiving, so don't be afraid to ASK. Every ASK is a feel-good giving opportunity.

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 you

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

Fundraisingly Informative — Your Fundraising Is Too Polished (Here's how to fix it) by Danielle Wallace (a wonderfully engaging and helpful 30-minute Tactical Thursday training plus Q&A focused on all the big little things you can do to make your fundraising look and feel right for your typically busy donors in a hurry)
Geographically Liberated — The True Size Of (a fascinating free interactive website in which you can choose any country, "lift it" from the map and drag it around to compare to the size and shape of other countries in the map)
Slowly Thoughtful — "A true friend shows up when you need them most." (a 30-second Facebook video in which a small tortoise helps a big tortoise — its parent? — get back on its feet after the latter somehow found itself flipped helplessly on its back)

Until next time: May you always spot those authentic story details that can help your donors feel connected to your cause — and remember fundraising is a "duck pond" of generosity that ripples far beyond what any of us can see!

With gratitude,
Julie Cooper & Brett Cooper

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Are you looking for your "lucky duck" fundraising stories?

Are you looking for your "lucky duck" fundraising stories?

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

Fundraising thoughts: gifts, dreams, and concerns

1 harmful trend and 1 helpful example for you

Please don't serve your donors slop (AI or otherwise).