This is the 190th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can ​subscribe here for free.)​

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Hi Reader,

When I was a girl, Madonna was all that.

She was Like a Virgin.

She was Like a Prayer.

Now Madonna Louise Ciccone, aka "the Queen of Pop" is 67 and wears glasses.

Really? Huh.

So the question now becomes:

Can Madonna read your fundraising appeal?

I often recommend thinking of an senior donor when writing a fundraising appeal or other piece of donor comms.

I still do.

But perhaps it's worth remembering that today's senior donors are not necessarily any particular Shade of Grey. (Sorry, I had to.)

Still, they probably do wear glasses.

Take for another example 60-year-old supermodel, actress, and entrepreneur Brooke Shields:

Wait, Brooke too?

Yes, Brooke too.

As you imagine your audience, keep an open mind ... but also, please keep in mind that even the hippest of those who are most likely to worry about breaking a hip are likely to struggle if you hit them over the head with a small font and/or a wall of text.

Be kind to older eyes!

For example…

-Larger fonts

-Short paragraphs

-Generous margins

-Matte paper instead of glossy

-Dark text on a light background

Go easy on your Madonna and Brooke Shields donors!!

A beautiful squiggle

Here's a thank-you note we recently got (from name-blacked-out-to-protect-privacy).

No doubt it took only a minute or two, but it sure meant a lot to Brett and me.

Could you do something like that for your donors?

What might it be, I wonder and maybe you should too.

In the right hands and hearts
even a squiggle can beautiful.

Randomly yours

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

• Fundraisingly Informative — Your Donors ARE Different… When You’re Small by Steven Screen (a memorable blog post about how your donor base is naturally different when your nonprofit is still small, which affects what you can get away with and what you should change over time as you grow)
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• Overly Cynical — Terminal Cynicism by Gabe (a sharp blog post about the problem of how "Nowadays, Contrarianism has become fashionable. Everyone is against The System. Everyone is against our Institutions. Everyone is against Politicians. Everyone is against the norms and traditions that have made things better. Everyone is against everything.")
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• Deliciously Apt — Everyone Deserves a Slice by Human Services Council (a hilariously scathing 6-minute video sketch that answers the question "What if pizza shops were funded like Human Services nonprofits?" in dramatic/comedic form)

Until next time: May you always remember your audience and keep in mind who they are, what they want, and what they need — including gracious readability!

Grateful,

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