This is the 180th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.)

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Hi Reader,

Maybe you're a social butterfly.

I'm more like a social caterpillar.

When it occurs to me to attempt fluttering by in a social situation, I default to "not just yet."

I mean, in a room full of lovely people, where do I look? There are so many faces. There are so many possibilities. It's overwhelming.

My gaze will usually fall on my familiar peeps. I'll gravitate to them. I'll have nice conversations. I certainly won't talk to everyone. My little caterpillar legs only carry me so far.

That's just me.

What's not just me is how this relates to fundraising...

First, develop your appeal letter prime real estate.

Even if you're a social butterfly, in a party with countless faces, you'd be hard pressed to have a face-to-face with all those faces. That's how it is with a direct mail fundraising appeal letter. It's got so many words. Most of your donors will likely not have a face-to-face with all of those words.

They'll skim.

They're busy.

So, strategically, certain (not always so obvious) places in your appeal represent prime real estate — because they are where more donor eyeballs will visit and linger.

THEREFORE: first, develop your prime real estate.

You only have so much "writer's blood" to spill onto a page. Be careful how you spill it. Invest your first splashes of writerly energy in getting your key puzzle pieces in place.

Below, highlighted by examples from an appeal we recently wrote for a client, are the key puzzle pieces in question...

First: obvious prime real estate:

1.) the outer envelope teaser

screenshot showing "Do you remember how it felt? Back when you were a child..." — The job of the teaser is to get the outer envelope opened. You can go with no teaser, which works well. But a very good teaser will tend to do better.

2.) the Johnson Box

screenshot: "“Why do you love the museum?” we asked . . . and this sweet 8-year-old answered, “Because it’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” ✨ — The job of the Johnson Box (the area at the top of the letter; not typically in an actual box) is to convey the gist of the appeal in a way that makes your donors feel something and to keep them reading.

3.) the P.S.

screenshot: "P.S. I keep thinking about something. It was the moment when we asked Becca how she felt about her daughter’s enthusiasm for the Anchorage Museum. As Becca paused to gather her thoughts, Sloan got antsy. She couldn’t wait for the answer, so she whispered in her mom’s ear: “You should feel proud!” That’s exactly how I hope you’ll feel when you give today. Proud to be there for Alaska’s children. Proud your kindness will help make sure we never lose what makes the Anchorage Museum a local treasure for all ages. If you give right away, your gift will be DOUBLED by matching funds. Please give now while you’re thinking about it. And thank you so much for being the kind of person who “gets it.” The kind of person who knows the immense value of a world-class museum in our community. Especially for our children!" — The job of the P.S. is to be a similar-yet-different bookend to the Johnson Box. You want your donors to be able to read it alone and make a giving decision. (Does this P.S. seem long? It's by design for this particular appeal... your mileage may vary.)

Second, non-obvious prime real estate:

4. the hook

screenshot: "Dear — The job of the hook is to pull the reader in and connect their experience to your appeal's fundraising story, offer, and ASK. Donors should be personally invested before they're asked.

5. the line that comes after each ASK

screenshot: "When was the last time you felt supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?" — The job of the line after an ASK is to quickly pick back up the case you're making, preferably connecting it again to the donor's interior story they carry as they read.

6. the last line on each page

screenshot: "“It’s like an extension of home,” says Sloan’s mom Becca, who takes her Turn over to see how the Museum can change a kid’s life…" — The job of a page's last line is to keep the donor reading. In this case, the quote is interesting and the donor has to turn the page to finish the sentence.

7. the first line on each page

screenshot: "When you donate today, your generosity goes to work immediately. Right here in Anchorage. You could send a local class on a field trip where they encounter real artifacts, explore Alaska Native cultures . . . maybe even discover what they want to be when they grow up. You could fund a week of Museum Camp for a child who’s never had the chance to build a wind turbine (in our CoLab) or learn about the stars (in our planetarium). For many of our students, the Museum provides the only hands-on science education they’ll get all year. It’s the only chance they’ll have to peek into the past to better understand and build the future. It may even be the first time they leave their neighborhood." — The job of a new page's first line is to keep the donor reading. In this case, we are implying the local need, setting up 3 impact bullet points.

These 7 elements are like your puzzle corner and edge pieces. Your first order of business is to get them situated. The rest of the puzzle will then fall into place more easily.

(Note: you can't literally write all 7 elements from the outset. Still, I recommend this be your general aim, as much as possible. In other words, don't fiddle too much with the rest of your appeal letter until you feel confident you've fully developed your "prime real estate."🏠💛)

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

an AA Milne illustration of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh

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

Fundraisingly Informative — Respecting the Donor’s Time as a New Measure of Success by Beth Ann Locke (a blog post that may help you see from a donor's perspective how best to approach them)
Dangerously Astute — "I don't understand you, therefore you are wrong" by David Shapiro (a blog post about the social risk of the idea that "being right too early is the same as being wrong.")
Psychologically Volatile — Mind Games via This American Life (a 62-minute podcast episode about people who played mind games with good intentions ... and it backfired)

Until next time: May you always attack your parties and your appeal letters with the strategic aplomb of an astute fundraising butterfly ... or catterpillar, at least!

Grateful,

Julie Cooper & Brett Cooper
Fundraising Copywriters (and Cavapoo Charlie)
FundraisingWriting.com
100% human, thank you very much.

Subscribe to The Fundraising Writing Newsletter

First, develop your appeal letter prime real estate.

First, develop your appeal letter prime real estate.

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

Christmas in July (the fundraising sleigh is now loading 🛷)

3 ways to get more bequests

Have you "jumped the shark" with "Mad Libs fundraising"?