Interrupting is impolite. Interrupting can be necessary. This is the 167th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can ​subscribe here for free.)​

In this issue:

✅ Fundraisers should— MOO, interrupting cow! 🐮

✅ Hot Off the Presses!

✅ Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

Tuesday, April 22, 2025
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Hi Reader,

I don't know about you but I'm old enough to remember "children should be seen, not heard."

Those days are thankfully long gone.

However, we still teach kids not to interrupt.

That's good.

Except when it's not.

Sometimes, interrupting is necessary. For example:

Fundraisers should— MOO, interrupting cow! 🐮

Okay, I can't resist the "interrupting cow." And I think it's a good visual for fundraisers to remember that we should sometimes be interrupting.

I'll get to that soon. But first, this...

And this...

You know the joke, right?

The point is, I want you to think of interrupting as sometimes being a good thing.

Interrupting is good for "interrupting cow" jokes.

Interrupting is good for a good cause.

You need to do this in your appeals, to be effective.

Here's a simple outline of how you can do this:

JOHNSON BOX

SALUTATION

LEAD

STORY

INTERRUPT & ASK

CONTINUE STORY

INTERRUPT & ASK

CONTINUE (SHARED VALUES, ETC.)

CLOSING & SIGNATURE

PS: ASK AGAIN

And here's a glimpse of what implementing this can look like in action:

Interrupting is rather like going to a commercial break. You interrupt something interesting (your fundraising story) for "an important message from our sponsor," then you get back to the interesting bit (your story again).

You can vary this. For example, you may sometimes tell a general fundraising story rather than a specific one.

But the interrupting is always important.

So channel your inner "interrupting cow" and interrupt with confidence — swagger, even. It's for a good cause!

Hot off the Presses!

We just received our copy of Tom Ahern's completely updated book Making More Money with Donor Newsletters — and OMG... so much practical advice and many real-world examples to learn from! All packed into 179 OVERSIZED pages.

Tom Ahern pulls from decades of experience to reveal how fundraising’s ugly duckling — the humble newsletter — can be transformed into a swan able to revolutionize your fundraising.

Tom’s completely updated book explores the secrets behind making joyful donor connections with newsletters in all their forms: printed, e-newsletters and the Newsyletter.

Learn how to supercharge your communications to form deeper bonds with your supporters, increase retention, and significantly add to your bottom line.

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

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

• Fundraisingly Informative — DON’T EAT THE SEED CORN: A Checklist for Fundraisers in Tough Times by Roger Craver (an excellent article highlighting where we're at, what it means, what you should do now, and what you should avoid)​
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• Surprisingly Consequential — The Long Fuse via This American Life podcast (three engrossing stories about throw‑away words and playful pranks that ignite ripple effects for decades)
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• Fancily Dancey — That's a human?! via America's Got Talent (a short Facebook video reel featuring a performer who does a wild combination of fantastic dance routine and mind-bending magic act)​

Until next time: May you always dare to interrupt for good!

With gratitude,
Brett Cooper & Julie Cooper

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