Don't make a scene, write a scene! Your donors will feel as if they are on location. This is the 140th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.)

In this issue:

✅ Fundraising 101: You're writing a scene, not an article.

✅ A free summer webinar for YOU (space is limited)

✅ Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Hi Reader,

Tom Ahern once said to me, "Most copywriters are frustrated novelists."

I was intrigued.

Tom went on to explain that at a conference some years ago, he met up with several other world-class fundraising copywriters at a bar, and they compared notes and stories over drinks.

That's when they found they had one thing in common: they'd all written novels. (I guess the "frustrated" part of "frustrated novelist" came from not hitting Stephen King- or J.K. Rowling-level jackpot literary success.)

Huh. Interesting.

Brett has written novels . . .

And I've helped revise and edit them . . .

It struck me: this common denominator is not a mere coincidence. It's essential to fundraising writing success.

You have to know how to put your donors right in the middle of a scene. That way, they'll really FEEL the urgency, really SEE the need, really WANT to help.

Turns out, you don't actually have to write a novel. You just have to understand what novelists know in their bones...

Fundraising 101: You're writing a scene, not an article.

People are storytelling creatures.

Our lives are stories. We can never get enough.

This is why:

Stories bind us over the dinner table.
Stories connect us over social media.
Stories glue us to our screens (and books and...).
Stories help us "live a thousand lifetimes."
Stories guide us away from bad futures and toward good ones.
Stories change the world.

A good story is immersive. You feel like you're there.

So how can you put your donors "on the scene," where the need is, where they can help?

First, set the scene.

Put your donors in a place and time.

Like this:

screenshot: "At Totara Hospice in her bed, in the centre of a big, lovely room is Jamie, lying in bed. She’s 25. For the past 12 years, Jamie has been battling a debilitating neurological condition that causes seizures. She’s fought bravely. When she fusses, it’s about whether her visitors are comfortable. But lately, Jamie mostly sleeps. Hovering nearby is Jamie’s mum, Kylie. She smiles as she chats to her daughter, fixing her hair, making sure she’s comfortable in her bed. But lately, Jamie rarely opens her mouth to say a word in return. Her whānau gather round. Nana’s there. So are Jamie’s younger sister and brother. And Dad in his wheelchair. As if sensing that something about this moment is different, Kylie’s cousin Holly begins to sing. The rest of the family fall quiet, lost in thought. When the song is over, Jamie’s eyes flutter open. Time seems to stop. The family hold their breath. Jamie is about to say something . . . "

Second, add sensory details.

Put your donors in a "body" that experiences the world.

Like this:

Third, add interior thoughts.

Put your donors in a mental space.

Like this:

Screenshot: "The thing is — Emily believes in God . . . but not in herself. Initially, Emily doubted whether CCI or anyone else could help her. Is this all just a waste of time? she thought. "

Fourth, add emotions.

Put your donors in an emotional place.

Like this:

Screenshot: "Imagine their arrival at Faith’s Lodge, still raw from their loss — their grief an impossibly heavy weight they seemingly cannot set down. At the Lodge, they'll be embraced by a supportive community of attentive professionals and other parents — people who truly understand and bravely journey down the long road of healing. Nestled amidst nature's serenity, they will be invited to take part in a myriad of restorative therapeutic activities. They might carefully paint a memorial rock with their child’s name, each stroke capturing an emotion, a memory, a hope for a future in which the pain is less acute and their child’s memory is honored with a life of light and laughter, of smiles and hugs and better tomorrows. This is the part that you make possible. "

Fifth, add dialogue.

Put your donors in the middle of an exchange.

Like this:

Screenshot: "Maddy’s therapist, Samantha, was hoping for a breakthrough. So she challenged Maddy to lead all the other girls from the group home. “I want you to run the therapy today, Maddy,” Samantha said. “Create an activity. I’m putting you in charge of everything. You’ve got this. I know you can do it.” In no time, Maddy was in over her head. She felt panic stirring in the pit of her stomach … and then she was yelling at the other girls in the group. But what really changed things was when the horses got spooked. All the girls were loud. Yet it was Maddy’s booming voice that disturbed the sensitive animals. And that’s when it hit her. She saw herself in the horses. Their fear made Maddy remember how she felt when she was small and afraid. Suddenly she understood. It was her behavior that was troubling to the horses. This was the insight she needed to begin to grow and change. “Shh!” she called out. The other girls looked at the horses — looked at Maddy — and nodded. Maddy’s expression changed. She appeared confident, not angry. And when she spoke, her voice was no longer sharp but warm. She voiced what all the girls understood — what she herself needed to hear: “We have to be quiet … For the horses.” "

If you do all this — if you write vivid scenes worthy of a novel, not dry articles worthy of The Wall Street Journal — you'll put your donors in the middle of your story.

Your story will become your donors' story.

Your donors will have a visceral connection to your mission.

They'll get it.

They'll feel what you feel.

They'll want what you want.

They'll be with you for the long haul.

Now that's a happy ending. 😃

A summer webinar for YOU

Slots are running out on this free webinar. We can only admit the first 500 registrants. We're more than half full already. If you wait until the last moments to sign up, it might be too late.

On Wednesday, July 31, I'm teaming up with 2 of my fundraising BFFs, Rachel Muir and Sarah Masterson, to present "How to Write and Design Money-raising Appeals" at 10 am PT/ 12 noon CT/ 1 pm ET.

⚠️ Copywriting mistakes and what to do instead

💪 "Power words" good donor copy taps into

🚀 How to format and design appeals to boost results

⭐ "Before & After" appeal makeovers

We presented this same 90-minute workshop at AFP ICON 2024 and scored a 4.67 (out of 5). 🤩🎉

Attendees said things like...

💬 "These ladies put the fun back in fundraising!"

💬 "Exceeded my expectations!"

💬 "Speakers had great delivery, were highly prepared, and were clear subject matter experts. I would 100% recommend them again as speakers — bias-free, accessible tools and suggestions ANYONE could apply"

Cost, you ask? Nothing. Niets. Nada. (That fits your budget, yes?)

Here’s that link again to register for the free webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qXezCI8KSh2PO8Cd1PbVGw

Hope to see you there! Please say 'hi' in the chat! 💛

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

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

GIF of a yawning otter lounging on its back in the water

Fundraisingly Informative — Loyalty Letter: Donor care's hidden corners by Lisa Sargent (a newsletter about how to infuse creative flourishes in places like your appeal letter PSs, reply envelopes, and "over please" messaging)
Artificially Balanced — Verity (a website that gives both sides of a news story, using AI to summarize articles and provide conservative and progressive talking points for each)
Intelligently Cephalopodous — My Octopus Teacher Official Trailer (a 2.5-minute preview of the unforgettable Oscar-winning documentary now on Netflix, about a "filmmaker begins diving in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa, and meets a female octopus who casts a spell on him")

Until next time: May you channel your inner novelist and put your donors on the scene so they really feel the need — and their hearts are stirred to action.

Grateful,

Julie and Brett. Julie is wearing pink glasses and Brett is searing sunglasses and a bow tie. They are outside in the summer. — Julie Cooper & Brett Cooper
Fundraising Copywriters
FundraisingWriting.com
100% human,
thank you very much.

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Fundraising 101: You're writing a scene, not an article.

Fundraising 101: You're writing a scene, not an article.

A summer webinar for YOU

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

Top 9 Fundraising Writing Tips of 2025

one last thing

When everything lines up perfectly, your donors...