Fundraising gift catalogs are a fantastic way to highlight various needs and raise more money. And you don't need to wait for the holidays... This is the 163rd Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can ​subscribe here for free.)​

In this issue:

✅ You can embed a fundraising "mini gift catalog" in your appeals

✅ 3 weeks from tomorrow...

✅ Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

Wednesday, March 5, 2025
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Hi Reader,

When I was a kid, we'd get Sears and JCPenney catalogs in the mail, and omg, they blew my mind.

This was our Internet before the Internet.

I cradled those catalogs lovingly in my hot little hands.

On every page, I could be a different person — with my very own Cabbage Patch Kids doll or rainbow leg warmers or Sony Walkman...

Magic.

Guess what? Catalogs are still magic... except now, bonus, they're nostalgic too.

Even though I'm younger than the average donor (who is 65 years old), I already experience catalogs as deeply nostalgic — and nostalgia is the ultimate warm-fuzzy.

I think this is why year-end fundraising gift catalogs often perform so well. Brett and I highly recommend them. Donors love to be generous in a nostalgic context.

Also...

You can embed a fundraising "mini gift catalog" in your appeals

We've had great results.

In a springtime emergency appeal for a client, we adapted the fundraising gift catalog idea by using a table (shown below) to highlight the urgent need for equipment at a new birthing center our client would soon be opening in Uganda.

Instead of the usual ASK approach, we formulated an "URGENT" needs list — embedded within the 4-page letter — showing exactly what the donor's gift could provide.

Here's why it worked beautifully:

1. It made the need more tangible. Donors could easily see that, for example, $35 could provide a baby weighing machine ... or $543 could fund a portable oxygen concentrator.
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2. It leveraged logos (information/data/numbers) along with pathos (emotional connection). Note that each item included an "Impact Description" showing exactly how it helps mothers and babies.
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3. It gave donors choice without overwhelming them. Seven essential items, easily reviewable at a glance, each with clear purpose and pricing.
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4. It made the need more visual: more likely to engage restless, scanning eyes to linger upon and thoughtfully consider.
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5. It accentuated the urgency. The list wasn't just "nice-to-haves." These were items marked URGENT by Sister Dr. Priscilla, a dedicated OB/GYN working in the field to care for vulnerable women.
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6. It made clear that the donations would go to where they were needed most (i.e., general funds). For example, on the reply form, we used this language:

The response exceeded targets. Donors eagerly funded all of the needed life-saving items for the birthing center's opening.

​To see the full appeal pack, click here.​

Have you tried embedding a mini gift catalog in your appeals? If so, Brett and I would love to hear about your experience. Please hit reply to respond to this email and let us know how it went!

3 weeks from tomorrow...

If your donor newsletters are not yet where you know they deserve to be, maybe mark your calendar for March 27, 2025 ... and join fundraising legend Tom Ahern (and Lisa Sargent during the bottomless Q&A session!) for this once-in-2025 webinar:

​Retention’s Best Friend​: Donor Newsletters & Other Irresistible Thank-Yous​

Imagine your newsletter not just informing donors, but igniting loyalty and driving 317% more revenue — as it did for a Catholic diocese. Or generating $2M annually for a homeless shelter. These aren’t flukes. Tom will show you exactly how to transform your newsletter into a donor-centric powerhouse, using proven strategies that boost retention, harvest gifts, and skyrocket lifetime value.

In just 1.5 hours (not counting the Q&A session, which often lasts another 2-3 hours, depending on audience questions), you’ll learn:​
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• How "extreme donor-centricity" helped a prison ministry increase giving by 521%
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• Why pairing print newsletters with email companions works (hint: it’s science, not guesswork)
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• How you can apply Lisa Sargent’s secrets for gratitude (from her excellent new book, Thankology) to keep donors hooked

Plus: Real case studies, CFRE credits (1.5 points), and our "All-You-Can-Eat Q&A".

Are you unable to attend live?

No worries! You’ll get the full video recording + slides within 24 hours of the webinar's ending.

Why act now?​
→ There'll be just one Ahern webinar like this in 2025.
→ Your $129 investment could make a million-dollar difference for you and your cause.
→ Your org deserves better than "good enough."
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👉 Reserve YOUR SPOT Now​

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

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

• Fundraisingly Informative — How to write for your most gen­er­ous eyes and hands​ by Lisa Sargent (the scientific why and the fundraising how behind writing and designing for donors, who have accessibility needs younger fundraisers might unwittingly overlook)​
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• Vertically Unchallenged — Dog hops up stairs via viralhog (an 8-second video of a sturdy dog tackling a flight of stairs four paws at a time: hop, hop, hop...)​
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• Legendarily Documented — Dire Straits - Sydney 86 via Knopflertk Unlimited (hello nostalgia: here's a 2.5 hour concert video that aired in 1986, marking the last night in the Brothers in Arms Tour, when Dire Straits were at their zenith)

Until next time: May all your appeals infuse nostalgia-level "magic" and connects donors’ hearts to urgent needs they can help meet.

With gratitude,
Julie Cooper & Brett Cooper

P.S. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Click here to sign up for your own free weekly subscription.
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