This is the 187th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can ​subscribe here for free.)​

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Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Hi Reader,

Do you know the picture book Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág?

I love it!

Which is why I bought it for a friend expecting a baby.

But Brett said, "I've never read this book."

What?

How?

So I forced Brett to read it.

(Just kidding. He volunteered.)

The first thing he said is, "I love the illustration!"

Yes. Me too. It looks like this . . .

As we stood over the book, admiring it, I thought, "The spacing is really good," which got me thinking:

Your fundraising needs space (asdomillionsofcats)

​Your donors are drowning in words.​

Be there for them by giving them something that breathes. Something with plenty of space to settle into.
Otherwise, they might soon jump ship.

Here are 7 simple tidbits for you to try:

1) Custom line and paragraph spacing

Simply put, play around with the custom spacing options until you get an overall document look that does not feel claustrophobic.

In Google Docs, you can access this by choosing custom spacing from this pull-down menu:

We often set our custom spacing to something like this:

Of course, the final design — when we do it for our clients — is not done in Google Docs. It's usually done in InDesign, and the spacing is often further tweaked there. But it's important to establish the spacing during drafting.

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2) Double spacing after periods

In high school, I learned to type by adding two spaces after every period. That's a holdover from typewriter days. It's seldom done anymore these days, except in fundraising writing. It stands out. It breathes.

Every "extra breath" matters!

Try it!

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3) Shorter, one-line sentences

Like this (sparingly):

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4) Custom indentation

Like this (also sparingly; see last paragraph below):

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5) Spaced ellipses (in print; usually not in digital, to avoid line wrap problems)

Like this:
. . .

Not like this:

...

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6) Ample margins

Like this:

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7) Johnson Box

The Johnson Box (the text above the salutation) has many important benefits. It's prime real estate. It can also add some nice extra space.

Like this:

Bottom line:

Don't let your words crowd your donors. Give them room to breathe.

Let your every page be a safe space! :)

January 29th: Tom Ahern's Profitable Secrets of Great Donor Newsletters Webinar

One time only in 2026!

​Tom Ahern has updated this key webinar with new examples. You'll learn a lot. You'll review crucially important newsletter insights. And the unlimited Q&A session will illuminate, inspire, surprise, and delight.

I'll be moderating.

Tom will be teaching.

​Denisa Casement will be special guesting for the Q&A.

Brett will be behind the scenes for tech support.

It's so worth it!

Join me?

​LEARN MORE​

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Randomly yours

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

• Fundraisingly Informative — Are you trapped in the obnoxious-fundraising spiral? by Jeff Brooks (a blog post about the importance of avoiding the temptation to harbor an "uncharitable" attitude toward your own fundraising efforts)​
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• Thoughtfully Provocative — 26 Useful Concepts for 2026 by Gurwinder (a blog post that will knit you a new thinking cap, with bangers such as, "5. Context Collapse. On social media, we’re simultaneously talking to our boss, our ex, our grandma, and a jihadist in Michigan. The result is that many people lobotomize their personalities into an inoffensive PR sludge, trying to please everyone and therefore pleasing no one.")
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• Deliciously Documented — ​Taylor Swift | The End of an Era via Disney Plus (a 2.5-minute trailer for the 6-part docuseries chronicling TSwift's landmark Eras tour; Brett and I binged this and got all the feels — surprisingly moving!)

Until next time: May your donor comms always keep your donors in mind, and include enough spacing . . . so they don't feel crowded (or exasperated) by walls of wordswordswords.

Grateful,

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