This is the 189th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.) One quick note: Time is running out to sign up for the FREE 2026 Kickstart video series by Moceanic. Three very short videos every week for 4 weeks — and you can catch up on them right now. If you feel stretched too thin in fundraising, this free series will help you focus on what matters most. (I'm in a few of the videos, too! 🥰)...
21 days ago • 3 min read
This is the 188th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.) Wednesday, January 28, 2026 Hi Reader, Brett here: When I was a middle school English teacher, I struggled for years. At first I tried to do everything the way my peers did. Eventually I took inspiration from my 6th grade art teacher, Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown was known for doing things differently. For example, if you wanted to use a...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
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.) 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...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
This is the 186th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.) Tuesday, January 6, 2026 Hi Reader, Happy New Year! Peak asking season is in the rearview... ...and your donors need a breather. Nothing "breathes" quite like impact! A donor newsletter is a wonderful way to share your gratitude for the impact your donors make. But too many nonprofit newsletters "bury" the donor. 😑 They focus on all...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
This is the 185th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.) Wednesday, December 17, 2025 Hi Reader, I blame The Beatles. I can hear the number 9 mentioned in passing ... and then hear it on repeat, earworm-style, for the rest of the day. Somehow, it's not annoying? (Miss you, John Lennon.) Anyway, here are our: Top 9 Fundraising Writing Tips of 2025 #9 — Your donors are drowning in words....
3 months ago • 3 min read
This is the 184th Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.) Wednesday, December 3, 2025 Hi Reader, Your EOY appeal has mailed — or will any minute. Your GivingTuesday emails have been sent. Your year-end comms are queued up. But wait — one last thing If you'd like to be sure you're not missing anything... ...you might want to do one final edit to your emails and other comms that have not yet...
3 months ago • 3 min read
This is the 183rd Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.) Wednesday, November 19, 2025 Hi Reader, There's something about lining things up. 🚦🚦🚦 When you hit all green lights on your way home. 🦆🦆🦆 When you get all your ducks in a row. ⭐⭐⭐ When the stars align. It gives you hope. It makes you feel some kind of way. And you can use this concept in your fundraising writing: When everything...
3 months ago • 2 min read
This is the 182nd Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.) Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Hi Reader, Today Brett and I are celebrating the 37th anniversary of the planning of our first date. (Yes, this is how we decided to mark the beginning of our relationship. Highly unusual and pretty weird, I know!) Since 1988, a whole lot has happened, of course. In the world of technology alone, we've...
4 months ago • 2 min read
This is the 181st Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can subscribe here for free.) Wednesday, October 22, 2025 Hi Reader, Brett and I are big Taylor Swift fans. One reason: she's an amazing songwriter. As writers, we none too seldom find ourselves appreciating one of her lyrics and raising an imaginary glass in tribute. Cheers, Taylor! For example, from the song "Ruin the Friendship" on Swift's new album The Life...
4 months ago • 3 min read