Thanks for dropping in. You ready for the heart of the matter? Welcome to the 98th issue of the Fundraising Writing Newsletter. Would you like to share? We'd be so grateful. (Your peeps can ​subscribe here for free.)​
In this issue:
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Hi Reader,
Think of a movie, book, or other story you started ... and soon after, you were tempted to skip ahead.
Why did you want to skip ahead?
Probably, it was boring. Probably, nothing much was happening.
Stories that immediately grab you tend to start by dropping you into the action — the heart of the matter.
For similar reasons:
Now, keep in mind that dropping your donors right into the heart of the matter does not necessarily mean your story need be your hook (or intro).
Often, a fundraising preface is warranted.
For example, in the following appeal we wrote for Faith's Lodge, the hook was a preface highlighting the urgency: "Funding is down..." (You can read more below.)
But — once it was time to tell the story, we dropped the donors right into the heart of the matter.
Note: the story below is about suicide.
Please take care while reading.
In case the screenshot above is hard to read, here's the copy alone pasted for better readability:
Notice how brief this "story" is.
​
Although it's elaborated on later in the appeal letter, what you see here is essentially the briefest possible version of this story.
It gets right to the point by contrasting Micah's beautiful true essence with the devastating moment of her mother's final farewell. The powerful image of the last kiss is visual and memorable. It's more than "enough."
(Especially with highly sensitive stories such as this one, sometimes less is more.)
And donors responded generously to the urgent need conveyed in this appeal. According to Kelly McDyre, Faith's Lodge's President and CEO:
​
"We LOVED LOVED what you did for us last year. Our year-end campaign increased 50% in returns and was up 28% in the number of donors."
So please, don't be afraid to drop your donors right into the heart of the matter. It's right where they want to be. They're ready.
For your brain, heart, and funny bone...
Until next time: May you resist the temptation to tell boring stories, and instead commit to dropping your donors right into the heart of the matter, precisely where they want to be.
All our best,
Fundraising Copywriters ​FundraisingWriting.com​ ​ |
PS: Here's the latest in our weekly video series, Win It in a Minute. You can (and maybe want to?) subscribe here.
We're Julie Cooper and Brett Cooper, fundraising copywriters for great causes. Does your fundraising bring in as much money as it could? You can send donor communications that stir hearts to action. We'd love to help. đź’› Start by subscribing to our FREE and fun weekly newsletter.
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