TRUE STORY

Beautiful, UNEXPECTED things can come from an expertly-written fundraising appeal.

Yesterday, a nonprofit client of mine sent an email appeal that had:

❤️ Emotionally-rich storytelling.

❤️ A high-quality photo that amplified the organization's brand tone AND the need by showing what could be lost without your support.

❤️ A clear offer, sharing SPECIFIC need(s) a donor can help meet / problem a donor can help solve.

❤️ A clear ask and CTA, repeated strategically throughout — supported by multiple links and buttons for taking action.

❤️ A dollar-for-dollar match offer and with a deadline.

❤️ An ask string, offering specific things specific gifts can do to help meet the need / solve the problem.

❤️ A subject line that got opens.

❤️ Personalization (including segmentation).

❤️ A human being with a name as sender, signer, and speaker — not <ORG NAME>.

❤️ A P.S. worthy of the high-value real estate it is, with a final link for taking action.

❤️ Conversational, warm language — not formal, stiff institutional-speak.

❤️ Uniquely specific, vivid, memorable writing — not beige AI slop.

❤️ Style choices that show care for the reader: Font and type size, design treatment, reading level, white space around SHORT copy blocks + strategic bolding and linking, + other skimmability boosters.

Within a few hours of the email sending, their Exec Director received a personal response from an influential funder at a well-aligned private/family foundation... asking for a meeting. That meeting is happening TODAY.

This nonprofit has seen devastating funding losses in 2025, thanks to cuts in federal funding for the arts -- along with severe delays in local arts funding.

And I have to brag on them.

They have shown courage and leadership in their willingness, their OPENness to:

❤️ Communicate their funding realities, the losses and risks they're facing, and the opportuntities... proactively, consciously, compellingly, consistently.

❤️ Learn new things, consider new things, try new things, and be supported by a donor communications specialist.

They're seeing "miracles" happen, as a result.

It came from a couple of Get-It-Done Day consults + copywriting sessions with me.

That's how easy it can be.