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06/09/2025

I think this might burst your bubble (so sorry)...
There’s a bit of a frenzy around the power of stories in fundraising.

It’s a runaway train (truly)—and it needs context.

Because your story is pointless if:
✅ Your formatting or creative obscures the writing itself
✅ Your sentences run on (and on...)
✅ You use jargon like “advocacy” or “programming”
✅ You make the nonprofit the hero
✅ You introduce more than 3 characters (general rule)
…anddd so on.

Not “less effective.”
Not “worth tweaking.”
Very close to pointless.

Because if they never see that it’s an ask and get to the emotional heart of your writing?
The story doesn’t do its job.

But here’s the good news. 🙂 I’ve got a free, no-email-required resource to help you fix this. The team at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference has built a stellar library of free, evidence-based tools.

And the one that’ll help most right now? A guide that shows you exactly how to craft a compelling 60-second story. https://lnkd.in/g7nps7tk

Start there. Use it as your opener.

Then get straight to the ask. (You should always ask early—and often. Even if it feels uncomfortable.)

Grab the free download here (no opt-in needed):
👉 https://nonprofitstorytellingconference.com/60-second-fundraising-stories/

And if you want more no-fluff strategy like this, I’d love to have you on my email list:
www.growbetterfundraising.com

06/09/2025

Calling all people-pleasers in nonprofit work! 💗
(...if the 10–15% higher turnover rate compared to the for-profit world tells you anythinggg, it’s that the very people who show up to serve are often the ones who end up burned out, underpaid, and taken advantage of.)

You probably hate asking for money.
And I can promise you, THAT plays a role in your fundraising performance. ...And not in a good way.

Even if you’re following “best practices,” your energy—and that subconscious belief that you’re a burden—can hold you back more than you realize.

As someone who does this day in and day out for both my nonprofit clients and as a former development director, I can tell you:
I hate asking too.
But I love telling stories—stories of need, of transformation—and tying that impact powerfully to a donor’s gift.

And that’s exactly what this week’s resource helps you do.

✨ It teaches you how to use story to lead into an ask—so the story does the heavy lifting (and the emotionally exhausting part) for you.

I’m speaking at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference this November (grab a ticket and come hang out at my session 😍 !!!!), and this free resource was created by the same evidence-based, creative team.

✅ What Is It? Afraid to Fundraise (QuickApplies Resource)
✅ Where Do You Get It (no email required)?
https://nonprofitstorytellingconference.com/quickapply-library/
→ 7th row from the top; free download, no opt-in required.
✅ What to Expect? Clearer writing. Stronger communication. More revenue.

And if you want to stay in touch, I’d love to have you on my email list.
It’s a close-knit community—and I'd love to have you join 💗 : www.growbetterfundraising.com

06/09/2025

I've got a perfect resource for you to tuck away for a crisis-kind-of-day. ❤️‍🔥 And I need you to do some self-analysis bestie: you're likely WASTING a good crisis.

If you’re involved with a nonprofit or you support one through marketing, fundraising, or strategy—this is for you. I’m sharing a free 7-page download packed with actionable tools from the team at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference (✨👀the same folks bringing me in to speak at this year's Nonprofit Storytelling Conference! 👀✨)

✔ No email required.
✔ Designed for doers and decision-makers.

I built my fundraising foundation years ago with their resources—and even now, I still find sparkly lil trinkets of wisdom that shape how I approach fundraising strategy and donor comms at GrowBetter 🪴 (www.growbetterfundraising.com).

This isn’t an affiliate thing. I don’t get anything from you clicking. I just wanted to pass along a solid tool on what might be a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. (Yes, that Alexander reference was intentional. Poor Alex. 😉)

You can check out the QuickApply resource in the video below—it’s 60 seconds and worth it.

🎯 If you find it helpful, they've got a whole library of free downloads you might want to grab for yourself. KK, carry on, soldier!

HERE IS YOUR LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE CRISIS STORYTELLING BOOK!https://nonprofitstorytellingconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Crisis-Storytelling-v1.pdf

Here is the link to the enormous library of other QuickApply resources! https://nonprofitstorytellingconference.com/quickapply-library/

01/06/2024

⚠️You do NOT want your retention rates are hovering around 80-90%. This tells me you are NOT acquiring new donors.

Steven Screen frames it like this: donor money is like a RIVER. Not a pond. There should be inflow. And you can expect some outflow. You don't want a stagnant donor pool.

"Acquisition" sounds sexy to nonprofits, and it's a bit of a land mine for consultants. You can expect to LOSE money on your first mailing. You're looking at $1.25 spent for every $1.00 raised.

The good news: if you can RETAIN them, it drops to $0.20 or less to raise $1.00.‼️

Acquisition needs to be multichannel and integrated!!! Don't get myopic!

Direct mail tends to be a low risk channel with high long-term value.

Digital is similar, except response rates average 5X higher for direct mail.

And then you have things like DRTV. Average lifetime value is 6-7X higher for donors acquired on these channels, but the cost is exorbitant (250K plus). 💌

I walk you through just some basics of acquisition.

And then I gently tear apart a professionally done acquisition mailing. 🤷‍♀️ Check it out 7:30 or so. Do you want to hear more about acquisition?

What info do you need heading into 2024?? I'd love to know. I don't want to join the white noise (but white hair is great). 😇

I mention an incredible post written by NextAfter on digital acquisition. DOWNLOAD it. It is gold. https://lnkd.in/ec9MkaND

01/06/2024

It's possible I made a $$$$$$ mistake. (Currently) digging my way out of a deep, dark money hole.

🤭 Mood: marinating in horror

🎁 What You Get: learn how to easily leverage direct response best practices to raise funds in crisis (whether you created that crisis or not)

I walk you through my own copywriting. We go through the layout and results of a fundraising email I sent earlier this week.

Some of the kindest people & best fundraising experts, Julie Cooper and Brett Cooper, have a saying I love. "Donors who FEEL more CARE more and GIVE more."

In my email, I share my mistake with my donors. And I ask for help. Vulnerability fosters intimacy. And vulnerability is one of the best ways to connect with the feelings and heart of your donor.

I would say my mistake is worth it.

But the jury is still out.

I need a coffee IV to get me through the next few weeks! It's gonna be a grind.

01/06/2024

AMAZON RUNS THE SAME AD ALL SEASON LONG. 🌲

Yet, you feel guilty about mailing your year-end appeal twice. We gotta re-think this one.

You're doing your donors a favor. They've invested in you before. WHY would they stop now?

It's a dog fight at year-end to get attention. That's fine. You've got to play the game well to do the most good. I mention incredible people & resources in this video.

Steven Screen: this man's voice echoes in my head whenever I sit down to write an appeal... or when I chat with you. Rough paraphrase: "The ONLY good news in your appeal should be that your DONOR'S GIFT will solve the problem."

Veritus Group: they have incredible content on major donor strategy. I like to mention major donors when possible, since 88% of your funding comes from your top 12%. (By the way, DO NOT pull your majors out of ALL your direct response comms.) They discuss the importance of EMOTION in your major donor approach. It's not all about data. https://lnkd.in/e-W2YgnF

DonorVoice & Kevin Schulman: amazing articles on donor behavior and psychology. Search their blog for key words when you want to level up your appeals by personalizing based on donor characteristics. The two articles I mention are linked here: https://lnkd.in/ei7BpvUs and https://lnkd.in/eRXmBQjn

John Lepp: Go buy his book, Creative Deviations. It's your new Bible of direct response.

11/03/2023

You want the outer envelope of your direct mail package to HIT DIFFERENT. In a sea of No. 10 white envelopes... Make money-raising waves by sending a colored, 9x12". 😎 🌊

And make sure your envelope looks like it's been touched by a human. A crooked stamp will do. 😉

John Lepp recently published a book that addresses outer envelopes (among many other things) called "Creative Deviations." I haven't read it YET, but I HAVE poured through his fab blog. In one of my favorite blog posts, he dives into 60 mail packs sent to his MIL. You'll love this: https://lnkd.in/gJqdTPeM

I discuss closed faced envelopes and window envelopes. I reference research pulled from Aleka Agapitides.

I reference a super helpful blog post from Tom Ahern regarding 3D mail. Here's the link: https://lnkd.in/gvBgm9rC

Ultimately, if your default outer envelope is a white No. 10, metered, screams "give me money," and is from an ORGANIZATION... It's time for a MAKEOVER. 💄

11/03/2023

irst sentence of your appeal: THINK BUNNY SLOPE > BLACK DIAMOND. 💎

If you're writing Giving Tuesday or Year-End Appeals... I recorded this with you mind. I KNOW you're staring at a blank screen wondering how to start.

Your FIRST sentence should make your donor want to read the SECOND sentence (Tom Ahern). Your first sentence acts like an on-ramp (Julie Cooper). Your first sentence, per Steven Screen, could alternatively summarize the entire letter.

BOTTOM LINE: A winning first sentence helps your donor QUICKLY CONCLUDE she would like to donate.

I mention your "value proposition" in this video. This is a concept I've pulled from NextAfter. NextAfter has an archive of almost 6,000 digital fundraising studies. Many of these tests show how an improved value proposition lifts conversion rate and gift size.

There are a few tools you can use to "grade" your writing. While you want the entire letter to read at around a 6th grade level, you want you FIRST SENTENCE to be even easier to read. It tend to aim for grade 3 or 4.

Tools I love:

1️⃣ CopyOptimizer from DonorVoice (Kevin Schulman has an incredible blog btw https://lnkd.in/gixSeFY9; that's where I discovered this tool)
2️⃣ Hemmingway (the OG)
3️⃣ The Flesch Kincaid Tool (sounds like a disease; I hope I don't get in trouble for saying this).

I would love your feedback. Hope this helps! 😚

PS: Julie Cooper's Fundraising Writing "Win It in a Minute" is the YouTube series I mention! https://lnkd.in/gnRm7XZH

10/27/2023

You want the outer envelope of your direct mail package to HIT DIFFERENT. In a sea of No. 10 white envelopes... Make money-raising waves by sending a colored, 9x12". 😎 🌊

And make sure your envelope looks like it's been touched by a human. A crooked stamp will do. 😉

John Lepp recently published a book that addresses outer envelopes (among many other things) called "Creative Deviations." I haven't read it YET, but I HAVE poured through his fab blog. In one of my favorite blog posts, he dives into 60 mail packs sent to his MIL. You'll love this: https://agentsofgood.org/blog/dales-mail

I discuss closed faced envelopes and window envelopes. I reference research pulled from Aleka Agapitides.

I reference a fab blog post from Tom Ahern (I've got it saved as a PDF to my laptop lol) regarding 3D mail. Here's the link: https://www.aherncomm.com/ahern-blog/lumpy-mail-improves-response

Ultimately, if your default outer envelope is a white No. 10, metered, screams "give me money," and is from YOUR ORGANIZATION... It's time for a MAKEOVER. 💄

10/20/2023

Raise larger gifts by leveraging the “compromise effect.”

Humans avoid extremes. When given a list of choices, humans will choose an intermediate option - something in the “middle.”

Mathias Ekström ran a series of experiments looking at the Compromise Effect and gift ask strings. In one study, donors were presented with only two gift ask amounts: $10 and $500, which typically represent the extremes of an ask string. Surprisingly, 90% of the donors opted to CALCULATE AND SPECIFY their gift amount, rather than selecting one of the two extremes. He calls this the (un)compromise effect.

There is a lot of nuance to this study, you’ll want to read it. Here’s a link to the abstract. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3179361

Instead of ripping a part an email or direct mail appeal, I wanted to go over 4 things with you in a short video:

1. Subject line of choice
2. Copy on the donate button
3. The compromise effect & gift ask strings
4. Fundraising status bar (I call it a thermometer the entire time, sorry)
5. Button placement

In terms of button placement, I mention 3 people I love:

1. Tom Ahern: he talks about “single most important thing” (SMIT); here’s a link to his blog post on it! KEEP SMIT the SMIT.

2. Julie Cooper: when talking about button placement, “upper right, big and bright.” Love this. It stays in your head.

3. NextAfter: they’ve tested button vs. HTML links. As long as the link to give doesn’t make your email LOOK hard to read, it is absolutely worth testing the use of a direct link vs. a button. Think about it this way… Do you send your BFF a button or a link?

10/13/2023

Higher Ed Fundraising Appeal: ✅ Captured my attention ❌ Failed to hold it where it mattered most

HIGH POINTS:

✅ Visually striking (a refreshing departure from the GENERIC, COOKIE-CUTTER format you and I are used to)

✅ LARGE sheet of paper, LARGE outer envelope

✅ Easy to read

✅ Personal touch - signed by a human, with a picture of a human

PAIN POINTS (and I mean, P-A-I-N):

❌ Resembled a hidden picture game more than a fundraising appeal

❌ No clear offer with no clear price-point

❌ Too many options

❌ Began with a distracting open-ended question

❌ Felt more like a lengthy BRAG session

❌ Gross lack of personalization on the reply device

I'd like to express my gratitude to one of my favorites, Steven Screen. 😍 Years ago, on a Free Review Friday, you highlighted the importance of avoiding open-ended questions at the start of an appeal. They sidetrack the reader and detract from the primary purpose of an appeal!

09/22/2023

Donor newsletters: donor-centricity is EASY to lose when reporting. When you lose this... fundraising revenue will suffer, hurting you and your beneficiaries. VIDEO BELOW. ✌

Put me at 2X speed, and I'll walk you through a newsletter. What to do. And what NOT to do. Shifting a FEW THINGS in your headlines, sub-headers, picture captions, and pull-quotes can make A WORLD of difference. In both response rates ( 👋 gifts!), retention, and LTV.

PS: I had 2 meltdowns while filing this... Enjoy the blatant authenticity. 🙄✌️😂

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Hickory Corners, MI
49060

Website

https://chatwithdanielle.as.me/schedule/6e061b9a/appointment/61801485/calendar/8

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