Good Marketing Brief

What to say to donors in the next three weeks

Rachel Burris Rodriguez on Nov 12, 2026, 8:30:00 AM

GivingTuesday is weeks away, so the words in your appeals are about to do a lot of work. This week is full of ideas for making them count, including how to find a fresh angle on a cause donors think they know.

The take-home template

StoryCraft lays out four kinds of stories to add to your content once the origin story has done its job. Joy-driven impact stories offer encouragement, context stories put what’s happening in perspective, nuance stories show how you weigh trade-offs, and human moments let your audience see the people behind the work. Each comes with prompts to get you started, plus a chart that matches each type to the moment you’re in.

It’s written for business owners, so swap in your own programs, donors, and volunteers as you read, then use it to decide what your year-end messages can say beyond the ask.

Snackable snippets

Two story ideas for your year-end appeals 📖

A year-end appeal needs two kinds of stories. A theory of change story shows how your work moves from the problem to a solution and where a gift fits in. An impact story gives donors one example of what their giving does, often centered on a person or a place. The first sets the overall direction and the second puts a face to it, so check your draft for both before it goes out.

What fundraisers can learn from film and TV writers 📖

A recap of a NIO Summit session argues that AI makes polished content easy for everyone, so standing out takes something more. It borrows three ideas from screenwriting. Find the unseen scene in a cause donors think they know, use concrete detail in place of general claims about impact, and narrow the story to a single moment.

 

Giving new donors a reason to stay 📖

The first year after a gift decides whether new donors add up to growth. Walk through what a first-time donor receives after giving, and whether it includes thanks, a look at what the gift made possible, and a reason to want to hear from you again, or only another ask. Track donor retention and revenue retention alongside new names, since acquisition tends to get the attention and the budget.

What advertising platforms do arts organizations use? 📖

Meta and Google Search usually come first for arts organizations, followed by retargeting for people who browsed without buying, and then streaming video and audio for bigger moments. Pick the goal first, whether that’s tickets, memberships, or gifts, and tie your ads to ticketing or donor data so you can see sales and gifts instead of clicks. Nonprofits that qualify can also apply for Google Ad Grants to cover search ads at no cost.

For your inspiration folder

In a We Are For Good podcast episode, Jon McCoy sits down with Archana Jayaram, who became CEO of Brooklyn Community Services, a nonprofit founded in 1866, as it entered its 160th year. She started by asking the people closest to the work what they needed before setting a direction, keeping the organization’s history as a reference point while leaving room to do things differently. The listening turned up answers nobody had planned for, like young people saying that for their mental health they wanted somewhere with no pressure to open up.

For marketers, that means asking staff, clients, and donors what they need to hear before rewriting how you describe a long-standing mission, and keeping the parts of your history they still connect with.

 
Topics: Nonprofits

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