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The Supporter Connection Newsletter

Lee O'Connell, Nonprofit Copywriter and Communications Strategist

Your mission is powered by people. Give them a reason to stay. Most nonprofit comms feel like a series of transactions instead of a genuine connection. I’m here to help you build a relationship engine instead. Every month, The Supporter Connection delivers practical, high-ROI strategies to help you:💪 STRENGTHEN LOYALTY: Build deeper connections with donors, members, and volunteers through consistent, meaningful communication.🎭 TELL BETTER STORIES: Borrow tips from my background as an Actor + Fundraiser to find the emotional hook that inspires long-term commitment.⚙️ FOCUS ON WHAT WORKS: Get result-driven insights designed for small-to-midsize teams who need their comms to work as hard as they do. Join a community of mission-driven leaders moving from transactions to true connection.

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Featured Post

Step 1 of emails people actually open

📣Last email’s poll results 📣 It’s unanimous, y’all, polls are a go! Look out for this month’s poll after the main article. I shared in my last email that I’m focusing on nonprofit communications that help build stronger relationships between an organization and its supporters. To do that, I try to ground my writing in three simple ideas: Write from a person. Write to a person. Write about a person. This month, I’ll break down the first one: how to write from a person. First of all, I get it....

1 day ago • 2 min read
An older woman playfully proclaims to a group of eager onlookers, "Let's not break the law! Let's just bend it a little."

If you follow award show season, you may have noticed Huntrix—the fictional girl group at the center of the movie K-Pop: Demon Hunters—has been topping the best song nominations and awards. (I promise I am not here to get “Golden” stuck in your head… oops.) As someone who listened to the soundtrack on repeat for months last year, I can tell you that the honor is well-deserved. To quote another parent friend of mine, the soundtrack is, fortunately, "all killer, no filler." But inside one of...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Volunteers in red t-shirts smile at the camera under a thank-you message from another supporter

If you’re like me, you got A LOT of nonprofit emails in November and December. And many of them communicated similar things Support our cause Help us reach our goal Your gift will be matched Give before the deadline Don’t get me wrong. These emails came from worthy organizations with missions worth supporting. And many sent stories in addition to cut-and-dried asks, which is great! But if you’re getting a half-dozen or more of these emails every day for two months, it feels almost...

2 months ago • 2 min read
A meme of Woody and Buzz from Toy Story that reads, "Cliche tropes, cliche tropes everywhere"

Did your high school English teacher tell you not to use clichés? Mine too. Tropes and platitudes are frowned on in formal writing. They’re unoriginal, even lazy. But while you had plenty of space to express unique analogies in a high school essay, you don’t always have that luxury in nonprofit writing. When you have to grab your supporter’s attention and tap into their emotions quickly, clichés can be a useful shortcut. Especially if you use them to launch a new idea. I saw the Broadway tour...

3 months ago • 2 min read

My town is one of the latest to get an influx of ICE agents. Local groups, churches, and schools are releasing messages of safety and support to residents who are now carrying fear in their daily lives.2025 has been a tough year for nonprofits. I’m sure many of you have had to put out communications about heavy topics you didn’t expect to address. It’s not easy.When you have to address a difficult situation, the key is to focus on the information you need your audience to hear, not the...

4 months ago • 2 min read
The words "Dear Mr." with a line striking through "Mr."

As you double- and triple-check your lists for your upcoming appeal mailing, I give you permission to take one thing off your list. Don’t bother with titles/prefixes (Mr., Dr., Ms., etc.) Donor prefixes are an outdated practice that hinders effective fundraising. Time to ditch them. Quick note: If you have a donor who has specifically requested that you address them as Mr. John Smith or Ms. Jane Doe, please do so. Donor preference trumps your preference. And even my preference. Reason #1 –...

5 months ago • 2 min read
A mini Milky Way next to a handwritten note that reads, "I had to share this with you. It's sweet and it made a kid smile last week. Just like you. Thanks for all you do!"

The scariest day of the year isn’t Halloween. The day after is.When you realize that you WAY over-bought on Halloween candy.Or when you go into work and every tray, dish, and jar is filled with fun-sized candy bars that your coworkers are trying to offload onto their fellow employees.But this year, you won’t be frightened. You’ll have a plan to put that candy to good use AND make someone’s day.You already know I love finding unexpected ways to show supporters some well-deserved appreciation....

6 months ago • 1 min read
A meme of an acting teacher asking, "What are the character's allergies?"

Connecting with readers through character analysis Imagine this: You've picked the perfect story for your next campaign. It showcases the best of your organization in action and clearly illustrates how supporters can create change. And yet, something about it is falling flat. The problem could be with your main character. When you're using an interview to create a story for a promotional or fundraising campaign, it's easy to get into "reporting mode." You end up relaying a series of facts and...

7 months ago • 3 min read

Tips for writing promo postcards that convert I’m a theatre person (yup, the kind that uses the -re ending. Guilty.). I was an actor in New York after college… (Here I am doing a little Off-Off-Broadway theatre.) …and my first fundraising job was with a community theatre. Even though acting was two careers ago, theatre is still near and dear to my heart. So when I saw a show promo postcard underselling an incredible play, the writer and the theatre nerd in me couldn’t help but give it a...

8 months ago • 3 min read
An excerpt from a Dog Man graphic novel

Who knew a silly kids’ book could be so profound? If you know an elementary-schooler, you’re probably aware of Dog Man, the graphic novel series about a cop who’s part dog and part man. Buried in the silly stories, there’s a powerful lesson for fundraisers. Characters Petey (the series’ original villain) and Lil Petey (his clone/kid) frequently fall into the same exchange. First, Petey states he wants to do something. Like any kid, Lil Petey asks, “Why?” Petey responds with complicated facts...

9 months ago • 2 min read