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.
Step 3: The art of writing about a person (dignity included)
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📣Last TWO months’ poll results 📣 Results 1: Email Senders
Results 2: Writing to a Person
Keep reading to participate in this month’s poll. Welcome to the final part in a series on writing nonprofit communications that 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. In months one and two, I covered writing from and to a person. This month, I’ll focus on the last one: how to write about a person. Write about someoneYou’ve heard this advice before: "People give to people" and "Stories beat statistics." Those insights are well-worn because they're true. As much as a supporter admires your mission, they connect with individuals. It is seriously impressive that you provided 24,585 meals last year. But your supporters will be much more inspired by reading about one person who sat down to eat one of them. Writing about a single person gives your donor a face and a name to connect with. It builds a deeper relationship because they stop associating you with a program and start associating you with human impact. “But Lee, there are reasons we can't tell stories about one person...” I hear you, and I know it can be harder for some nonprofits than others. So here's how you apply the "Power of One" to any niche: 🐶 Animal Welfare: Write about one specific animal’s journey with the same emotional depth you’d give a human. ⛰️ Environment: Personify a specific river or forest, or focus on one individual whose life changed because of access to clean water. 🙈 Vulnerable populations: If you can't share a name, anonymize the story or share a "why" story from a volunteer or staff member who witnessed the impact firsthand. Honor the storytellerWhen someone allows you to share their story, they are giving you a gift—but they aren't giving up ownership. To build true relationships, your storytelling has to be rooted in dignity. ✅ Protect their agency: Write in a way that lifts them up and demonstrates their strengths. ✅ Seek true consent: Be transparent about where the story will go and how and how long it will be used. ✅ Make them an editor: Whenever possible, let them approve the copy. Honor their changes. The goal isn't just to get the donation. It's to tell a story that makes everyone involved—the subject, the donor, and your team—proud to be part of the community.
Interesting Nonprofit LinkYou’re probably hearing it left and right from consultants: now is the time to start your year-end planning. It’s also a good time to start doing the kinda unsexy but super important nuts-and-bolts stuff, like making sure your donation form is actually usable. Check out this guide from SOFII to learn how to make your form accessible for everyone. Nonprofit Good NewsAs graduation season winds down, I wanted to share a feel-good graduation story from my home base, Raleigh, NC. A donor decided to wipe out student loan debt for graduates at NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles. While you’re getting the feels from all the smiling, red-robed grads, I want you to notice a few things: 1. The donor picked a tangible problem he could solve 2. Listen to the language he used: “This is who we are and what we do.” Giving and making an impact were deeply woven into this donor’s identity. Keep these two principles in mind as you plan your next appeal. See the story here. See you next month! Lee O'Connell nonprofit copywriter and communications strategist If someone forwarded this to you, you can snag your own subscription here. |
The Supporter Connection Newsletter
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.
📣But first, last month’s poll results 📣 What’s your favorite way to show your supporters some love? 36% of you prefer to call or send a personalized text 27% of you like to send an email with a personalized video 18% of you go for handwritten notes 9% of you leverage automations to meet your supporters at their personal milestones 9% of you have a different favorite strategy Sounds like your supporters are well-loved! I’m also a big fan of a handwritten note in today’s digital-first age, but...
📣First, a word on last month’s poll results 🤦♀️ Welp, last month’s poll on your biggest barriers to creating a new welcome series generated lots of interest but zero logged results. The next time you’re trying to convince your boss to ditch the cheap software for something more effective, feel free to use me as a cautionary tale 😅I’d still love to hear your thoughts, especially since this is a topic I can create something helpful on. Feel free to reply to share your welcome series obstacle....
📣First, y’all had thoughts: last month’s poll results 📣 Nonprofit phrases you love to hate 22% Be their hero 18% Now more than ever (me too) 18% Transform a life 16% Make an impact 27% Had another pet peeve This poll got the most responses of any so far, so these phrases clearly push some buttons. I still haven’t gotten open-ended responses for “other” to work for this polling tool, so I might try asking for replies again…. Keep reading to participate in this month’s poll. Last November, I...