I remember the first time I heard it: Our donors are different. 

I was working with a small environmental nonprofit — smart, passionate people doing genuinely important work. We were talking about their fundraising, and I suggested some changes to their donor communications. Shorter sentences. A compelling story up front. A clear, emotional ask. 

The executive director looked at me like I’d suggested they send their donors a bag of confetti. 

“Our donors are different,” she said. “They’re scientists. Educators. They don’t need all that.” 

And you know what? She was right. 

Sort of. 

The Beautiful First Stage 

I’ve seen the pattern play out dozens of times. Here’s what happens: 

A person or a group sees a problem. They have a vision to do something about it. So they start an organization. They pour their expertise, their connections, their energy into it. 

The people who join them early? They’re just like them. Fellow experts. Colleagues. Friends and family. People who already understand the problem deeply, who are personally connected to the mission, and who don’t need to be convinced. 

This stage is often called organic growth. It’s the way almost all movements (including major world religions) start. People connecting with people they know. 

These early donors are spectacular. Their giving is high. Their retention is extraordinary — way beyond what most organizations ever see. They show up. They stay. They give again. 

It’s a wonderful time. And it can last months, sometimes even a few years. 

Then something strange happens. 

Growth slows.  

Sometimes it stops completely. 

The organization tries to keep getting new donors the same way they always have. But it doesn’t work like it used to. The magic seems to have dried up. 

What Actually Happened 

Here’s the thing nobody wants to hear: that initial group of amazing donors was a limited population. 

Think of it like a pond. Your founders and their immediate circle — that’s the pond. And those early donors? They’re the fish in that pond. Fish for awhile, and you’ll catch most of them. The pond empties out. 

If you want to keep growing, you have to fish in a bigger body of water. A lake. Maybe even an ocean.  

The fish out there are different from those in your original pond. 

They’re not less intelligent. They’re not less generous. But they are less connected to your specific cause.  

They don’t know your founder personally.  

They haven’t spent their career studying your issue.   

They’re paying attention to a hundred different things, and your organization is just one of many clamoring for their attention and their donations. 

These are the donors who will fuel your next stage of growth. But reaching them requires a different approach. 

 What It Takes to Keep Growing 

Here are some of the things you need to do when you start fishing that bigger body of water: 

• You need to tell stories. Vivid, specific, emotional stories that pull a reader in and make them feel something before you ask them to do something. Your original group of donors already knew the stories. Many of them lived within those stories. Not this new group.  
• You need to simplify your messages. Not because your new donors are simple. Because they’re busy. They’re scanning, not studying. Your original donors already fully understood. They were already invested in the problem you solve and your specific way of solving it.

• You need to start looking like “direct mail.” Underline, bold, and italicize key points. Send longer letters. Make the ask clear, bold, and direct. These are tested and proven ways to improve response from donors. Your original donors may notice the difference. “This doesn’t sound like you,” they might say. Yeah, that’s gonna sting a bit.

(If you want a comprehensive list for what you need to do, order your free copy of the Moceanic checklist, What Makes a Great Direct Mail Pack.) 

For many organizations, especially those founded by experts and professionals, all this feels like “dumbing down.” 

It’s not. It’s opening the door wider. 

I won’t pretend this transition is smooth. It almost never is. 

I once worked with a founding executive director of an anti-poverty organization that was about a year into the transition from organic growth to wider growth. They were doing it right, and growing at an incredible rate. The ED told me that a couple of his pals, high-end and consistent donors to the org, had told him his fundraising didn’t really sound like him. They accused him of hiring someone to do his fundraising. (That someone was me.) 

Then he smiled, telling me: “If it will save more children’s lives, I’ll stand on my head and sing!” (He was not a stand-on-his-head-and-sing sort of guy. Not even close.) 

He went on to tell his pals that yes indeed, he was getting help with his fundraising, and that they were growing enough to massively expand their work. The pals were happy to know that. They upped their own giving commitment. 

That’s typical. A few of your organic growth super-donors may grumble at the way you’re coming across to reach a larger audience. But when you tell them the truth about why you’re doing that, they accept it. I’ve never heard of early donors abandoning an organization because of the style of their fundraising. 

The real danger you face isn’t that your existing donors will flee. The real danger is that you don’t change, your organisation stagnates or even starves while everyone congratulates each other on how sophisticated the communications are. 

I’ve seen that happen too. It’s not pretty. 

I understand the resistance. I’ve felt it myself. There’s something beautiful about an organization where everyone gets it — where the donors, the staff, and the board are all speaking the same language. 

But if your mission matters and your cause requires you to do more — then you need resources beyond what your inner circle can provide. And getting those resources means communicating in a way that works for people outside the circle. 

It doesn’t mean abandoning who you are. It means translating who you are for a wider audience. 

You can make the transition. Plenty of organizations have, and they’ve come out stronger for it: more donors, more revenue, and more impact. 

Or you can stay small. With your “different” donors. 

The mission deserves better than that. And so do you. 

Would you like to quickly know what makes direct mail fundraising powerful? Get your free copy of the Moceanic extended checklist, What Makes a Great Direct Mail Pack. Everything you need to know to create effective direct mail. Whether you’re just starting out, or you’re a long-time pro, you’ll find this checklist a helpful guide to the best work you’ve ever done! 

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