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creative, emotion, Jeff Brooks

I was in Uganda, gathering stories on behalf of a client. At that time, Uganda was Ground Zero of the AIDS epidemic. The disease had devastated parts of the country, killing nearly all adults under 60. The tranquil beauty of…

You Have No Dramatic Stories to Tell? You’re Looking at it Wrong!

February 19, 2018

copywriting, creative, emotion, Jeff Brooks

We don’t have any dramatic stories to tell! How can we tell great stories? We don’t work with babies or puppies! We have no way to be emotional. Have you heard or said things like this? It’s flat-out wrong. If…

How Dad’s Last Story Changed My Life

February 13, 2018

creative, emotion, Jeff Brooks

Like many people, I spent much of my life believing my father was immortal. Then he told me a story that changed that. When dad was diagnosed with cancer, I knew he was going to beat it. The whole family…

Why It’s Important to Love Fundraising

September 1, 2017

emotion, Jeff Brooks

Like many Americans, I have an inexplicable love for baseball. One of my favorite things about baseball is how the players watch the game. When they aren’t on the field, they line up along the fence between the dugout and…

Six Steps to Make Your Communications Sticky

September 1, 2017

Chip and Dan Heath, communications, copywriting, creative, emotion, Fundraising Books, Jeff Brooks, Made to Stick, Sean Triner

How do you make sure that everything you write grabs the reader’s attention, engages them and makes something happen? After all, there is no point writing stuff that doesn’t have the desired outcome. Even if that outcome is to help…

How to Prevent the Heartbreak of Boring Fundraising

August 22, 2017

Sheena Greer

copywriting, creative, emotion, Sheena Greer

If you think you’re boring your audience, go slower not faster. – Gustav Mahler (20th century Austrian composer) When I come across really boring fundraising copy, I think two things: The writer was rushed. And she doesn’t seem to care.…

The Truth Well Told*

December 21, 2016

Concern Worldwide, emotion, examples of good fundraising, Sean Triner, storytelling, Tom Ahern

Many charities shy away from the ‘bad’ their organisation tries to fix. This is not facing reality, not telling the truth and not giving people the opportunity to make bad good. Here is a cracking example from Concern Worldwide of…

Thank You For ‘Hanging Out’ With Me

December 13, 2016

copywriting, creative, design, emotion, Jeff Brooks, older donors, thanking

By reading my articles, I guess you care about making the world a better place and raising more money for the causes you care about. I am chuffed by the feedback I get from my updates (please send more –…

When My Mum Helped My Fundraising

October 25, 2016

emotion, Sean Triner, Sean's Mum, SOFII