SPN: 157. How to Generate $100k Incremental Fundraising Revenue This Week

40 ways to raise more, tell better stories, and move donors to act.

Jun 15, 2025

A very warm welcome to all the new subscribers.

You’ve joined a community of over 3k marketing and fund raising operators at mission-driven Org’s. I’m thrilled to have you as readers and truly appreciate your feedback and support.

In this week’s SPN:

Consumption of new consumer media
40 tactical improvements for good copy
Donor psychology and persuasion
and, plenty of Jobs & Opps that took my fancy this week

Let’s jump in!

The Missing Link in Your Donation Form? Local Payments.
Donors are more likely to give - and give more - when they can use the payment methods they trust.
Fundraise Up supports local payment methods and currencies in 40+ countries, helping Org’s capture more fundraising revenue by meeting donors where they are. Whether it’s iDEAL in the Netherlands, or digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, Fundraise Up ensures your donation experience feels familiar, fast, and frictionless.
No dev work required. Just more completed checkouts and higher average gifts.
Global reach starts with local relevance.
👉 Discover how Fundraise Up helps you unlock international giving.

Chart of the Week

Jobs & Opps 🛠️

Stand Together: Fundraising Campaign Director

NetHope: Director, Strategic Partnerships and Philanthropy

Feed the Children: Chief of Staff and Sr. Vice President of Executive Operations

ALSAC/St Jude: VP, Insights

The Moth: VP, Development ($155,000 - $175,000)

Climate Lead: VP, Philanthropic Advising ($300,000 - $400,000)

HeartShare Human Services of New York: VP, Communications ($140,000 - $150,000)

Rainforest Trust: VP Philanthropy & Marketing ($180,000 - $230,000)

Center for AI Safety (CAIS, San Francisco): Director of Public Engagement ($140,000 - $170,000)

Music Center Foundation: President and CEO ($350,000)

→ Many more job opportunities listed on SPN’s sister site: Pledgr

Improving Funnel with Good Copy

Good copywriting can be the difference between raising $5M and raising $15M. And a heavy travel week means list writing. SO! There’s eight places where exceptional copywriting is essential, and I’ve tried to include five tips for each.

It’s (hopefully) easy to follow and should help you identify improvements. If you have any questions, just reply to this email.

Tactical Copy Improvement for your Funnel

40 ways to raise more, tell better stories, and move donors to act.

1. Headlines, Angles and Hooks

Where all great fund raising campaigns and emails start.

Make Supporters Lean In
Pose intriguing questions that pique interest - e.g., “What if your gift could double someone’s chance of surviving cancer?” Discussing or demonstrating a relatable problem or issue can increase CTR and also help ad platforms when you’re “broad” targeting.
Lead With Impact
Highlight the human outcome of giving, not the mechanism. “Your donation feeds a family tonight.” Keep it concise.
Odd Numbers Work Best
In content or appeal headlines - “7 reasons monthly donors make the biggest impact” - odd numbers still perform best. This is a classic BuzzFeed trick. This article is dated, but it remains helpful.
Powerful “How-To” Headlines
Useful content still wins. “How to make your year-end gift go 3x further” or “How to talk to kids about giving.”
Create Urgency
Incorporate deadlines or limited availability to encourage immediate action. Just like writing out goals, if you don’t set deadlines, it doesn’t create any sense of urgency for the reader or donor visiting your website. “Only 48 hours left to double your gift for clean water.”

2. Copy That Converts

Clarity, energy, and empathy matter more than polish.

Keep It Short
Brief, punchy sentences improve readability and maintain engagement. Don’t get too fancy… short is also easier to read. See? Exactly.
Active Over Voice
Use active voice for clarity, strength, and direct donor engagement. “Your gift saves lives” is stronger than “Lives are saved by your gift.”
Be Conversational
Talk like a human, not a grant application. Make your tone donor-first, not org-centered.
Cut the Nonprofit Jargon
Nobody outside your org knows what “programmatic services” are. Use language your donor would repeat at dinner.
Focus on Outcomes
Explicitly state the transformation: “You gave her shelter - now she has safety.”

3. Write Compelling CTAs

This can make or break a campaign.

Be Specific
Clearly state exactly what action donors should take. If the action is higher up in the funnel (like on the homepage or on an ad), consider and test not using lower-funnel CTA copy (like “Donate Now!”).
Build Urgency
Use urgent phrases like “today,” “now,” or “limited match funds.” “Give before midnight to unlock the full match.”
Try First-Person CTAs
“Use personalized language, such as “Yes, I’ll help!” or “I want to make a difference.” Test these especially on landing pages and email buttons.
Leverage Power Verbs:
I like to use as many variations as possible to keep it fresh.“Protect,” “Rescue,” “Equip,” or “Fuel” have all performed better than “Support” for me, but test with your audience.
Make CTAs Visually Obvious
Use contrasting colors, spacing, and sizing. Don’t hide your donation button.

4. Psychology and Persuasion

Tried-and-true tactics that inspire generosity.

Use Social Proof
Ensure that the social proof you display matches the consumer coming to your website. A press publication won’t work with Gen Z. A TikTok review screenshot won’t work with a Boomer, either. Share donor stories, testimonial quotes, or how many others have already given. “2,500 people have joined - will you?”
Use Loss Aversion
Highlight potential losses or missed opportunities if supporters don’t act. “Without your help, we may have to turn people away this winter.”
Anchor Your Ask
Show what $150 does first - then suggest $50. Donors see greater value.
Tell Stories
Start with an individual: “Meet Samira. One year ago, she was…” Stories convert more than stats.
Create a Sense of Belonging
“Join our Circle of Hope” or “Be one of the 100 who fund this initiative.”

5. Optimize Your Copy

Editing is your secret weapon.

Cut Ruthlessly
Trim every extra word. No sentence should live rent-free on your donation page. Fewer is better.
Use Editing Tools
Grammarly or Hemingway are useful for clarity and tone - especially if you’re repurposing boardroom-speak.
Read Aloud Test
Reading your copy aloud can identify awkward phrasing or unnatural flow. If it sounds robotic, it reads that way too. You’re writing to real people.
Optimie for Skimmers
Use bullets, bold subheads, and one idea per paragraph. Donors don’t read walls of text.
A/B Test Everything
Try 2 versions of your CTA, subject line, or story framing. Track what moves fundraising revenue or engagement.

6. Email Fundraising Copy

Your most important retention channel.

Short Subject Lines Win
Keep subject lines concise, ideally under 50 characters. Think lock screen length. Will it prompt enough interest to swipe it open? Then think about how the email looks on a desktop Gmail view or iPhone Gmail/iOS mail app - what fits in there? What catches attention and sets it apart from the thousands of other emails?
Personalize When Possible
Include personal details like recipient names or content based on their past donation. This is why it’s so valuable to collect as much zero-party data as you possibly can, through as many apps/methods, and centralize them in a single CRM. Even time-based segments like “As a 3-year supporter…” can work.
Preview Text = Free Real Estate
Treat preview text as a secondary headline to further entice readers. This is what comes up underneath the subject line, and usually gives you a sentence of copy. Use it as your second subject line - “Every dollar you give today is matched 2x.”
Send “Dinner Story” Emails
Give supporters content they want to share - a story they’ll retell to friends because it moved them.
Clear Next Steps
Every email should end with: “Here’s what you can do now.”

7. Ad Copy That Drives Action

Whether it’s Meta, Google, or YouTube - these rules hold.

Frontload the Information
Start with the most compelling outcome: “You can feed a child for a week — for less than lunch out.”
Use Specifics
Numbers and detailed outcomes build credibility and attract attention. “Over 15,000 donors made this possible last year.” Concrete details build trust.
Message Match
Make sure your ad copy and your landing page say the same thing. One promise, one story.
Refresh Weekly or Bi-Weekly
Regularly update your ad creatives to maintain audience interest. Even small budget campaigns benefit from regular creative testing. This is easier written than done, but shouldn’t the impact shouldn’t be underestimated.
Answer Questions Upfront
Anticipate and address common concerns proactively to reduce hesitation. You can get a lot of inspiration for this through your donor service DMs or Instagram DMs. If donors always ask “Is this tax-deductible?” or “Where does the money go?”, build it into the copy.

8. Landing Page Copy Needs

Where inspiration meets action.

Consistent Messaging
Ensure the landing page content and the email-capture pop-up mirror your ad copy. Don’t pitch one angle or hook with your ad, another with the pop-up, and a third with your landing page. While they all may be true, you’ll confuse the donor. If your ad promises “double your impact,” your landing page better say the same.
Lead With Benefits
Showcase the primary advantages of your programs in detail.
Strategically Place Social Proof
Match your traffic source: If you’re driving traffic from YouTube, your social proof should be more video-first, and maybe feature YouTubers. If coming from TikTok, include screenshots of TikTok comments, embed TikTok video reviews, etc.
Optimize Forms
Don’t not collect information, just do it in a better way. The best pop-ups have an opt-in to participate, then email form-fill, then SMS, and then they ask additional questions to collect first-party data.
Optimize Load Times
A 5-second load time means lost donors. Especially on mobile. Optimize your donation pages for everyone - including a supporter with a 6-year-old phone (my iPhone 13 mini) on public Wi-Fi with 2% battery life left.

Hopefully you can take this 40-check-long checklist and run through your funnels, identify areas to improve, make those improvements, and generate an additional $100k this week in revenue. It’ll make the 4 minutes you just spent so worth it - $25k a minute!