[Year-end] Episode 3: One Person, One Problem, One Gift

Dana's first draft of the year-end letter opened with "Riverbend Community Food Pantry is pleased to share" and a number about pounds of food. It was accurate, and it wasn't going to move anyone sitting at a kitchen table with a stack of mail. In episode three of Finish Strong, we rebuild the letter, the backbone of your whole campaign, around one simple idea: one person, one problem, one gift.

In this episode you'll learn how to:

• Use the shape of a strong appeal: one person, the problem, the donor as the solution, the offer, the deadline, and a P.S. that restates the ask.
• Choose whose story to tell, get written permission, and tell it with dignity instead of pity.
• Write to one donor: more "you," short paragraphs, plain words, and a reply card that matches the letter.
• Turn one letter into four versions for top donors, lapsed donors, monthly donors, and new donors.
• Time it right: in mailboxes before Thanksgiving, then a shorter second letter in early December that announces the match.
• Use AI as your editor, not your author.

Riverbend Community Food Pantry, and Tanya's story, are fictional, but if you've worked at a small nonprofit, you'll recognize them. When your letter is about one person and what your donor can do for her, the donor gets to be the hero.

Resources mentioned

• Finish Strong Full Course
• Free 12 Days to Build a Great Year-End Fundraising Plan