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Avoid These 5 Deadly Nonprofit Fundraising Mistakes in Your Content
Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content , with 750K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.
Updated 1.29.26
Most nonprofit fundraising mistakes aren’t about “bad writing.” They’re about missing how donors think and feel in your writing.
I admit it: Upbeat writing is tough when it’s a challenge to meet payroll. You may be desperate enough to reach into your donors’ mailboxes and shake them, hoping their pockets will spill out enough coins to pay the electric bill.
Yet even in down times, you can cultivate your readers and build your audience.
The key is this: Donors are your partners – not the enemy who is withholding funds. Donors want you to succeed.
But do you want them to succeed?
The deadliest nonprofit fundraising mistakes revolve around believing you are more important than your donor. Let me encourage you to fight that thought with every breath in your body. Instead, come alongside him and speak to him about his thoughts … his importance … his impact. Which is ultimately yours, too.
Here’s how that looks with your nonprofit writing.
5 deadly nonprofit fundraising
mistakes to avoid in your content
Mistake #1: No content
Problem: Money is tight and you’re desperate to cut costs, so you stop communicating with donors and readers. Blog? You don't have time. You even halt your email newsletter.
Why it hurts
- Readers forget about you. Sorry, but it’s true. They’ve got plenty of other things going on in their lives.
- Your engagement goes down, along with gifts.
- Since you haven’t mailed in a while, you overload your messaging with all kinds of updates and offers and asks. Your content is overloaded … confusing … and kills response.
Fixes
- Find ways to trim expenses and stay in front of your audience. Instead of sending a full newsletter, try a postcard mailing that includes a short ministry story. Eliminate a print mailing from your schedule and add additional emails. Use social media.
- Stick to the sacred nonprofit writing formula: One appeal = one main message + one clear action.
Mistake #2: "Me" Content
Problem: You’re struggling. And you may even mistakenly believe no one else is. So you start writing for the organization instead of for the donor. Your content is peppered with we, me, our mission, our programs, our impact.
Why it hurts
When times are hard, one of the biggest nonprofit fundraising mistakes you can make is self-centered complaining.
Partners and prospects read negativity and click Delete or toss your letter quicker than the latest stock market indicator plunge. And why not? They hear plenty of pessimism already on the news and in daily conversations. And to be honest, they may be on the struggle bus, too.
Newsflash: it’s not all about you! Readers care about your cause ... not about your organization’s day-to-day balance sheet.
Fixes
- Ooze positivity. Share the good stuff – the stories of a redeemed life … a tutored child’s improved report card … the homeless single parent who now has a job.
- Offer content about your volunteers and supporters and board members who sacrifice time, groceries, craft supplies, meeting space, and know-how to make a difference for your cause.
- Make the donor your hero! Shift from “Here’s what we do” to “Here’s the change you make possible.”
- Use plenty of you, yours, and together language. A conversational point of view makes your copy even more accessible.
Mistake #3: Boring Content
Problem: You try to sound professional (okay, that’s admirable) … but you need to sound human. You open your appeal letters and blog posts with stats, history, or program descriptions – or you wax philosophical about your work – leading to a vague quagmire of theoretical snooze-prose.
Why it hurts
Donors give to people, not reports. People decide emotionally and justify logically, especially with charitable giving.
Fixes
- Lead with emotion, not information. Focus instead on your organization’s real-life impact. Use snapshot profiles, colorful anecdotes, and targeted statistics. Let your stories and appeals sparkle with excitement.
- Avoid general phrases like food insecurity, underserved populations, or making a difference. Vague problems don’t create urgency. Show one, clear, specific problem per piece of content: the mom who skips dinner three times a week so her kids can eat … the confused PTSD veteran who has landed in the ER twice this month.
- Ditch the formal, institutional language. Write like a real person talking to another real person—warm, conversational, and emotionally honest.
Try this FREE fundraising letter template for your next appeal.
Mistake #4: No Ask (or a weak one)
Problem: You feel awkward asking for support, so you avoid doing so head on. Or you make a weak Ask, like “Donate now” without giving a tangible reason why.
Why it hurts
- Giving is not top of mind for 99% of the human race. We are a self-centered bunch. Prospects and even long-time donors rarely – if ever – give unless they’re asked.
- Beyond that, donors want to know what their gift actually does. You’re asking them to part with their hard-earned money without showing impact. Please donate to support our work doesn’t give them a reason why.
Fixes
- Always offer your readers the opportunity to partner financially with you – in every communication – even if it’s just a simple or soft ask. Remind them that gifts are tax-deductible.
- Always connect the ask to a concrete outcome. Explain how funds are used … show how you are responsible with your resources.
"$50 provides groceries for a
family for a week."
"$100 keeps one student in school
for a month."
- Always give them a reason to act now. Create urgency ethically with …
A deadline
A match
A seasonal need
A growing waitlist or shortfall
Mistake #5: Ingratitude
Problem: Asking, taking the money, and disappearing. Or ignoring the donor’s relationship stage – such as asking new donors to give like major donors—or vice versa. (It’s just not polite).
Why it hurts
- What if you haven’t kept in touch for three months … six months … a year, and suddenly you ask for a gift with no reassurance or explanation about where you’ve been? Doing so means you’re treating fundraising like a transaction instead of a relationship. Debbie Donor doesn’t feel seen or valued … like you only want her for her money.
- You may get tired of dreaming up creative ways to thank your supporters. Or in the rush, you may forget to express your appreciation. Don’t let this happen!
Fixes
- Keep in touch with your friends, donors, and partners all year long (see Mistake #1, above) – even short, quick email updates mean you’ve thought of them.
- Pay attention to your donors’ relationship stages. That means segmenting your list. Which matches the reader’s readiness – a hard Ask, soft Ask, or curiosity-based Ask? If the donor doesn’t feel safe, they hesitate – or don’t give. The more trust and desire you’ve built, the more direct you can be. Match the ask to commitment:
New donor →
low-risk, simple ask
Repeat donor →
deeper impact story
Major donor →
personalized, strategic ask
- Always send campaign updates. It’s simple via email. And it reinforces the progress you’re making because of your partners.
- Always – no matter what – make a point to show gratitude for every single gift. Within 72 hours. Your partners, prospects, and supporters never get tired of hearing, “Thank you. We can’t do it without you.”
Especially when you say so often and honestly.
Treat your readers like family
One of the beauties of nonprofit writing is that you’re not alone. Your readers and partners are invested in your cause. They’re like family.
Family celebrates when a member has an achievement or reaches a milestone. And family pulls together when times are tough.
Treat your donors like respected family members. And they will return the favor with theri interest, passion, and support.
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