Here’s a sentence I could pull from almost any year-end appeal this fall: “Your support ensures we can continue serving more families.” Nothing wrong with it, but nobody will remember it, either.


Over coffee, you tell me the real stakes: the grant that got pulled in July, the funder who said this is the last year. None of it makes it into your emails. In this episode, I explain why polite fundraising emails cost you twice and where that “keep it professional” instinct really comes from. I also share what my first baby taught me about following everyone else’s “best practices.” Plus: the client email that dropped me straight into a memory of my own kids, from a cause I have no personal connection to. If your appeal is written to get approved instead of written to get felt, this one is for you.

Topics:

  • Why polite fundraising emails cost you twice, and why “nothing wrong with it” is the problem
  • Where the “keep it professional” instinct comes from (hint: not a bad place)
  • What parenting advice taught me about following fundraising “best practices”
  • The client email that worked on a reader with no connection to the cause
  • How to talk about lost funding without donors thinking you’re going under
  • The difference between guilt and honesty in your year-end appeal
  • What to do when leadership keeps redlining your emails


For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Got a fundraising question you want Christina to answer?

Send the campaign problem, donor situation, email question, board issue, or fundraising advice you want a straight answer on. Christina is answering listener questions on upcoming episodes of The Purpose & Profit Club® Podcast.

Submit yours at splendidatl.com/ask

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