Engage donors with cinematic clarity.
You can learn a lot about fundraising on Netflix.
Without even pressing play.
Sure, couch cinema helps you understand storytelling and filmmaking. But every movie can also surprisingly teach you short, plain-language writing.
Just like these one-line film descriptions, in 25 words or less.
If Netflix can condense two hours of story — into a tiny (but captivating!) narrative — nonprofits can do the same:
An engaging fundraising appeal
A quick, three-part elevator pitch
A memorable email subject line
An impactful social media post
A one-line mission statement
A concise event invitation
A boilerplate paragraph
A succinct tagline
Remember, the average donor is bombarded with 7,000 ads and 30,000 words daily. So strive to make your messaging as simple and gripping as a movie description.
Because the most fearless brands — like good film summaries — keep it crystal clear.
Be the blockbuster in your donor’s inbox.
Cut to the chase, like a classic film.
And craft a trailer, not a saga.
💪🏽💛
The daily bonus
When I talk about clarity, remember that simple does not mean simple-minded.
And we’re not talking about dumbing down nonprofit messaging to a soundbite like the movies.
We’re talking about distilling your message to the core. Communicating that. Getting attention. Then communicating more.
A few additional quotes to help reinforce the point:
“We’re not arguing that there’s no time for indulging in words, especially in fiction, poetry, love letters or casual conversation. We’re also not saying to write short for short’s sake—you bring more soul and salience to your writing by being direct, helpful and time-saving. Don’t omit important facts or nuance, oversimplify or dumb down. ‘Short, not shallow,’ is what we tell our reporters.” — Smart Brevity
“The old notion that brevity is the essence of wit has succumbed to the modern idea that tedium is the essence of quality.” — Russell Baker
“No weapons are more potent than brevity and simplicity.” — Katherine Cecil Thurston
“It is excellent discipline for an author to feel that he must say all that he has to say in the fewest possible words, or his readers are sure to skip them.” — John Ruskin
Sneak peek
Coming up in tomorrow’s newsletter:
Maps distort the power of the Global North.
And shrink the magnitude of the Global South.
Help spread this content
If you’re receiving this by email, feel free to forward it to a friend.
If you’re on Substack, consider recommending my publication.