About this episode

This episode discusses how a typo in a fundraising email led to increased donations and highlights the importance of authenticity in nonprofit communication.

📚 Grab your copy of Tom Kelly's book, The Million Dollar Nonprofit: https://ip.charityauctions.com/free-book-podcast  What if one of your biggest fundraising breakthroughs came from a mistake? In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, we explore the surprising story of how a simple typo in a fundraising email led to significantly higher engagement, more donor replies, and nearly double the expected donations. The lesson isn't about grammar or email marketing tactics—it's about the power of authenticity and human connection. Many nonprofits spend enormous amounts of time polishing every word, refining every sentence, and perfecting every communication. While professionalism matters, over-editing can sometimes remove the very thing that creates donor engagement: genuine humanity. This episode introduces a simple framework for creating fundraising communication that feels real, relatable, and emotionally engaging: Authenticity — Focus on being genuine rather than perfectly polished Relatability — Embrace the human moments that help donors connect with your message Presence — Communicate with timeliness and energy instead of waiting for perfection You'll learn why donors…

People in this episode

Host: Tom Kelly

Topics covered

• fundraising
• donor engagement
• authenticity
• nonprofit communication
• email marketing

Keywords

• fundraising breakthrough
• typo
• donor replies
• emotional honesty
• engagement

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Million Dollar Nonprofit

More episodes of Million Dollar Nonprofit

• Episode 355: The AI Workflow That Saved Our Nonprofit 17 Hours in One Week · June 12, 2026 · 4 min
• Episode 354: Why Donors Stop Caring After the First Gift: The Retention Mistake Most Nonprofits Make · June 11, 2026 · 3 min
• Episode 353: The 3-Word Change That Raised $41,000 · June 3, 2026 · 4 min
• Episode 352: The Silent Yes Every Donor Gives Before They Click Donate · June 2, 2026 · 4 min
• Episode 350: The Fundraising Advice I Ignored That Changed Everything · May 31, 2026 · 4 min
• Episode 349: What Happens When You Stop Asking for Money All the Time · May 30, 2026 · 5 min

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