Get out of the classroom. Start writing how you speak.
I recently came across a Jeff Brooks blog post about grammar rules in fundraising, and it got me thinking.
I studied English in college, so I appreciate the importance of good grammar. When I began my career in direct mail, that was a big hurdle to overcome. Because good direct mail doesn’t (and shouldn’t) follow the AP Stylebook to the letter.
Direct mail fundraising is meant to be personal and conversational . . . so it has its own unique style. And it’s this “incorrect” grammar that somehow produces better results in fundraising appeals.
Think about it. When you're having coffee with a friend, you don't speak in perfectly crafted paragraphs or carefully constructed complex sentences. You speak in fragments sometimes. You start sentences with "And" or "But." You use contractions. Because that's how real people talk.
And that's exactly what makes direct mail different from other types of professional writing. It's not a corporate report. It's not a memo from the CEO. It's not even a grant proposal. It's a letter from one person to another, asking for help with something important.
When you write a direct mail appeal, you're essentially saying:
"Hey, I need to tell you about something important. Something that matters to both of us. And I think you might want to help."
That's why the best direct mail pieces feel personal and immediate. They break grammar rules because following those rules would create exactly what we don't want: formal, stilted, institutional-sounding communications that creates distance between the organization and the donor.
Consider these two versions:
Formal: "Our organization requires immediate financial assistance to continue providing essential services to the community."
Direct Mail: "We need your help. Right now. Because without you, families in our community won't get the help they desperately need."
The first version sounds like an institution, rather than a person passionate about a cause. It’s overly complex. It’s too full of academic multisyllabic words. If I’m honest, it makes my eyes glaze over just trying to write it.
The second version might make my college grammar professors cringe, but it connects with the average reader in a way the first just won’t. It builds an emotional connection. It’s simple and accessible. It feels urgent. Most importantly, it feels like one person talking to another about something that matters.
This is why direct response has its own style guide. Its own rules. Its own way of connecting. Because at the end of the day, we're not writing to impress. We're writing to connect, to engage, and to inspire action.
Too often, fundraisers (or their supervisors) get caught in an endless cycle of revisions, trying to make their writing "proper." They spend hours debating word choices or restructuring sentences to avoid ending with prepositions. Meanwhile, their appeals sit unsent, and their causes go unfunded.
Remember this: While you're agonizing over whether to use "which" or "that," your donors are waiting to hear how they can help. They're not analyzing your grammar—they're looking for a reason to give.
So the next time you wonder if starting a sentence with "And" is unprofessional or think twice about cutting a colloquial turn of phrase, remember: Direct mail is a conversation. And conversations don't follow grammar textbook rules.
They follow the rules of human connection.
And those are the rules that matter most in fundraising.
Want to see the specific grammar rules for fundraising? Check out Jeff Brooks' blog post here: https://futurefundraisingnow.com/2025/03/fundraising-rules-for-national-grammar-day-2/
