DiscoverPurpose & Profit Club® – The Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing Podcast164: From 17 to 114 Donors: Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial’s Record-Breaking Email Campaign
164: From 17 to 114 Donors: Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial’s Record-Breaking Email Campaign

164: From 17 to 114 Donors: Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial’s Record-Breaking Email Campaign

Update: 2025-09-23
Share

Description

I had the pleasure of hosting Michael Murphy, Director of Development at Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial, and one of my Purpose & Profit Club® members. Michael’s story is proof that you don’t need decades of fundraising experience to see major wins with email. In fact, in his very first nonprofit role, he took one of my frameworks, Easy Emails For Impact™, and turned a $1,900 campaign into a $9,000 campaign. We talk about what it means to ditch the “dry C-suite style” newsletters, why personal, story-driven emails outperform every time, and how confidence grows when you let go of perfection and just hit send. Michael also shares how he’s building monthly giving campaigns, blending direct mail with digital, and learning to embrace new tools without losing sight of his mission: honoring veterans across generations.

Topics:

  • How shifting from “C-suite style” newsletters to story-driven emails multiplied results
  • Why Michael’s first attempts at email felt sterile and overwhelming — and what changed
  • How one campaign using story-driven emails jumped from $1,900 to $9,000
  • The power of multiple donation levels and donor-friendly options 
  • Why replies to your emails matter as much as donations
  • Using volunteers’ voices to write high-performing emails
  • How email + direct mail is “peanut butter and jelly” for fundraising
  • Building a sustainable monthly giving program that feels manageable


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

Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here.

Resources:

Comments 
loading
In Channel
160: Inner Grit

160: Inner Grit

2025-08-2628:06

loading
00:00
00:00
1.0x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

164: From 17 to 114 Donors: Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial’s Record-Breaking Email Campaign

164: From 17 to 114 Donors: Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial’s Record-Breaking Email Campaign

Christina Tzavaras Edwards