Writing is a key skill necessary for fundraising. But great fundraising writing is not like writing a college essay, a cover letter, or even an email to a friend. It is its own genre.
Great fundraising copy inspires, motivates and compels. Ultimately, it raises money.
Maybe you want to improve your writing. Perhaps you want to grow your confidence as a writer. Or maybe you are looking for some fresh inspiration to fine tune your copy.
Welcome to The Writer's Workshop!
About The Writer's Workshop
The Writer's Workshop is a 2-week workshop designed to help fundraisers, communications professionals, and executive directors learn how to write copy that raises money.
Every day you will receive a short video lesson (5 to 15 minutes long) along with a worksheet, checklist, or resource to help you implement what you are learning.
Workshop topics include:
- Writing a strong call to action
- Crafting a compelling theory of change
- Simple and conversational writing
- Vivid and gripping copy
- Overcoming writer's block. . . and more!
When you sign up for The Writer's Workshop, you'll have access to our private online classroom that includes a supportive peer community and interactive online discussions. You'll have lifetime access to the online classroom and course materials.
You'll also be invited to 2 live coaching calls during the workshop. These take place on the last Friday of each month at 12 pm Pacific/ 2 pm Central/ 3 pm Eastern. During these calls, you can ask Vanessa anything, get feedback on your work, and have a chance to go more in-depth on workshop topics.
Your Instructor - Vanessa Chase Lockshin
Vanessa Chase Lockshin is an international non-profit consultant, thought leader, trainer, and speaker. She’s part of the next generation of professionals bringing change to the non-profit sector and challenging conventions. She's the author of The Storytelling Non-Profit: A practical guide to telling stories that raise money and awareness.
Vanessa founded The Storytelling Non-Profit in 2012 to help not-for-profit organizations articulate their impact to donors in a new way, using narrative techniques to generate greater personal interest and accountability, thereby improving their fundraising success.
Vanessa’s fundraising career started at The University of British Columbia, her alma mater. Other clients have included: Union Gospel Mission, British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Cancer Care Connection, Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, OpenMedia, Barnard College, The Wellmen Project, and SHARE Family and Community Services. To date, she has helped these organizations and more raise over $10 million.
FAQs about The Writer's Workshop
When does The Writer's Workshop begin and end?
The Writer's Workshop is a self-paced two-week course that you can start whenever you are ready.
Is this class self-paced or do I need to be available at a specific time for the class materials?
You can go through the material at a pace that makes sense for your schedule. When you sign up for The Writer's Workshop, you'll receive an email each day for two weeks which introduces you to the lessons and reminds you to check out the lesson in the online classroom.
I read that this is an online course. How does that work?
The Writer's Workshop is delivered through an online, interactive e-learning platform called Ruzuku. Each day for 10 days you'll receive a lesson that will be 5 to 15 minutes in length. The lesson is a video and also includes a worksheet, checklist, or resource to supplement what is discussed in the video lesson. While the course is paced for 2 weeks, you can also work through the material at your own pace.
I'm interested in The Writer's Workshop, but this is a busy time of year and I don't know if I can take a class right now. What should I do?
If you are interested but don't think you can participate in the live course, you will still get access to the course material, which you can work through at your own pace after year-end fundraising has passed.
When are the coaching calls for The Writer's Workshop?
These take place on the last Friday of each month at 12 pm Pacific/ 2 pm Central/ 3 pm Eastern. You'll see a link in the classroom to sign up for the call and will also be notified by email about it.