Ep. 84 | Stop Struggling to Write Ministry Newsletters: Include These 3 Things Every Time
You sit down to write your ministry newsletter.
You open the document.
You stare.
Then suddenly…
You don’t know where to start.
You don’t know what belongs.
You don’t know whether you even have enough to update people on.
So it gets pushed.
Again.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not bad at newsletters.
You probably just don’t have a simple structure.
Today I want to make this easier.
Here are the three things I’d include every single time.
1. Keep the donor in the story
This one changes everything.
Most ministry newsletters accidentally become:
“We did…”
“We hosted…”
“We reached…”
“We launched…”
That sounds normal.
But donors want to understand where they fit.
Instead of:
We held 12 outreach events this month.
Try:
Because of your support, 12 outreach events happened this month and families heard the gospel.
That shift matters.
Your donor stops feeling like an observer.
They begin feeling like a participant.
People stay connected when they feel their support matters.
As you write, keep asking:
How does the donor fit into this story?
2. Lead with stories, not information
Information explains.
Stories connect.
A lot of newsletters become walls of updates:
attendance numbers
projects completed
events hosted
statistics
Those things matter.
But numbers without a face are hard to remember.
Instead:
Zoom into one person.
One moment.
One conversation.
One transformation.
Rather than:
63 families received support.
Try:
One mom showed up overwhelmed and left saying she finally felt hope again.
That story becomes memorable.
Stories help people picture the impact.
Stories create trust.
Stories move people.
You can always add supporting numbers afterward.
3. Keep it short and simple
You do not need to tell donors everything.
Trying to include every update usually creates newsletters people skim—or never finish.
Aim for:
1 main story
1–3 supporting updates
1 clear next step
That’s enough.
Simple wins.
Short wins.
Consistency wins.
And honestly?
Sometimes having too much to say is actually a sign you’re waiting too long between updates.
A simple challenge before your next newsletter
Before writing, answer these three questions:
How is my donor part of this story?
What story am I leading with?
What can I remove to make this clearer?
Then write.
Not perfectly.
Just consistently.
If newsletters keep becoming the task that gets pushed to the bottom of your list, I made something for you.
Download my free Ministry Newsletter Checklist at:
irisstorytelling.com/newsletter
It walks you through the process step by step so you never have to start from a blank page again.
And if you want personalized help building newsletters and messaging that actually connect with donors, you can schedule a coaching session at:
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