It sounds absolutely perfect, Toby.
Coincidentally: Had lunch today with a terrific photographer who had the same thing happen to his career, sort of. He had great clients (mostly corporate) ... but all his primary contacts within those companies little by little retired >>> and now, at age 74, he has to rebuild his network ... very slowly.
He's the real deal, a great visual storyteller, well worth whatever ... but millennials coming into the trade don't necessarily trust nor want to hire their grandparents.
As he and I started sharing our various mentors, it became somewhat obvious that if you wanted great results ... you might consider WANTING the most experienced, well-trained person available.
I learned half of what I think I kinda know about marketing from a man 25 years older, when I was in my 40s.
And when I meet up for drinks with other proven copywriters ... of any age! ... turns out we've all read the same foundational how-to books; including one of the most important, John Caples' Tested Advertising Methods, authored by an old NYC workhorse and published (in its 5th edition) in 1974.
Fundraising communications is on the threshold of a Golden Age ... because we know so much more from neuroscience and hard-core researchers like the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy (UK). Plus we have new disciplines to play with like Dr. Jen Shang's "identity-based" fundraising, ... which have been field-tested for a decade or more ... and can lead to enormous gains in giving, quickly, when adequately executed (great is not necessary; "adequate" execution gets results, too).
BUT we're also maybe entering a much-needed back-to-basics age: because training in what "the ancients" knew (the top DM-response performers from at least 1900 on) are unsuspected and little taught.
Around 2009, the first charity I know of cracked Facebook fundraising.
They had a good, well-grounded-in-the-basics agency helping them.
And soon enough they were dragging down $350,000 MONTHLY (not a misprint) in donations for a small (now big!!!) animal welfare charity in Bangkok, Thailand ...
... not so much from country residents: mostly from women 45 and older, animal lovers, in English-speaking countries around the world (all the Facebook promos were in English).
What was a clear takeaway, from their success, IMHO?
They tested a lot of messages and approaches. And ... surprise, surprise ... what worked best on Facebook (this new medium/channel) were ads that could have been written by any competent direct mail copywriter in the 1950s. I flew to Australia to study their methods ... and this is what they told me.
Most of the basics behind good response have been discovered --- and they don't change much.
In my own practice, I almost daily use the proto-psychological insights of Seneca, an ancient Roman. This is not to fake erudition: my grief counselor put me on to Seneca. FYI: This old Roman was more popular than the emperor of the moment, a psychopath named Nero. Nero ordered Seneca to kill himself. Seneca did. Beware psychopathic emperors, right? Nero was remembered for being a murderous jerk. Seneca helped countless people through the ages (including me) with his humane wisdom.
Enjoy your life ... hard. I lost my amazing partner/mentor/wife, Simone Joyaux, suddenly last year ... massive stroke.
We WERE quite huggy.
Now I wish I'd never let go. ~ tom