Living the Writer's Life:
Mary Guinane
By Mindy McHorse

Like many Barefoot Writers, Mary Guinane enjoyed writing from an early age and always felt pulled in that direction. But once she started writing as a career, she settled into the rewarding work of the nonprofit world. Read on to discover how this journey has shaped her for the long term, why it led to a sweet connection with her brother, and what she’s doing to pass the torch to new writers.

What brought you specifically into copywriting?

As Mary puts it, she’s “here, there, and everywhere,”
making the most of the freedom
that comes with paid writing.

When my youngest went to kindergarten, I’d already been investigating working from home. I eventually got the famous AWAI letter, “Can you write a letter like this one?” I went, “Yes, yes, I can.” I went on to do almost 16 years of freelancing, then joined the agency world as a writer, and now as an associate creative director.

How did AWAI help you get your writing career up and running?

AWAI helped me get the courage to go after national nonprofits. I’d started with the general approach of saying, “Hey, I can do copywriting.” But I lived in a small Midwest town, so there were jobs, but they didn’t pay well. My first big job was a piece for the Ronald McDonald House of New York. I had done a pro bono piece for my Ronald McDonald House in Sioux City, Iowa, as part of building a portfolio. Now I’ve written for several others around the country.

How did it feel to get to write for something with an amazing cause and purpose?

I remember taking a marketing class in college and going, “Well, that’s fun, but it doesn’t feel very fulfilling to sell widgets.” That’s the best part about writing for the nonprofit arena is that you feel really good at the end of the day. You sleep well because if you do your job well, then nonprofits do well, which means you fund cancer research, you provide meals to the homeless, and you get to write. There are all sorts of wonderful organizations I’ve written for. I think I’m going on 200 different organizations. You get to know their great missions, and know that you’re helping. And it’s just a really lovely way to use words.

What prompted you to get into agency writing?

Nonprofits that work with a fundraising marketing agency tend to be larger, and there’s that in-between filter person at the agency who connects with the client directly, then comes to me with the instructions and deadline. And once you deliver, those agencies have multiple clients, so you can get more clients with the same agency.

Did you face any major challenges at the beginning of your writing career?

Being remote is much easier nowadays, but 20 years ago when I started, you couldn’t connect with clients other than via email or phone. Everyone else I knew was going to work in the office, so the workday could get pretty quiet. That’s where having a community of people and other writers that you reach out to is really helpful. I was fortunate in that my brother has always worked from home as well, so we’ve sort of been water cooler buddies for decades now. I could talk to him and he’d offer a little encouragement, so he’s always been that person for me.

What rewards have you enjoyed so far throughout this journey?

Time flexibility when my kids were little. Today I use that same flexibility to travel a lot, especially to see my family and my grand-dogs. Also I can listen to music I choose throughout the day, like fun music when I’m doing invoicing or light piano if it’s a hard project.

What does your career look like right now?

I recently took a position as associate creative director. We have a leadership path planned for me, and a little bit of molding to my individual skill set. I love to do training. I’m going to get to work with some writers who are inexperienced, or ready to take things to the next level.

If you were to speak to somebody who wants to follow the nonprofit path or work their way into agencies, what would be your advice to them?

Read what you plan to write. If you’re not receiving direct mail or digital fundraising appeals, make sure you start. See what the finished work looks like. What’s the headline doing? How is this piece of mail personalized? What is the layout? What’s my journey through the package? Do the same thing with the online pieces that you get. Go make some donations, sign up for some newsletters from your favorite nonprofit organizations, and really examine the work.