A well-executed cartoon can intrigue potential donors right into your direct-mail package.

By Stu Heinecke

We took a similar approach recently when we created a new test piece for a major charity involved in the search for a cure for another disease. I’m bound to nondisclosure of its identity, but I can tell you that the focus of the cartoon element in the piece was quite similar — that the recipient can make a difference, and the vehicle for making that difference is the piece of mail she’s holding in her hands.