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

By Stu Heinecke

Cartoons, by their nature, delight the reader. So it’s no surprise that a mail piece bearing a cartoon can have the same effect. I’ve always felt it’s a lot more effective to thrill someone into an envelope than tease them in. Teasing, by its nature, taunts and disappoints the reader. I’d much rather have readers thrilled, intrigued and already in agreement with what I’m about to request of them in the rest of the piece.