Book Preview: Advice for Direct Mail Fundraisers

Most of the time, almost no one will respond to your appeals by mail. The only reason direct-mail fundraising works is that someone who does send you a first gift is very likely to send another when asked, writes Mal Warwick, author and founder of the Berkeley, Calif.-based, full-service fundraising company Mal Warwick & Associates.

In his new book, “Revolution in the Mailbox: Your Guide to Successful Direct Mail Fundraising, Revised and Updated,” Warwick presents tips and techniques on writing letters, designing envelopes, and including brochures and small gifts in solicitation packages. He discusses the new trends in direct mail fundraising, including what he considers an increased focus on the interdependence between direct mail and other types of fundraising.

A pioneer of direct mail fundraising, Warwick says if the medium works for your organization, it can take you down five divergent paths: growth, by helping you build a bigger membership of lists or contributors; involvement, by persuading your supporters to become actively involved; visibility, by publicizing your work among a particular constituency or the public in general; efficiency, by maximizing the net revenue you derive from your mailings and thus raising funds at the lowest possible cost per dollar raised; and stability, by reaching and maintaining an optimum level of direct mail fundraising activity.

(Jossey-Bass, $39.)