Direct Mail on a Limited Budget

Direct Mail on a Limited Budget

Sept. 20. 2005

By Lisa Jones Shay, CFRE

So many of us in the nonprofit world are on tight budgets and can't afford to hire a direct-mail agency. Many fundraisers think of direct mail as a fundraising letter that comes from a nonprofit organization and describes its needs, and then requests gifts of support to help it fulfill its mission. Not true! An effective fundraising letter:

• is an appeal from one person to another;
• describes an opportunity for the recipient to meet personal needs by supporting a worthy charitable organization; and
• invites the recipient to take specific and immediate action.

As direct-mail guru Mal Warwick has said on more than one occasion, "You're writing for results, not for a Pulitzer Prize." So, do the following:

• Think about why you're writing this particular letter.
• What kind of people are you writing to?
• What are you asking people to do (minimum contribution)?
• What circumstances are you writing about? Be specific (e.g., an exciting new opportunity; unanticipated demand for your services; launching a new program; shortfall in gifts or corporate or foundation funding; maybe a challenge grant).
• Who from your organization will sign the letter?
• What are the benefits if they respond? (List the tangible and intangible benefits.)
• Why do they need to respond now? (Urgent need; opportunity; holiday; deadline; etc.)
• When do you want the recipient to receive your mailing? Is it seasonal or time-dated?/ul>

  Keep these things in mind in your effort to create better direct mail:

  1) Clarity (simple, clear, direct) is mandatory. Without it you've transmitted no message. The chief enemy of clarity is "in-talk" -- business buzz words, acronyms, "governmentalese." Also, avoid generalizations.

  Some other tips on language:

  Write in everyday language, as though you're speaking with a friend conversationally. Use compact, power words; short, punchy sentences; and words that convey emotions. Avoid foreign phrases or big words; minimize the use of adjectives and adverbs; and avoid abbreviations or acronyms.

  Direct-mail letters are never grammatically correct. Depending on your selected audience, you should write at the sixth or eighth grade level. Try to avoid a preachy tone. Instead, tell a compelling story. Also, in keeping with conversational tone, use contractions: I'll, we'll, that's, couldn't, wouldn't, etc.

  Avoid using passive voice: "Donations are desperately needed." This statement doesn't clue the recipient in to the exact use of donations. Use active voice: "We need your donation desperately because ..."

  2) An emotional appeal will out-pull an intellectual appeal. Logic has its place in debate. But we aren't debating with prospective donors; we're asking them for money and support. Effective direct-response pieces appeal to one of four great motivators: fear, exclusivity, guilt and/or greed. Fundraisers have an extra weapon: anger.

  3) Make multiple requests of your donors. They are seven times more likely to respond than a cold list name. They're your family, and you can go back to your family time and time again.

  4) Write down your marketing concept in one paragraph. Doing so will force you to decide how much money to ask for, who'll sign the letter and whether you'll include a premium (labels, notecards, etc.), or a deadline. It embodies the reason you're writing, which is to secure a gift of X dollars or more. You're able to identify the person to whom you're writing, i.e., a donor who's previously given before. You'll also be able to incorporate the benefits the person you're writing to will receive as a result of responding.

  For urgent appeals, create a sense of urgency by stressing a genuine reason why gifts are needed right away, or tie your fund request to a budgetary deadline so you can argue time sensitivity and repeat your urgent appeal throughout the letter.

  5) Devise an effective packaging concept. This is the process by which you figure out what the package will look like. Will there be a long letter or short letter? Will you use First Class postage or bulk mail? Will it be a personalized addressee or to "Dear Friend"? You'll also be deciding whether to use a reply device, return envelope, lift letter, premium, the size of the outer envelope, framing the lead (a story, experience, etc.), and writing the P.S.

  Additional tips for making sure the format is easy for reading: indent every paragraph; be conscious of white space -- the eye needs rest; avoid paragraphs more than seven lines long; vary the size of paragraphs; use bullets and indented paragraphs; and use centered and underlined subheads.

  Lisa Shay is chief development officer at Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, a nonprofit that provides female-focused programs that empower girls to take charge of their lives. Girls Inc. provides a safe haven for over 2,000 girls annually after school and all day during the summer at six centers located in West Dallas, South Dallas, Oak Cliff, Love Field, and Pleasant Grove, Texas. Shay can be reached at 214.654.4553.