In the Trenches: Nine Successful Habits of Direct-Response Fundraisers

2. Give clear instructions. The value of this habit should be obvious. However, I remember many creative input sessions where clients simply were not prepared to clearly state what they were looking for — and then were disappointed with drafts coming from the designers and writers. The same holds true for defining the right data selects for appeals. One of the biggest culprits I see here is vaguely worded e-mails. Or long strings of forwarded messages that the recipient has to decipher. Tell the next person in the process chain exactly what you expect or, better yet, ask his or her advice. Always clearly communicate what you want.