Nobody likes to fail. But when it comes to direct-mail efforts, lessons that arise from stunning failures often can lead to stunning success

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

Even though we were an environmental group and focused on consumption issues, among others, our donors at the time enjoyed receiving all that mail. They wanted the tangible opportunity to hold, feel and touch what we mailed. I guess that’s the higher perceived value we all talk about in direct mail. In the end, we learned a lot about our donors and how not to test a sustainer campaign.