Fundraising Letters That Work

In fundraising direct mail, the letter is the thing. You have just a matter of seconds to grab the reader’s attention — or wind up in the trash bin. We scanned Who’s Mailing What!, the world’s largest library of direct-mail and e-mail samples, to share with you these top fundraising letters and the stories behind them.

2013 Grand Control of the Year: Union of Concerned Scientists
Teaser copy and photos can be a powerful one-two punch in nonprofit direct mail. This combo works well for the current member acquisition effort by the Union of Concerned Scientists. It’s been mailed for more than three years, one of more than 1,500 Grand Control mailings tracked by Who’s Mailing What!, and the 2013 selection as Grand Control of the Year in FundRaising Success’ Gold Awards. The team behind the package is Mal Warwick Associates, where it was designed internally; the copywriter was Barry Cox.

The front of the No. 10 outer envelope shows three prominent media personalities — Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck — and a single line explaining their presence: “It’s time to clear the air ...” Inside, the four-page letter elaborates: “[they] are filling the airwaves with outright distortions every day about the reality of climate change.”

According to UCS Membership Director John Mace, “These are three of the most recognizable pundits that have derided the scientific consensus that global warming is occurring, and who have implied that respected climate scientists are being dishonest when they present their research findings.”

A fact sheet included in the package bolsters the case against the pundits by comparing their statements with facts and positions championed by the UCS. Mace explains the approach based on reason: “We don’t want or need to use hyperbole or guilt ... Our members support us because they understand the need for an organization that takes positions based on what the science tells us are the best solutions.”

This technique — focusing on lightning-rod personalities — has worked wonders for other organizations in their direct-mail fundraising appeals and is worth testing. Greenpeace, the Democratic National Committee and People for the American Way, for example, have all mailed outer envelopes identifying a lineup of public figures likely to oppose their agendas.

A petition call to action on the order form is also a vital element of the mailing, Mace says.

“Our members have consistently voiced a desire to be as involved in advancing our work as they can be, and actions such as these petitions give them that opportunity.”

In this case, the prospect is addressing Rupert Murdoch, CEO of Fox News Channel’s parent company, and asking for changes to correct the “opinions” of Fox’s hosts with “facts.”

Mace also credits the premiums (name and address labels perfed to the order form and a book on the back-end fulfillment) with lifting response: “The offer of the book premium, at a $35 gift level, serves to increase our average gift. We’ve seen the book serve to increase our membership retention/renewal rates; new members who sign up at the $35-plus level and receive the book have a higher renewal rate.”

Mace believes the package works “because it taps in to concerns that our members have: that powerful forces are using misinformation and distorting science to protect short-term interests at the expense of our long-term health and safety; that we are in jeopardy of abandoning a reliance and respect for independent science; and that someone has to provide the research and background information that can be used to counter those trends.”

He also points out that the other work of UCS — in energy, food and agriculture, and nuclear security issues — helps to maintain a high retention rate for members who come to UCS through this mailing.

Because of the success UCS has enjoyed in acquiring, engaging and retaining members, Mace anticipates that the group will continue to rely heavily on direct mail, despite some shift toward online.

“[It’s] still an important source of new members,” he says. “I’ve always heard that organizations that stop mailing to supporters and begin using only online communications see a drop-off in overall giving, even from donors who had only given online before. The mail continues to be a channel that donors rely on for news and information about an organization — even if that communication is a reminder to make a new gift.”

Refreshing a nonprofit classic: Amnesty International
To see the work of great painters, you usually need to go to a museum or art gallery. To read the work of great copywriters — and learn from it — you need only to look through the mail that arrives at your doorstep every day. One masterpiece that has been mailed continuously for about 20 years is the member acquisition effort for Amnesty International.

Crafted by direct-mail giant Jerry Huntsinger, it’s evolved over time. A search of Who’s Mailing What! reveals at least seven different versions have been mailed, and there are certainly more. The latest one, in the mail since 2010, retains the basic elements that make it, in the words of direct-mail guru Denny Hatch, “a powerhouse of guilt.”

The lead paragraph is simple: “I regret to inform you that we are faced with a severe crisis here at Amnesty International.” After running through a list of places around the world where human rights abuses are occurring, the letter gets to the call to action in the sixth paragraph: Sign the enclosed “Message of Hope” card.

The reason for the request is then explained in the account of a former prisoner: “His name is Constantino, and for years he was held in a tiny cell; his only human contact was with his torturers.” In one- and two-sentence quotes, he recounts the horror he faced and how Amnesty eventually ended it: “On Christmas Eve the door to my cell opened, and the guard tossed in a crumpled piece of paper.”

This is the very same type of card prospects have in front of them. It’s a powerful dose of guilt, one of the seven great copy drivers, that lingers even as the letter continues, describing the terrible acts committed against political prisoners.

Measuring 6 inches by 6.25 inches when opened, the Message of Hope card is cited in the letter as not only a way of reaching out to a prisoner of conscience, but as a means of holding governments accountable. There is no petition listing grievances, just the simple message (in five languages): “Do not be discouraged. You are not forgotten.” The donor can add another message besides signing the card.

When combined with the letter’s success in tapping in to guilt (and some anger as well), this is truly an action device worthy of the name. It builds a relationship between the donor and organization by making him or her a vital part of its work.

The other component, a square sticker, carries the Amnesty logo and name and has mailed both as a peel-and-stick decal and as a window cling.

Personalized name and address labels have been mailed by nonprofits for decades, and Amnesty is no exception. Some past versions of this appeal have included them, although in this iteration, the label sheet shows through a large square window on the front of the No. 10 envelope, as well as the oversized address window. Among the designs on them are yellow and blue versions of Amnesty’s candle-and-barbed wire logo. The letter explains that the labels were sent “as a means of seeking your support and spreading the all-important message of hope.”

Raising brand awareness, with a touch of flattery (another great copy driver), is behind another classic back-end premium: the tote bag. From the letter’s P.S., “I’ll send you a free tote bag to serve as a reminder to everyone of the urgent need to stand up for humanity and of your dedication to protecting human rights.” A premium was not part of an Amnesty control effort until now.

The biggest story is that starting in 2013, on the reply form, the prospective member is given two big choices. Option 1 is a one-time new membership gift with asks from $20 to $1,000. Option 2 is membership in the monthly sustainer Partners of Conscience program, with an ask string from $7 to $20. On page four of the letter, the importance of the monthly giving
option to the organization’s daily activities is laid out: “You will allow Amnesty to respond immediately” when a need occurs. Amnesty gets a predictable cash flow and can then upgrade members to a higher level.

Between a rock and a hard place: Museum of African American History and Culture
In a down economy, museums have a difficult enough task in raising money. Of course, museums that have not yet opened face an even bigger challenge: inspiring people to become members when they can’t even enjoy all the facility has to offer.

That’s exactly the story with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, which broke ground in 2012 and is slated to open in 2015. Despite a $12 million donation by Oprah Winfrey, tens of millions of dollars remain to be raised.

Even before its 2012 groundbreaking, according to Who’s Mailing What!, the museum has relied on direct mail to acquire charter members. The latest control effort has been in the mail for the last year and appeals to pride and patriotism as it focuses on the “remarkable stories” of the African American experience. The front of the No. 10 outer simply reads, “FREE GIFTS ENCLOSED.” But once inside, the prospect is face-to-face with elements that bolster the argument made in the four-page letter, that the museum is “America’s story” and is for “everyone who calls themselves an American.”

The freemiums are four bookmarks, showing remarkable individuals, like Madam C.J. Walker and Frederick Douglass, who made major contributions to American life. The flip side of each one provides a brief history lesson on their stories. There’s also a call to action to visit the museum’s website for membership information. Even if the rest of the effort is put aside, or the bookmark is passed along to someone else, it can still generate membership leads.

A four-panel brochure describes the mission of the museum, maps its location on the Washington, D.C., Mall, and provides an artist’s rendering of its design. Specific benefits for each membership level, such as a book, CD or certificate of appreciation, are laid out as well. And there are additional reminders about the story-based focus of the campaign, such as mini-profiles of additional pioneers.

The reply form follows up on the letter and brochure by noting that charter members will be recognized on the museum’s honor roll. Besides the website, all of these names will appear on a board at the museum, another appeal to flattery and pride.

In February 2013, an effort was tested with a personalized teaser in a handwritten font: “[First name] Take a look at the FREE gifts enclosed!” Aside from that, the package is identical to the control mailing.

Another membership appeal, with a lift note from Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron, was dropped in March. He writes about the achievements of Jackie Robinson, just weeks before a new movie on Robinson’s life premiered. This mailing’s reply form makes the new member’s contribution more prominent than the others, with a gold border and the bold heading, “HONOR ROLL OF CHARTER MEMBERS.”

With such a large amount still to be raised, and 2015 drawing closer, further tweaks are quite likely to appear — and take hold.

Building a mail piece that’s meant to last: High Country News
To achieve success in direct mail, you don’t need an eye-catching image or teaser on your outer. Sometimes a cartoon will do just fine. That’s just one of the takeaways from JoAnn Kalenak, acquisition marketer at High Country News, a biweekly newspaper that reports on the West’s natural resources, public lands and changing communities. Two versions of the magazine’s acquisition package have been received by Who’s Mailing What! for more than three years, qualifying them as Grand Controls.

The No. 10 envelope’s line drawing, by cartoonist David Catrow, shows stunned animals sitting together on a stump against a treeless landscape, with a rabbit crying, “So much for homeland security.”

“It speaks directly to our core market with a humorous but serious environmental and political message,” Kalenak explains. This combination has been tested against other outers since 2004 and, she adds, “continues to resonate despite the fact that it’s ‘old news.’”

After leading off with testimonials in the Johnson box (the top part of the letter, just above the salutation), and noting HCN’s influential role in western state affairs, the letter delves into the magazine’s backstory and how it was saved from closing by its readers. “The subscribers would have none of it,” it boasts.

Kalenak breaks down the audience’s profile: “We have found that our demographic are highly educated people (40 percent have post-graduate degrees) with a huge sense of humor and strong ties to the West ... its stories, problems, history and, most importantly, its future.” The letter has also been tested again and again over 15 years — and still comes out on top.

According to Kalenak, the use of testimonials is part of a social proofing strategy.

“[Our readers] want to protect what they see as endangered, and they want to know that they are in a community of other folks that stand with them.” Along the same lines, the lift note helps the prospect engage with the mailing, asking, “WHY YOU?” in white serif type reversed out on red on the front.

Inside, the copy trades on two great copy drivers, exclusivity and flattery, with appeals to one of the “select few,” someone who is “independent, intelligent, aware.”

Besides the letter and design (including not using expensive color and paper stock), Kalenak attributes HCN’s mailing success to two other factors. First, “Price testing is huge.” Among the offers received by Who’s Mailing What!, the two Grand Control efforts were for rates of $12 and $14.95. As shown in the order form, HCN tacks on two extra issues to the subscription by paying up front.

However, she also questions if lower prices eventually cripple any publication. Second, she emphasizes great list work.

“Don’t just sit back and skate on the same old list selections,” she advises. “Look carefully at the selections both from a geographic standpoint and a timing one ... There may be lower fruit, especially in honing those lists.”

Although direct mail continues to be the magazine’s main acquisition tool, multichannel marketing has found a place as well.

“Over the last year and a half, I have been responsible for developing extensive digital gift, referral and renewal programs utilizing segmented e-mail messaging and some social engagement strategies,” she notes. “I believe that we have just scratched the surface of acquisition potential.” However, that doesn’t mean she is ready to bury print as a medium just yet.

“[I’ve] been hearing about its death for almost 40 years!” she observes. “There are certainly plenty of consumers out there who want the details behind the stories ... The quick snippets of information are downright infuriating and unreliable for many folks. This is part of the reason that our four-page letter continues to work ... People want the full story, not just the cute slogans and taglines ... Show them how [they] are intelligent and independent.”

Paul Bobnak is director of research for Direct Marketing IQ and archivist at Who’s Mailing What! Reach him at pbobnak@napco.com or follow him on Twitter at @PaulBobnak.