Personalization works, Mr. Sample. Just be sure to get it right, Mr. Sample. And please, Mr. Sample, don’t overdo it.

By Paul Barbagallo

Simply put, if you lack confidence in the accuracy of your database or you don’t know your donors, personalization will not work.

That’s something that anybody in the direct mail world yearns for — to know who the donor is — because no matter how many production bells and whistles are at a fundraiser’s fingertips, there’s still something special about an appeal that starts off, “Dear Mr. Sample, … Your gift of $200 last spring enabled us to help people in need in your community, and we value your long-standing support of seven years. Please find it in your heart to help us again this spring.”