Lighthouse International

All acquisition packages should be this effortless to navigate and still maintain an effective degree of emotion, credibility and urgency. New York’s Lighthouse International, which raises funds to help blind and impaired-vision individuals secure the skills and resources they need to live independent lives, is crystal clear about its mission, its needs and its prospects’ needs.

Getting it opened
The outer envelope uses the teaser copy above the way teaser copy is meant to be used. The prospect will associate the Lighthouse name with the blind or vision impaired, but the purposely garbled teaser brings the message home. It draws the reader in and forces him to open the envelope, if only to find out why it looks like that. It’s like a game, but it never loses its serious tone.

Continuing the challenge
Lighthouse International continues the message in the very first sentence of the letter by explaining what the teaser is all about and then, in the next few sentences, reveals exactly what the problem is in easy-to-understand terms. The sentences are short and to the point. The prospect can identify with “millions of Americans” because the teaser line (which is duplicated on the letter) paints a clear picture: “They see distorted letters. Unrecognizable shapes. A blur.”

Then the guilt kicks in: “People with serious vision problems are unable to do many things that most of us take for granted … “ But it’s carefully worded guilt that allows the reader to feel grateful for the sight he has rather than so guilty that he stops reading.

Before the prospect is even a quarter of the way through the letter, the essential element of emotional, donor-centered copy is already met.

Urgency, credibility, need
Halfway down the first page, in just two short sentences, Lighthouse rolls urgency and need together so quickly that the prospect barely recognizes that he’s being asked for money.

In the only long-ish paragraph on the first page, Lighthouse lays out its mission and establishes credibility. The prospect learns that Lighthouse helps tens of thousands of people with a wide range of services — and it depends on the kindness of “caring friends like you” to make its work possible.

The testimony — even though undoubtedly compiled from the remarks of several clients — adds to the credibility of Lighthouse. Never once does the copy say a client has gotten his sight back, but rather that people have gained control of their lives. That fact is believable and is restated in the middle of Page 2: “At the core of our mission is a very simple belief … “

Asking for money
One fundamental ingredient in an appeal letter is the “ask” — or several of them. The rule of thumb is that at least one request for money must be on the first page. This letter from Lighthouse accomplishes that, and then on Page 2 cites several examples of what a gift will do: help a grandmother live independently and maintain her dignity; allow a disabled child to attend a Child Devel-opment Center; help a blind teenager learn to use public transportation and a computer. The prospect might only be able to identify with one of the examples, but that’s all it takes.

The letter also mentions specific gift amounts, but it does it in a way that isn’t too pushy. In the same sentence, the letter reminds the prospect in simple language that Lighthouse is the single most important resource for people who are blind. This one sentence reinforces the organization’s mission while still remaining donor focused.

The P.S.
Words such as “gift,” “today,” “hope” and “heart” are strong motivators, and Lighthouse captures them all in the postscript — along with the all-important “thank you.”

The reply form
Very often, a prospect will pull out the reply form and return envelope from a mailing and set them aside to be dealt with when she writes checks to pay the rest of her bills. In this area, this mailing loses a little of its effectiveness. Lighthouse’s reply maintains that simple, straightforward look, but it falls short of the emotional strength of the letter.

Although Lighthouse’s slogan —”Hope When Vision Fails” — is strong, the “My Gift of Hope” header on the reply form sounds like it could be from any one of thousands of other organizations. To strengthen the form, Lighthouse could put a reminder of the teaser copy on it and replace the “My Gift of Hope” verbiage with something more forceful, such as “My Best Gift Ever.” Underscoring the idea of “helping people regain their lives” would help too.

On a positive note, Lighthouse clearly is looking for gifts of $25 or more, and the reply form expertly places a note to that effect in a red, hand-printed font.

Services vs. appeal
Frequently, organizations try to do too much with an appeal by inserting public relations brochures or providing the option of giving financial support or volunteering time. This type of approach confuses the prospect and often leads to no action.

Lighthouse sidesteps the confusion factor by using a separate insert with its toll-free number that supports the ask while providing information about its services. Unlike other supportive material, this piece is not distracting but instead reinforces the need for a gift and the ability to be of service.

Final thoughts
One addition that could add to the appeal would be underlining — but not much. That type of break — along with the use of italics — helps move the reader along. But caution must be taken with a letter as simple, easy and straightforward as this. Use font treatments to enhance — rather than compromise — the tone!

Strong control elements
Every campaign has its own strategy, and results are measured against meeting the goals set forth in that plan. This appeal by Lighthouse International contains all the essential elements of a prospect letter:

1. Emotion
2. Credibility
3. Urgency
4. The Ask
5. Donor-centered Copy

The letter also successfully addresses the age-old question: How long should the appeal letter be? Easy enough — just long enough to include all of the five points listed above and tell the story.

Lighthouse, which is celebrating its centennial in 2005, maintains professionalism throughout this appeal. It’s got 100 years of integrity and experience behind it, and this simple two-page, two-color piece reflects that as surely as a trip to Lighthouse’s headquarters in New York would.

Margaret Guellich is the senior director of development for the American Life League in Stafford, Va., a long-time professional fundraiser and a member of the FundRaising Success Editorial Advisory Board. She can be reached at mguellich@all.org.