The 10 Commandments for Optimizing Fundraising Success, Part 1

For him, it's a no-brainer: a plain white envelope with a handwritten address, stamp and no return address. When you don't know who it's from, you open it. It reaches the A pile — you have to open it to find out who it's from.

However, context again comes into play depending on if you are trying to appeal to high-passion donors or low-passion donors. To make the A pile for high-passion donors, show the brand on your OE, but hide the brand for low-passion donors. Give high-passion donors treats, like premiums or membership offers, and low-passion donors tricks, like a card with their names on it.