Using Fighting Words

In a matter of two sentences, the outer envelope conveys the organization’s mission, who it helps and the services it provides. The weapons are food, clothing and shelter. That they’re so benign, so altruistic, gives the call to fight back even greater potency.

There are other elements in the mailing — a double-sided, 8.5-inch-by-11-inch letter, a 3.5-inch-by-8.5-inch reply device with an epic long ask string that is worth examining, and a folded, glossy lift note that features photographs and a small, four-paragraph letter — but the outer envelope is the stand-out.