Words to Live By

Veteran creative guru Jerry Huntsinger is more blunt: “The purpose of the carrier envelope is to get opened. Nothing more. Clients who don’t test put too much pressure on the carrier. The only reason I ever use a teaser is because clients who don’t test think it’s necessary.”

Helen Kennedy, CFRE and partner at Lewis Kennedy Associates, a Portland, Ore.-based provider of fundraising, research and planning services to community-based nonprofit organizations, agrees: “We often find that less is better for all kinds of philanthropy. No teasers, no photos. However, mentioning a deadline can help if it’s for a real reason — like matching a Kresge grant.”