Direct Mail

After a brainstorming session one day, the Yoda of direct-response fundraising and I were mulling over ideas the group had generated. “You know,” Yoda said, “there really are no new offers anymore. It was easier to be brilliant before everybody started doing this. Now, you have to find a really good hook, or just the right spin, to make it seem new.”

Using photographs in direct-mail packages focused on animal abuse is a tricky thing. What kinds of photos do you use? Ones that depict the suffering of animals? This could be a turn-off for recipients. And if recipients are unable to handle the images shown in a mailing, chances are they’ll turn away before making a donation. Not the desired result. I’ve seen a lot of mailings that use pictures of abused pets, horses or other livestock. They’re shocking and terrible, and they trigger a ton of emotions. But it’s a lot to handle and can catch recipients off guard, leading to a whole host

When you have a symbiotic relationship with donors, they get what they want and need. And you get the money and loyalty that your organization needs. Then, because it’s a win-win situation for both parties, the relationship grows and endures. Here are a few ways to develop and sustain a symbiotic relationship with your donors: 1. Treat them with respect at all times, but don’t fall all over yourself to please them. A symbiotic relationship is, after all, a two-way street. Both parties need to benefit or the relationship becomes a parasitic one for one party and a subservient one for the other. 2.

There are a few things that stand out to me about this mailing from World Vision. For starters, it includes its Web site URL on the mammoth 9-inch-by-12-inch, bright yellow outer envelope. Sandwiched below the call-to-action teaser “Urgent. Children are starving” and the address box is a line of copy that reads, “Save lives online at SendFood.worldvision.org.” It’s a great way to drive recipients to a place where they can support the organization, even if they never make it inside the mailing. I also like how World Vision positions its ask in this mailing. The 8.5-inch-by-11-inch letter explains that World Vision has received $14 million

Direct mail is a cost-effective way of raising money that allows an organization to educate the public; can enhance visibility and broaden a donor base; and is a good way to recruit prospects for other non-direct mail fundraising (major gifts, planned giving, volunteer recruitment, etc.). In their session “Why Direct Mail Is More Important Than Ever” at the 44th AFP International Conference on Fundraising, Lisa Maska and Tiffany Neill, both senior vice presidents at Lautman & Company, presented a case study of a small nonprofit launching a direct-mail program to demonstrate the benefits of direct mail and some best practices. Maska and Neill

It’s important for organizations to send donors letters that express their gratitude for a gift -- the more personal and grateful, the better. In the February issue of the e-newsletter by nonprofit direct-marketing firm Mal Warwick Associates, Peter Schoewe, senior consultant for the firm, wrote a great piece on thank-you letters that stresses this point. Some of his key tips: 1. Thank-you letters don’t need to be well-written. Schoewe says that, actually, somewhat awkward thank-yous are a good thing. 2. Use words that bring the donor closer to your organization. A phrase like “We are grateful” should be replaced by “I am grateful.” Similarly,

This is an incredibly simple, well-branded renewal mailing sent during the Jewish High Holiday season by the JCC Association. The mailing is very thin, including just a one-page letter, reply slip and BRE inside the No. 10 outer envelope. The elements have zero gloss or graphics, relying instead on splashes of plain, yet vibrant color within the copy. To the right of the address window on the envelope are clip-art-like images of a green apple and a wooden honey dipper, with the teaser “Inspiring Jewish Journeys. May your year be as sweet as an apple dipped in honey.” Random letters in the teaser are

On Day 60 I started to wonder if thank-you note etiquette had gone the way of eight-track cartridges, Astro Pops and leg warmers.

But the Emily Post Institute assures that, to the contrary, thank-you notes still are de rigueur. The only exception is when the gift is opened in the presence of the gift giver — otherwise, it is incumbent upon the recipient to send a thank-you note. And for the older generation in particular, a thank-you note not only is expected but also received as a gesture of respect and consideration.

Last week I focused on a powerful six-panel glossy pamphlet in a mailing from Planned Parenthood Federation of America. This week, it’s all about a six-page 8.25-inch-by-10.75-inch brochure in a Doctors Without Borders mailing. The brochure, like the PPFA pamphlet, is compelling in its combination of arresting design elements and text. In this case, the design elements are the colors used in the brochure — deep black and red — and black-and-white photographs. Headlines like “Saving Lives” and “Commitment: Answering the Call” in reverse type (white) literally jump off the page. Like the PPFA pamphlet, this brochure does a great job of putting the organization’s

The key strategy to turning direct-mail constituents into major-gift donors is stewardship, says Karen Osborne, president of full-service consulting firm The Osborne Group. Stewardship is “more than sending out a thank-you note,” Osborne says. It is an addition to the suite of things an organization does through direct mail -- such as adding impact statements in a post-thank-you touch that communicate the difference a donor’s gift made. “The thank-you is just, ‘this is what we promise to do with your money.’ Stewardship is, ‘this is in fact what we did with your money.’ It’s the delivery on the promise,” Osborne says. For