Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

Designers love to come up with new, innovative, shiny direct-mail packages to capture the aesthetics of their art and draw attention in the mailbox. None of that matters, really, when it comes to direct mail. All that matters is getting the envelope opened and the donor moved to take action. In the October 2011 issue, DM Diagnosis author Kimberly Seville discussed "When Ugly Works" in regard to a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee mailing.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ramped up its online fundraising operation in the 2012 cycle, bringing in record amounts. The DSCC raised more than $35 million online in the 2012 cycle, which is more than the previous three cycles combined. According to numbers provided by the DSCC, this online fundraising component gave Democrats an edge over the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which raised a total of $83 million for 2012. The DSCC raised a total of $106 million — a difference of $26 million.

With the 2012 presidential election quickly approaching, it's always interesting to look back and see some of the techniques political fundraisers utilize for their respective campaigns. So to kick off our November Mission of the Month — Political Fundraising — here are a few stories from FundRaising Success Gold Awards judge Paul Bobnak, research director of FS sister brand DirectMarketingIQ.

Make sure those thumb-through folks see your important direct-mail components first … so they turn into content-pullers and engage with you.

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's letter is minimalist, refreshing.

The Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is holding onto a fundraising edge as the party tries to protect its narrow majority in the chamber, according to numbers released to Washington Wire.

Sometimes, good direct mail is just downright ugly. On purpose. Maybe the goal is for the piece to look inexpensive and put together on the fly with whatever office supplies are at hand — or not done by a professional graphic designer. It implies frugality and no dime wasted on fancy, artistic, matchy-matchy stationery.