Dear “Appealing” Colleague,

Half of an organization’s annual gifts arrive between the months of September and December. This is appeal time!

Direct mail programs provide a “gateway gift” to your initiative. Organizations that have consistent direct mail programs raise more money year after year. In August, you saw a sample letter. Use the information below to get your direct mail appeal up and running and you will be building a base of support for greater gifts in the future.

More than a Letter – The Package

A successful direct mail fundraising appeal is more than an effective letter. After all, it doesn’t matter if the letter is convincing if no one opens the envelope. The carrier envelope and the rest of the package are critical for donors to give support easily. The standard direct mail package includes:

To Grow It, You Need...

Multiple Contacts

The key to success for your direct mail program is multiple contacts. You will probably need to ask several times before getting a response. Keep mailing! People get interested, then loose the reply envelope. Put a reply envelope in the newsletter with a pitch. If they get another appeal, you make it easier for them to respond, while expanding their information base about your mission.

Variety

Multiple contacts need different looks and approaches and reasons to donate. People will not make repeat gifts if they receive the same request about the same things over and over. Also one focus may appeal to a prospect over another. You need different reasons for appeals packaged in different forms. Create a diverse direct mail schedule that includes …

• Annual fund appeals, phonathon follow-up mailings, etc.
  
• Invitations to fundraising events, annual meetings, etc.
  
• Information transporters that include newsletters, notes from the Director, etc.
  
• Other

Click here to find out how to grow your direct mail program

The Thank You Letter

A thank you letter is a fundraising letter, too. Aim for a 24-hour turn-around. Remember: you don’t have to have already processed the check before you write the thank you!

Click here to access tips for your Thank You letter.

Let us know

Has your annual appeal letter been very successful?
Do you want to offer it up as a sample for others?
Let us know at LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:
click on titles below to read full articles

More than a Letter – The Package

To Grow It , You Need ...

The Thank You Letter

Glossary Additional Resources

Read Back Issues of OTG e-TA “Letters are expectation packaged in an envelope” Shana Alexander, Journalist and “60 Minutes” commentator, 1925-2005 Share Square Facts for your fundraising volunteers to know Different audiences deserve different appeal letters. In addition to sending different letters to your major donors, segment your donor and donor prospect lists into repeat donors, donors who gave once in the past, and those who have not yet made a gift. Upcoming Training Upcoming CNCS/Resource & Fund Development Initiative Offerings: Resources Now! National Institute: Training and coaching opportunities offered over 3 days. Next in Providence, RI, October 10-12. View brochure. Additional Learning Products & Services LEADline Online Courses GIZMOs The Chronicle of Philantropy Workshops & Clinics

Details from above:

To Grow It… (cont.)

Your direct mail program is an asset that needs time to grow.

• Be clear on how you are using direct mail:
  
  • to recruit new donors
    
  • to get another gift
    
  • to build an annual giving campaign
    
• Direct mail for new donors requires an investment:

  … Start-up costs are expensive -- an acquisition mailing usually attracts 1-3% return on a list of people not connected to your organization.

  … However, of those who respond, 60-70% will give another gift. Your program reaps the rewards – the costs are lower and the donations are usually larger. The more you regularly connect with donors, the larger their commitment.

  … Target requests for new donors as much as possible – by geography, income, age, education, occupation, all options.

  … Develop a good plan and budget to cover your up-front costs. Once you start getting renewals, the yield on mailings will begin to exceed expenses and contribute to your income.

• You are building for your annual giving income by using direct mail techniques
  

• Make sure thank you acknowledgements are prompt!

The Thank You Letter (cont.)

Take a tip:

• Praise their generosity
  
• Reassure donors that the gift will be well used
  
• Reaffirm your gratitude in a P.S.
  
• Describe the impact of their gift
  
• Restate the benefits offered for the gift
  
• Add a personal, handwritten note
  

The IRS requires that gifts to an organization totaling $250 or more in a tax year be substantiated in writing. You can fulfill this requirement in your thank you letter. Click here to download the IRS Rules.

Glossary

Direct mail (n.): 1. mass mail sent by a nonprofit organization directly to prospects, 2. the solicitation by this method of donations, product sales, or subscription sales.

Lift note (n.): (also called a “hanger.”) an additional appeal or personalized note enclosed in a direct mail package. Is usually smaller in format than the original, main letter and usually signed by someone other than the signer of the main letter.

Response device (n.): a response form included in the direct mail package. Intended to be returned to the organization with a check.

Additional Resources

The Power of Direct Mail. Campaign Consultation, Inc. – A GIZMO product (Giving Information for Zooming Money Objectives) – sponsored by Corporation for National and Community Service, provided by Campaign Consultation, Inc. $37.35 + shipping. To order contact LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com or call 410.243.7979 or toll free at 1.877.243.2253

National ASK to Sustain Institute, sponsored by Corporation for National and Community Service, provided by Campaign Consultation, Inc. 1998, 2002

Resources Now! National Institute, sponsored by Corporation for National and Community Service, provided by Campaign Consultation, Inc. 2006.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Building your Direct Mail Program, Gwyneth J. Lister, CRFE, 2001.

How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, Mal Warwick, 2001.

Internal Revenue Service. Online at www.irs.gov/charities/contributors/index.html (Click on “Contributions”).

Open Immediately! Straight Talk on Direct Mail Fundraising, Stephen Hitchcock, 2004.

Revolution in the Mailbox, Mal Warwick, 2004.

Additional Learning Products and Services

Online Courses:
Web course delivery of topics pertinent to resource development such as — Build Fundraising Volunteer Champions and Cause Related Marketing and Corporate Partnerships.

Available through the Resource Center, Click Here

LEADline:
(Learning Experiences At a Distance) LEADline is designed to give information fast. Have a resource & fund development question? Use LEADline and within 24 hours you will receive response and advice from a fundraising professional.

Contact us
LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com

GIZMOs:
(Giving Information for Zooming Money Objectives) Gizmos are resource and fund development tools for you and your volunteers. They are tangible products in packets, pocket brochures, CD-Roms, games, etc. They feature a myriad of fundraising topics such as The Power of Direct Mail, an interactive cd-rom and detailed companion booklet on developing your direct mail program.

To order, contact us through
LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com
or call 410.243.7979
or toll free at 1.877.243.2253

For more information:

Download
Gizmo Presentation

Download
Order Form

The Chronicle of Philanthropy:
Everyone who comes to a Resources Now! National Institute gets a free subscription to the Chronicle for a year. Participants in CNCS Campaign Consultation workshops receive the latest issue free of charge plus a $20 discount on one year’s subscription.

Workshops:
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), through its T/TA service provider Campaign Consultation, Inc., offers a three-hour clinic for those interested in mastering key skills need to write for individual donors.

Featured Workshop: Participants in Writing for $$$-Individual Appeal Letters will learn techniques for diminishing costs while raising more resources.

Topics covered include:

• Creating a successful direct mail package
  
• Drafting a written appeal to capture the reader’s attention
  
• Identifying the effective use of communication methods to send a fundraising appeal
  
• Securing gifts by mail or electronically
  

For more information, contact Susan Hailman at Campaign Consultation, Hailman@CampaignConsultation.com
or call 1-877.243.2253 ext. 18.

Tell Us!

Let us know by contacting us through LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com

Read Back Issues of OTG e-TA

• September 2006 Fundraising Events
  
• Mid-August 2006 Volunteer Fundraisers
  
• August 2006 Reach Out and Touch Communication
  
• Mid-July 2006 Disaster Fundraising
  
• July 2006 Ask Major Donors
  
• Mid-June 2006 Plan Your Fundraising Year
  
• June 2006 Individual Donors