Make Grandma Happy This Valentine’s Day

Sending out snail-mail to people who have donated to your non-profit and to people who have expressed interest in your non-profit is one of the most direct ways to ensure your non-profit continues to generate the necessary donations to function. When designing your mailers, there are a few things you can do to ensure the mailer is as effective as possible.

Know What Readers Will Look at First

When someone skims over a piece of mail, what is going to catch their eye is words that are bolded and italicized. For example, words that are used in a heading or caption are going to be what catches their eye as they quickly skim and take in the information on the document that you mailed.

If you want them to do more than skim, and really look at what you sent out, you need to use those headings, captions, and bold words in an effective manner. Those words should get to the heart of why you are asking for a donation. These should be the words you focus on the most, as they are going to have the most impact on the person receiving your mailing.

Always Ask for a Specific Amount

On the section of the card where you ask for money, you need to make sure that you are not asking for an open donation, such as "Please donate today". Instead, you need to ask for a specific amount.

The best way is to ask for a range of donations, such as, "Please donate $20, $50, or $200 dollars today".  The lowest amount should be something that one could easily afford. These low ask-amounts get new donors in the door and allow everyone to feel like they can contribute. The next two higher amounts are for people who can afford to give more or for people who are really invested in the cause. You should also have a blank line where they can fill in what they want to donate.

Giving people choices and asking for a specific amount makes it easier for people to commit to the donation.

Use Different Mailers

Don't send the same mailer out every few months to the same list of donors. Invest the time in creating a set of different mailers that you send to donors. They should not be getting the same message and information every time they get mail from you. This is going to cause them to lose interest and just disregard future mail because they assume that all the mail will continue to carry the same information.

Sending out fundraising mail is an effective way to raise money for your non-profit. Make sure that the most obvious words on the mailer convey the main points of your message. Always ask for specific donation amounts and give people a few choices. Vary the mailers and information you send out so that your donors continue to read and connect with your mailers.

For more information, contact a direct marketing service.