Direct Mail - The "Ask Letter"
The internal heart of all direct mail is the “ask letter” which is the topic explored in this blog. An ask letter contains the greeting, other pieces of engaging information such as the charity’s current activities and, most importantly, a convincing appeal to the reader to take some action such as donating money or purchasing tickets to a fundraiser.
In the job of development director or executive director of a non-profit performing arts group, it is imperative for them to know a good ask letter when they see one; or, better yet, be able to write an effective ask letter there self. In the world of charitable fundraising, it is crucial for all non-profit leaders to feel confident in their abilities to draft and design an effective ask letter as a component of an overall fundraising plan. In addition to executive-level duties, executive directors often serve as leaders of their fundraising and development departments. The smaller the non-profit, the more likely the director is to be involved as the chief fundraiser (Klein, 2016).
Although the power of face-to-face appeals will always be the greatest, all good fundraising tactical plans still involve writing fundraising letters for direct mail strategies. Using effective techniques is extremely important for direct mail campaigns to have successful outcomes. In addition to bringing in much needed financial resources, direct mail giving still overwhelmingly bring in the majority of revenue to non-profits (MacLaughlin, 2014). Additionally, donor appeal letters are an important method of educating your donors about your mission and the need for your organization?
Charities pay big salaries to professional copywriters for their direct mail campaigns. That’s because they still bring in the majority of donations for charities. Many elements come in to play in designing an effective direct mail letter including its layout, content and more.
Several elements in the design of the envelope increase the probability of the individual’s desire to open the envelope. The postage type you use is part of the design. It is conscious choice made by the fundraiser. Kim Klein, publisher and editor of Grassroots Fundraising Journal encourages using first class postage. “You can increase get your percent of response up 3-4 percent.” Says Klein. It’s a reasonable job for mailings under 2,000 pieces, but you still have to weigh the cost of using a first class stamp versus the increase in returns (Klein, 1998). The predominant stance in, secondary research, interviews and the survey I conducted was to utilize the non-profit permit for postage and save the organization money. Stamps require additional labor and cost and according to Mal Warwick there’s never been strong testing to prove a significant change in response (Tyler, 2016).
“The carrier envelope is by far the most critical part of the mailing,” said Lester Zaiontz, vice president of creative strategy and development in the fundraising division of the Concord, N.H.- based Concord Litho. “If you don’t get it opened, what’s inside is moot” (Ford, 2015). The cost for color printing envelopes is very reasonable. The costs range from around $140 per thousand for orders of 5,000 or more. According the Xerox using a high color print will increase customer’s response by 55% and that color documents are 80% more likely to be read. Even brand recognition improves by up to 80% (Deck, 2013). Also tag lines, motto’s and calls to action have greater impact on the envelope when emphasized with color (Ahern, P 138).
The outer envelope can be the designer’s first opportunity to utilize convincing copy. Bold colorful, statement on the envelope catch the reader’s eye and create a curiosity about what’s inside (Ahern, P 139). You want to create a picture in the donor’s mind that makes them eager to tear open the envelope and find out more. Readers only spend second’s deciding whether to open a letter at all. Convincing outer copy can help increase those chances.
Hand addressing the envelope helps personalize the appearance of the envelope. Hand writing the address helps lure the prospective donor, but size of mailing and cost must be considered (Warwick, Page 50). Charles Gaudet noted that less than one in 100 recipients will throw away a hand-addressed letter without opening it (Gaudet, 2016). Despite the effectiveness, cost and time management make any size mailing over 1,000 pieces an unlikely candidate for handwritten pieces.
Part 3 Designing the Donor Letter - Coming Soon!
