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Archive for the ‘direct mail’ Category

My Two Cents: Death of Direct Mail

Monday, February 25th, 2008

I just realized this is the second time in as many posts that I’ve used the word “death”. Hm. Mental note: Next post think of something more original.

It seems to be that a lot of people are talking about the impending death of direct mail.

Direct mail donors are old and dying.
The rest – don’t respond to it and are tired of the “wasteful” packaging.

If people had been blogging around the time of the invention of the TV – my post would have been called “Death of Radio”.

It gets a little tiring, especially as I talk with the new generation of fundraisers who are being told “it’s all about online fundraising” and direct mail is increasingly becoming a waste of time and money.

I’ve said it before – Direct mail is NOT going the way of the dinosaur – but it is changing. If you insist on mailing out the same packages, using the same formats, same ideas that someone came up with 5, 10 years ago – yes… your direct mail program will likely die.

It’s like donors – they also are not becoming extinct – but they are changing. You need to rethink what you do and how you say it to reach out to them. Give them a relevant message they can get emotional about and involved with. Give them hope and appreciate them.

It will be like a whole new life…

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My Two-Cents: Fund-asking

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, so much time and effort is put into ‘branding’ your charity, what colours to use, what font looks the best… and so often we often try to WOW with execution.

We all know the number one method of getting money from a donor is (all at once please) by asking for it.

I like to call it “Fund-asking”. Ask for it. Have a compelling reason for people to give. Make them feel like part of the solution – not a cog in the wheel.

This sounds like Fundraising 101 – and it is. But I shake my head time and time again when the organization acts as if the most important ‘person in the room’ is them.

Forget about ‘Fundraising’ -which is about you… Think ‘Fund-asking’, which is about THEM – your donors.

Posted in Inspiration, Two Cents, direct mail | No Comments »

My Two Cents: Direct Mail

Monday, January 21st, 2008

At the risk of sounding completely “ranty“, let me announce my frustration at the state of direct mail here in Canada.

I think Ken Burnett says it best. In an alert from plazapublishing.co.uk he says, “Sadly, most fundraising today is look-alike, stereotyped, aimed at the lowest common denominator, the victim of formulae and formats designed by marketing people for easy mass reproduction.”

Amen brother.

As someone who designs a lot of direct mail, it gets tiring to see people doing the same things the same way they always have.

Yes – I know. You need to get your 8% response (or whatever your mathematically determined response is).
Yes – I know it worked last year and the year before that.. but have you noticed how the response rate has been dropping?
Yes – I know you have targets you need to meet – and you don’t want to mess with a winning formula…

But – as fundraisers working in a industry that is rapidly evolving, we also need to evolve. Find, beg or steal extra money to try next things, new ways of communicating… get outside your comfort zone… For the sake of your organization. For the sake of the medium. For the sake of fundraising.

Burnett has launched a site that anyone who is in direct response or fundraising should join and be a part of. Check it out at: http://www.sofii.org/.

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Be appropriate

Monday, November 19th, 2007

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we must, as communicators, at all times – be appropriate. I know I’ve said it before but time and time again, I see work, creative, ideas, statements and so on – that is not appropriate for the audience or the subject matter. Recently I was almost guilty of the same crime.

I was developing a package for a local hospital who wanted to use funds to increase the size of the ward where they treat children who have cancer. I was trying to be clever graphically with type and making it look nice. But – duh – I was overlooking RULE #1 as a designer – let the message BE the message – just make it clear. Here are a few of the BAD ones…

So, lucky these weren’t approved. I did what I should have done in the first place – which is read the copy. And as I got half way through, practically in tears, I realized that I overlooked my OWN RULE. I was not being appropriate.

So after developing a more appropriate tagline, I wanted to give it a bit of visual ompf as well. Here is the final.

Its easy to get caught up in making it “look nice” and “using all the colours” and making sure that we “stick to our brand” – but you know what – the only thing we really should be worrying about is making the creative appropriate to the audience and to the subject matter. Donors respond more to the your message than your (or my) fancy design.

Don’t believe me? Then test it!

BONUS: I’m getting this for all of my clients this Christmas. Make My Logo Bigger cream!

Posted in Basic Design, branding, direct mail | 1 Comment »

7 surprising facts about direct-response fundraising: Thank you Donor Power Blog

Monday, September 17th, 2007

This falls into the “Passing along great information” category.

From the September 5th, Donor Power Blog posting:

7 surprising facts about direct-response fundraising:

1. Blank carrier envelopes usually out-perform envelopes with teasers.
2. Longer letters perform better. Usually. There are exceptions.
3. The most-read part of a fundraising letter is the P.S.
4. Typos improve response. I can’t prove this, but it seems to be true.
5. Mail recipients spend more time looking at the back of the envelope than the front.
6. Religious people give more to non-religious causes than non-religious people. Religious people give more to everything.
7. The most powerful predictor that a donor will give is the recency of her previous gift.

Here’s my two cents on these 7:
1. I think I’ve stated before how far too often, adding a teaser does absolutely nothing to entice the donor to open the envelope. If you can come up with a tagline that is appropriate and tells the donor that there is something inside that they really need to see/read – go for it.
2. Longer letters often do better – it’s true. Most often if it is a prospect piece. You need space to do more selling to that new donor, keep it focused on your mission. I’ve seen it tested – and again in prospecting tends to beat short letters. But I would bet if you were mailing a Renewal 3 mailing and it was 6 pages – a short one, 1 pager, would beat the pants off it.
3. The P.S. is your first/last chance to make that donor give – so reiterate the importance of the mailing and why you need their support.
4. Typo’s: I’ve never heard of this… would love to know if anyone has ever had the guts to test this. I, for one, can’t imagine trying to convince a charity that typos in their letter is ok…
5. I have always thought – if you have 2 sides to an envelope then you have 2 sides to convince the donor to open it. But back to point 1 – sometimes an “official” looking envelope with just a logo and return address or just a return address can do better for the mailing.
6. Sounds like common sense this one.
7. There are people in our sector who can tell you if there is such a thing as mailing someone too much or too often. But I think, if you have a need and you can express that need for a gift, then mail your donors. Do not mail for the sake of mailing. And I hate to say it – there are far too many charities mailing for the sake of mailing.

BACK TO YOU: I need your feedback. What are some topics you would like to see addressed here? Please send any comments you may have to jlepp@ideadesign.ca or post them here! Thanks.

Posted in Testing, direct mail | No Comments »

This one’s for YOU

Monday, September 10th, 2007

Yes – you.
Can I remind you of something?
It’s not all about you.
You need to make it about them – the donor.
Yes, you do good things and yes, you may have worked very hard to do those good things – but you would be nothing with them.
I mention this because as obvious as it seems, it is often forgotten.
Looking through a stack of mail I see:
“Newsletter enclosed.”
“Camp is good medicine!” (Camp Trillium)
“Special gift enclosed!”
“Providing friendship, understanding and support”

It’s an easy fix. Involve the donor.
“Your important newsletter is inside”
“You can let kids be kids again.” (Camp Trillium)
“A special gift for you is enclosed.”
And so on.

And this goes for the whole of the package. Keep your donor involved. Always.
Without them, there would be no “you“.
_______
From a recent Letters to the Editor
“I am a senior and would like to tell people in charge of collecting donations that I don’t want to receive any more free gifts.
I have hundreds of labels with my name and address on them, and won’t be able to use them all.
I have sent in my donations with the message, “Do not send me any more free gifts,” but they keep on coming, and I don’t want my donations spent on postage, etc.
Please, just send me my receipt and I’ll donate again next year. I live in a seniors’ building and I’m not the only one complaining about wasting our donations.”

You donor has spoken.
I know what you are saying – ‘address labels work’ – but you need to find ways to not alienate those they don’t work for.

Posted in Inspiration, direct mail | No Comments »