Writing great fundraising Direct Mail
Direct mail has many functions, the most important of which is the raising of net funds.
But Direct Mail serves many purposes. Always judge direct mail appeals first in terms of net income raised, but remember the other factors, the average donation, the number of responses, the lapsed donors re-activated, the donors who have raised their average donation, and the donors inspired and motivated to give later, but who decided not to this time.
Direct mail should contain your best and most impassioned writing, it should present the core values and mission of the organisation in a compelling way, in a way that a newsletter or a leaflet never can. But passion isn’t enough, the RAS (Reticular Activation System) and other brain based response triggers have to be taken into account (To learn more about getting and keeping the readers attention and therefore their donation, read "Writing great fundraising letters and emails" available from the Publications section of this web site for $NZ9.95).
You have to use a series of devices if you wish to make your letter raise funds. That’s where the science of Direct Mail married to your commitment and passion produces donations.
Direct Mail is directly addressed to the recipient, it burns with a passion for the issue that inspires people, and it informs the reader about the current priorities of the organisation. And then it asks for help. It (re-)presents the organisation to its supporters as active and worthwhile. Even if the person decides not to donate, they are still better informed for receiving the letter.
The metrics for Direct Mail are simple and reliable. If you have 3,000 or 30,000 or 3 Million mail responsive donors then a well written letter targetted at these people, asking for a donation close to the boundary of their comfort (ie. based on their history of giving) will return at a rate of about 10-15% and at an average donation that reflects the giving history of your database. Asking regular or recurring donors for occasional donations through mail will NOT in our experience lead to higher attrition, rather the opposite, donors are inspired by the story told in the letter.
NGO Systems unique algorithms explore the boundary of comfort where you can find out whether an individual donor feels more or less strongly about the issue being mailed. Asking someone for the right amount based on a scientific analysis of their donation history will raise your appeal average donation inexorably and will NOT suppress the overall response.
If you combine NGO Systems expertise in targetting, asking and the creative development of the letter, we can guarantee success, or we won't charge you. Call us today on 03 548 1918 or 027 286 4277. Your program will move forward and it won't cost you anything to try.