happy donors

Yes, good direct-marketing fundraisers are always writing to an individual.  At least in one sense.  As you compose a letter, it helps to have an individual in mind, and to write in a manner that “talks” one-on-one to a single person.

But face it, a whole lot of people are going to read this letter, with any luck.  So while we’re writing TO a reader, we’re also writing INTO a readership.  Consider then…

… You’re writing to a group of people with certain dispositions.  If you have the right mailing list, they are all disposed toward you appeal.  They believe in your cause.  They agree with you.

… You’re NOT writing to people who have no idea what you’re talking about.  So don’t over-explain.  Do tell them who you are.  Write to them knowing that they know who you are.

… You’re NOT writing to people who actively DISAGREE with what you’re saying.  You’re not seeking converts … you’re preaching to the choir, so don’t try all that hard to convince them.  They already believe in you.  Play to your shared understanding … and cause.

… You’re generally writing into a general LIFE STAGE.  These people are all of a certain age.  They share some history.  You can talk to that history and they’ll know what you mean.  Talk out of it and they won’t.

… You’re writing into a donor level.   A letter generally goes to a group selected for their giving patterns, their highest previous donation / most recent donation range.  You should think about what you’re asking FOR and elevate your appeal accordingly.  A big gift is a very personal ask, to someone who REALLY knows what you’re talking about and REALLY shares your goals.  Feel free to acknowledge this and write into such a mindset!

And you’re writing out of and into a broader world situation, as it pertains to your cause.  Maybe something in this environment triggered the appeal.  If it didn’t, I wouldn’t talk about that broader world, lest that be a digression or distraction.   Or worse, a reminder of some other cause or a reason not to give to your organization today.

I’ll never forget one session I attended when Steve Froelich, ASPCA Director of Analytics, likened a donor’s first gift experience to a one-night stand … “excited, but uncertain if it was a one-time thing … remorse … used or cast aside … uncertain about the future.”

Without pushing the metaphor too far, he pointed out that “it’s not a relationship unless it happens a second time.”

His recommendations for getting that critical second gift are sound:

– Say thank you quickly

– Use a donor invitation phone call within the first 3-4 months

– Suppress the donor’s name from list exchange for the first few months.

Great, but not enough. The most powerful and cost-efficient way to gain the second gift is a survey in the welcome kit.

Most organizations can attribute most of the mailing to education, quite rightly. But a survey asking new donors to rank priorities is a proven way to engage and get a quick second gift.

Save the Children adapted this proven technique to the web. A web donor gets a friendly Thank You email that includes a link to a survey, which also offers the donor an opportunity to give again.

Yet another tactic is a stream of mailings that are sent instead of the current appeal kits … each a proven package.

Many groups have “evergreen” appeals … packages that work so well you can pretty much remail them without change every year. Try making one of these the NEXT appeal a new donor receives, no matter when they join relative to the mail stream.

Some organizations have four such mailings … a series of contacts that are each proven evergreen response drivers.

A petition. And urgentgram. Another survey. Rapid Response. Whatever works for you.

Get ‘em while they’re hot, with a second-gift CAMPAIGN.