Year End Appeals that work!
How can you get the most out of your “end of year” appeal? What are the best ways to design and write an effective letter? What response rates can you expect? How do you establish a tone that matches your organization?
To prepare, fundraisers are weighing which tactics are likely to work best in the current economic environment. They also are trying to ensure that the decisions they make now lay the groundwork for future giving.
As the crucial end-of-year fund-raising season is about to start, charities hope that signs of the recession ending will help make it easier to bring in donations. "We anticipate year-end will be better than we've been seeing lately, but are under no illusion it will be where it was two or three years ago," says Jeff Lindauer, associate vice president for development at the Indiana University Foundation, in Bloomington.
Below are links to questions that are asked frequently by our clients about direct mail appeals. These have been culled from various publications like Chronicles of Philanthropy, Grassroots Fundraising - to name a few. Please let us know if you have any questions that are not listed below.
One page appeal letter vs multi-page letter
How long should appeal letters be and does optimum length vary depending on the relationship with the donor - current donors vs. sporadic donors vs. prospects who have never donated?
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Segmentation, frequency and time line between letters
Could you talk about how often direct mail solicitations should be sent?
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Conveying urgency, mail quantity, etc.
How should you convey urgency when funds are needed for a project immediately?
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Lapsed donors
1) In respect to the financial crisis facing all of us - and especially non-profits - what is an expected (good) ROI for direct mail being sent to a base of current or lapsed donors? Do the old percentages still apply?
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Online vs direct mail
So, Do you feel it is best to renew online donations via direct mail?
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Response rates in today's environment
What is a realistic expectation regarding the percentage of response to initial mailing?
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Trends
Are testimonials still the way to go, when you are creating direct mail pieces for maximum gift giving?
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