Sales Lead Secrets

Sales and Lead Generation Made Easy

Want to learn a

lesson in direct mail fundraising from Winston

Churchill? He once observed that a fanatic

is “someone who can’t change his mind and won’t

change the subject.”

A fundraising letter

fanatic, of course, is someone who thinks the only

thing you can mail a donor is a fundraising letter. But

that’s just one of more than 40 things you can mail to

make friends and raise funds using paper and

postage.

1. Acquisition package:
   Designed
   to attract new donors.
2. Welcome kit: An assortment of
   informational pieces and a cover letter, mailed to first-
   time donors, welcoming them to your organization
   and your cause.
3. Thank-you
   letter: The most important letter in direct mail
   fundraising, and they should never ask for gifts.
4. Renewal letter: Designed to
   persuade last year’s donors to renew their support
   again this year.
5. Member
   renewal letter: Mailed by member-based
   organizations to members whose membership is
   about to expire and must be renewed.
6. Reminder letter: Mailed a few weeks after
   your
   appeal letter, encouraging donors who have not
   responded to give. Popular at year-end.
7. Lapsed donor recovery letter: Mailed to
   donors
   who have not given a gift in 12 months or more,
   inviting them back on the train.
8. Monthly donor conversion letter: Mailed to
   annual donors (those who respond to your annual
   appeals), inviting them to join (convert to) your
   monthly giving program.
9. Special
   appeal: Mailed during the year to raise funds for a
   special cause, often an emergency, such as a natural
   disaster.
10. Year-end appeal:
    Letters that capitalize on the year-end tax advantages
    and “spirit of the season” of Christmas.
11. Upgrade letter: Appeals that invite donors
    to
    increase the dollar amount (and sometimes
    frequency) of their gifts.
12. Donor
    club invitation: Letters that invite high-dollar
    donors to
    join a President’s Circle or other exclusive donor
    group.
13. Legacy gift prospecting
    letter: Mailed to a select group in your house file,
    asking if they are interested in making a planned gift
    (bequest, charitable remainder trust, and so on).
14. Special event invitation: A
    card or
    letter inviting donors and potential donors to a golf
    tournament, banquet, concert or other fundraising
    event.
15. Newsletter: Sent to
    current
    donors to inform them of how your organization is
    using their donations to change the world.
16. Annual report: Usually
    mailed to
    major donors, loyal donors and donors with
    influence.
17. Survey: Designed
    to
    solicit the opinions of donors and prospective donors.
18. Petition: Mailed by advocacy
    organizations (Amnesty International and Mother
    Against Drunk Driving, for example) to donors, inviting
    them to complete and mail the petitions, usually to a
    person in federal government.
19. Member-get-a-member letter: mailed by
    member-based organizations, inviting members to
    recruit new members to the organization.
20. Pledge appeal: Usually sent
    during capital campaigns, these appeals ask
    recipients to pledge a larger-than-normal gift (for the
    donor, that is) towards the campaign, a pledge that is
    usually honored by the donor by making a number of
    gifts over a period of a year or two.
21. Congratulatory card: Mailed to donors on
    the
    occasion of the donors’ wedding anniversary, birthday
    or other special event.
22. Testimonial: Written endorsements from
    clients or donors or others affected by the work of your
    organization, usually accompanying an appeal letter.
23. Plaque: Sent to faithful or
    particularly generous donors as a sign of your
    gratitude for their extraordinary support.
24. Gift catalog: Describing through pictures
    and
    text the items that donors can buy from your
    organization to support your work (a goat for a family
    in India, for example).
25. Resource
    catalog: Describes the books, DVDs and other
    educational materials that donors can order to
    educate themselves and others about your cause
    and the people you help.
26. Matching gift appeal: Invites donors to give
    gifts that, collectively, match a large gift made by
    another donor.
27. Newspaper
    clipping: Has your charity received favorable
    press
    recently? Mail a copy of the article to your donors (with
    the newspaper’s permission).
28. Quiz: Do you want to stir the imaginations
    of
    your donors, particularly if they are under the age of
    12? Mail them a quiz that gets them thinking about a
    vital subject (climate change, poverty, nuclear war,
    homelessness, for example).
29. Factsheet: Sometimes you need to give
    your
    donors statistics and facts and figures, maybe even a
    history of your organization. Put these into a factsheet.
30. Special report: Dealing with
    a hot
    and timely topic that will galvanize your constituents.
31. Calendar: Special calendar
    that
    highlights special events of yours and days during the
    year that are of interest to you and your donors.
32. Special event teaser:
    Postcards
    or other short notices that pique the curiosity of your
    supporters about upcoming events.
33. Photographs: Mailed to donors to show
    the
    before-and-after results of their generosity.
34. Premium: Return address
    labels, notepads and other incentives designed to
    persuade the recipients to donate.
35. Freemium: Items enclosed with a direct
    mail
    appeal that have no intrinsic value, but help you
    communicate your appeal in a tangible, memorable
    way. A hospital, for example, might enclose a
    facsimile of a patient bracelet once worn by a young
    cancer survivor.
36. Involvement
    device: Scratch-off cards, checkboxes and other
    devices that involve the donor in meaningful ways and
    encourage a donation.
37. Brochure:
    Shows in pictures and words what you cannot
    discuss in the body of your letter.
38. Reprint: Has your CEO just given a
    speech to
    the United Nations? Transcribe the speech and mail
    it to your donors (assuming your CEO is a dynamic
    speaker, of course!).
39. Progress
    report: Mailed to donors, usually major donors,
    who
    have designated their gifts to a particular project, and
    who need to be kept informed about your progress
    with their money.
40. Follow-up
    note:
    Mailed after you’ve phoned your donor or made a
    personal visit, usually to thank the donor.
41. Income tax receipt: The
    more of
    these you have to mail each year, the better, right?

About the author
Alan Sharpe publishes Direct Mail Fundraising Today, the free, weekly email newsletter that helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors. Alan is the author of Breakthrough Fundraising Letters and 25 handbooks on direct mail fundraising. Alan is also a speaker and workshop leader who delivers public seminars and teleseminars on direct mail fundraising. Sign up for Alan’s newsletter at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com.

© 2007 Alan Sharpe.

How to Write Winning Copy that Boosts Response Rates and Gets Results [AudioBook MP3]