Capital Venture: Secrets for Success

As we approach year end, many nonprofits are gearing up for their year end direct mail appeal. A few hints to help you launch a successful direct mail program include:

Identify your audience—are you writing to past donors, current donors, prospective donors? Tailor your appeal for the audience.
Clean up your mailing list, make sure names are spelled correctly, addresses are current, etc. Pay careful attention to the salutation, are you using the preferred method to address the reader, Ms., Mr. or first names, etc.
A good donor software system is a must in order to keep your list current.
Determine if you have the internal resources to produce your direct mail or if you need to outsource to a direct mail company. You will need a letter folder, postage machine, a good writer and volunteers to stuff envelopes if you plan to do your direct mail in house.
Personalize your outside envelopes and letter. Envelopes with pre printed mailing labels tend to get thrown away as junk mail. If you don’t have the capability to do this, you should consider using a mail house that can provide this service.
Remember that a direct mail program is more than writing a letter. You should plan the entire direct mail package including the mailing lists, the outside envelope, the letter, the enclosures (if any), and the response mechanism.
Use a volunteer to sign the letter; it will be far more effective than a letter signed by a staff member.
The letter should be as long as it needs to be to tell your story. Many direct mail experts say a three to four page letter is most effective, although many people prefer reading a one or two page letters. Know your constituents and what works best with them.
Tell personal stories in your direct mail letter, they are far more persuasive than statistics.
Test, test, test. Every constituency is different; see what works best with your donors. Test the length of letter, the size and color of the carrier (outside) envelope, the response envelope being prepaid or not, live postage versus metered mail, etc

If you are interested in learning more about direct mail programs, contact the experts at CAPITAL VENTURE SM who can help you develop a direct mail program as part of your overall funding strategy.