
Ah… your year-end fundraising appeal isn’t out yet.
And maybe, just maybe, life got in the way, too. I’m trying not to panic about Christmas shopping myself.
But if you haven’t sent your year-end appeal yet, maybe this will help. And if you have already mailed something, maybe this will help with those late December emails.
Here are some things you should ask yourself before you send that appeal
Is your appeal personal?
Yes, I know. Personalization can be a pain. It will add to your costs. And you need to have your donor data in order, too.
But… not personalizing has a cost, too. One that will be hard to track, since you’ll probably get fewer responses. And it also sends a signal to recent donors. Either you don’t know who they are, or you don’t care. (I got a “don’t care” recently from an organization I’ve known forever. I have to be honest… it hurt.)
So at the very least, get the names right. It does matter. And it’s worth it.
Is it easy?
By that, I mean easy to read. This is one of the most simple fixes you make. First, run it through a grade-level check. (There’s one built into Word, or you can use Hemingway.) Try for between 4th and 6th grade. Yes, even if your donors are special and smarter than other organization’s donors. 🙂
It’s about ease, not about intellect.
Then, bump that font size up. At least 14. And use a serif font for print. (Tell your brand cops to back off. You’re raising the money.)
Then break long paragraphs into shorter ones. (Notice what I’m doing here. No big blocks of text.) And for a mail appeal, indent the first line of paragraphs.
Remember, what’s hard to read simply won’t be read.
Is your appeal clear?
Have you done the work of creating a simple, straightforward, compelling ask? If not, you’ll want to start right now. The fuzzier your ask, the less likely people are to want to give. So don’t rely on “make a difference”… push your thinking beyond that. What, specifically does your organization do? What specifically do you need money for right now?
The more straightforward you can be, the shorter the line between beneficiaries and donors, the better.
Is your appeal different?
My friend John Lepp recently reminded me that you can create a beautiful, moving appeal… and if the envelope you send it in looks just like the rest of the mail, few people will see it.
So give some serious thought to that envelope. Can you break out of the #10 (or A5) rut? Can you change the color so it stands out? Or even the texture?
Could you use a handwritten font on the outside and skip your logo? Or apply stamps instead of an indicia? Be as creative as you can. Because it will increase the odds of your donors opening the mail. And because they deserve a little surprise and joy.
For your emails, your subject line is the first thing people will see. So make it worth it. Try personalization. Try really short. You can test headlines and subject lines in a few places. I like the Advanced Marketing Institute’s Headline Analyzer, Subject Line, and Sharethrough Headline Analyzer. And I usually use a few to test.
You still have time. And giving yourself just a few moments to run through this checklist will be worth it when your donors respond happily.
Photo by Agê Barros on Unsplash
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