​DO’s of Direct Mail Appeals:
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• Do make it familiar. Donors, especially those who have been giving for a long time, are very familiar with being asked to give through the mail. They have seen postcards, letters, brochures, and pamphlets arrive in their mailbox year after year, from nonprofits that they currently support or have supported in the past. It’s not new or scary, and it is a fairly straightforward method of fundraising.
• Do focus on the 50+ crowd. Direct mail campaigns work great with older demographics because they are very comfortable mailing in a check once a year in response to a mail appeal. This makes the direct appeal an effective way to touch base a few times a year with your older contributors, while fundraising along the way.
• ​Do prime the pump. Direct mail appeals are an excellent way to share success stories from the past year. Always include a short story, told from a personal point of view, that details how previous donations helped your organization to change a life or achieve your goals. Not all direct mail campaigns need to have an ask attached. Consider surprising your donors by simply sharing your success stories and thanking them for their participation. Removing the ask from one or two direct mail pieces indicates that you appreciate your donors and want to communicate with them without asking for anything in return. As a bonus, you are also priming the pump for your next direct mail appeal.
• Do run AB tests. Although too long to get into here, you should always AB test your direct mail pieces. For my free ultimate guide on AB testing your direct mail fundraising campaigns click here.
• Do tell a story. When done well, storytelling is the best way to create an emotional response from your donors. Always include a compelling, emotional story told from a first person point of view in your direct mail pieces. This story will create an emotional connection and help build the momentum needed for people to give via a direct mail campaign.
• Do “You.” Remember that this direct mail piece is going to be read by an individual who wants to make a difference. Craft/write your piece as though you were speaking to a single individual donor. Talk about how that single donation, no matter how big or small, can go a long way toward making a big difference in the lives of others and achieving success for the community.

DON’TS of Direct Mail Appeals:
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DON’T THINK IT’S CHEAP. Direct mail campaigns can be anything but cheap. Set realistic expectations of the costs associated with a well-run direct mail fundraising campaign. Consider the cost of a copywriter and editor (if you don’t have one on staff). And don’t forget to factor in printing costs and postage (both ways).

DON’T SET UNREACHABLE GOALS. Direct mail appeals have a very low response rate. According to Mobile Cause, successful direct mail appeals only have a return rate of 6%. So, for every 100 appeals you mail out, only three will be returned with a donation. This is just one reason why direct mail appeals function best as part of a larger fundraising strategy.

DON’T BELIEVE IT’S EASY FOR DONORS. Direct mail appeals are not easy for your donors. Stop and think about how many steps it takes for each donor to complete their donation.

• First, they have to open the mail - and let’s be honest here, not many people open the mail these days.
• Second, they need to read the letter or brochure included in your direct appeal, and they must form an emotional connection to the story presented. This is what prompts them to make a donation.
• Third, donors will need to fill out the response card, find their checkbook,and write you a check.
• Finally, and this part is really important, they need to mail it back to you.

Simply put, there are way too many opportunities for the donor to get distracted and put their donation off until later. When this happens the likelihood of the donation getting made falls precipitously, even though your appeal successfully fostered that emotional connection. At this point, most nonprofits decide to send a follow-up direct mail piece which only starts the cycle all over again.

Has your board ever brought forward the idea of crowdfunding? If they have, it is most likely because a board member saw something via social media and got excited. And now, at your board meeting, they are touting the benefits of crowdfunding and ensuring everyone that this “could go viral.”
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Most people look at crowdfunding websites as a magic panacea for nonprofit fundraising. To the untrained eye, this certainly seems to be the case. As someone familiar with the philanthropy and fundraising spheres, I know that this is anything but true. Successfully raising money on crowdfunding sites requires an extreme amount of dedication both from the organization and from their board, staff, and volunteers as well as active, engaged social media networks. According to a recent study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, more than 90% of GoFundMe campaigns never meet their goal. Sadly, the more immediate and tragic the need, the more successful the fundraising campaign usually is. If your nonprofit is playing around with the idea of utilizing crowdfunding sites as a part of your larger fundraising strategy, you need to be honest with both yourself and your board about the reality of these campaigns. Here are both sides of the crowdfunding coin so that you can accurately explain to your board the pros and cons of hosting a crowdfunding campaign for your nonprofit. ​

​I'm pregnant. Like, super-duper pregnant, ready to pop pregnant. When I stepped on stage last weekend at a large San Francisco Gala, the crowd didn't know what to think. And quite honestly, neither did I.
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It turned out to be a record-breaking night of fundraising for my long-time client. I'm not sure if it was the new program style, the room layout, or my enormous belly that made the difference - but it was amazing! It turns out, this crowd loved a big, pregnant auctioneer unafraid to put it all out there.