Topic
direct mail
How Far Back Should Your Year-End Appeal Go? Deciding Which Lapsed Donors to Mail
Most year-end mail files go back as far as last year's did, and nobody remembers why. A simple break-even calculation tells you which lapsed donors to mail, which to email, and what to say to the ones you haven't heard from in a while.
The Year-End Follow-Up Letter: Why Your Second Mailing Needs Its Own Plan
Your year-end follow-up letter goes to donors who meant to give and set the first letter aside. Here's who should get it, when it should land, and how to write it so it isn't a reprint.
Your Year-End Reply Card Is Doing More Work Than Your Letter
A donor can skip your year-end letter and still give, but they can't give by mail without the reply card. Here's how to make that small card easy to read, fill out, and send back.
Should You Send Your Year-End Appeal to Donors Who Just Gave?
Donors who gave this fall are some of the likeliest people on your file to give again, so leaving them out of the year-end appeal usually costs you. Here's who to hold back, and what the letter for everyone else should say.
How to Choose Ask Amounts for Your Year-End Appeal
Most reply cards get about ten minutes of thought, yet the first number on them shapes who gives and how much. Here's what the research says about ask amounts, and how I'd set them for your year-end appeal.
10 Tips for a Direct Mail Fundraising Appeal Envelope Design that Converts
Learn 10 crucial tips for designing a direct mail fundraising appeal envelope that not only stands out in a crowded mailbox but also converts readers into donors.
Ensuring Donor Trust in Direct Mail
Building trust in direct mail strengthens lasting donor relationships through authenticity, transparency, and consistent engagement.
8 Things to Test in Direct Mail
Direct mail fundraising is a tried-and-true method for raising money for your cause. But with so many options and variables to consider, it can be difficult to know where to start. That's why we've put together a list of 8 things you should test in your next direct mail campaign.
Direct Mail Fundraising: A Complete Guide for Nonprofits
How to run a direct mail fundraising program: plan the calendar, build an offer, write and design the appeal, then test, proof and track each mailing.
The Secret Impact of a Hug Letter
A hug letter is a second thank-you that tells donors what their gift did. Here is how to write one, when to send it, and a full example you can adapt.
6 Steps to Improve Your Donor Newsletter
Creating a donor newsletter is a great way to keep your donors updated on your organization's work and engage them in your mission. However, crafting an effective donor newsletter is not always easy. Here are six tips to help you create a donor newsletter that will engage and inspire your readers.
Episode 025 - Predictions for Fundraising in 2019
In this episode, you'll learn 19 predictions Jeremy has for fundraising and nonprofit innovation in 2019.
Nonprofit Myth: Your Writing Style Won't Work
Overcoming the naysayers on fundraising can be an overwhelming task. It's funny how many people who don't understand fundraising offer an opinion that what…
Episode 007 - My Executive Director Keeps Editing Out Fundraising Best Practices
Do you have someone who edits out fundraising best practice from your appeals? Someone who doesn't like the urgency, postscripts, hyphens, folksy language, or handwritten notes? Is your fundraising suffering because of it? In episode 7, Jeremy answers a question from Julia about how to handle an Executive Director who doesn't understand fundraising and is undermining her efforts.
Episode 006 - Why Don't My Emails Perform As Well As My Direct Mail?
Direct mail is not dead. Far from it, direct mail still performs well if you have a good strategy behind it. Many nonprofits are transitioning more investment into digital but aren't seeing the return in email that they've seen in direct mail. Today, we're going to talk through the five Cs of successful email appeals, then we have a question from Marcy about why her emails don't perform as well as her direct mail does.
Episode 002 - How Do We Improve Our Turnaround Time for Sending Disaster Fundraising Appeals?
In episode two of the Nonprofit Answers Podcast, Jeremy Reis takes a question from Ryan who's frustrated with their turnaround time on disaster response fundraising appeals. This is a topic that really hits home: how do we decide if we're going to respond to a disaster and then get our appeals out the door quickly in email and direct mail? Jeremy shares how Food for the Hungry decides when to respond and how they send out emergency response fundraising appeals quickly.