This article was originally published in Canadian FundRaiser

Here are 12 ways you can make more money from direct mail. Many organizations have put these money-making methods to work successfully. While not every suggestion will work for your organization, at least some of them should.

1. Use a consultant. Okay, being a consultant myself I could be accused of having a conflict of interest. But the fact is whether you use our firm’s services or someone else’s, chances are you will make more money from direct mail if you use a company that specializes in this type of work. It’s not that consultants are necessarily always so brilliant, it’s just that direct mail is a mass medium which goes to thousands of people – and potentially millions – each mailing. So your consultant’s ability to even fractionally improve content and increase donor response, when multiplied by the large quantity mailed, should more than cover his or her additional costs.

This is not to mention the additional funds you can raise if your consultant makes any significant innovations or improvements in your program. But whether you use a consultant to run your program or run it yourself in-house, the rest of these recommendations can help…

2. Mail more often. Whatever quantity you are now mailing, try increasing it. In most cases, the more you mail the more you raise. If you are doing annual renewal appeals, you could add a reminder. If the reminder is working, add a second or third. Some renewal cycles can go as long as eight letters and still be profitable. In addition to renewal packages, you could add a specific appeal on a special activity, project or area of your work. If to have a full program of activities you should be mailing at least 5-7 times a year, and some organizations do well mailing much more heavily than this. Skeptical about mailing more often. Test it for about six months. If your results are poor (and I’m sure they won’t be), you can always go back to a more modest schedule.

3. Write longer letters. In fundraising mailings, longer letters almost always do best, contrary to what many people assume. Unless you are writing an urgent `telegram’ style appeal, or another type of letter that requires short text, your letter should never be just one page long. If you are in the habit of writing two-page letters, try going to four or even six pages. While writing a very long letter may make you nervous (`No one will read all that!’) remember that a long letter conveys the impression that you need help with a significant problem or have a lot of useful information to impart. If you are writing a long letter make sure you make liberal use of scanning and reading aids (see point below) for those who do not read your whole letter.

4. Increase scanability. Make your package easy to read or scan. Always leave at least 1 1/4 inches at the sides and bottom of the page. Use at least a 12-point type face or even larger, and use underlining, indented paragraphs and margin notes or bullets. And always use a P.S. – it’s the most read (and often first) read part of your letter. So make sure your P.S. summarizes your main point and repeats your request for money.

5. Use the problem-solution format. Focus on the problem in the opening paragraphs; then talk about the solution your organization provides for the remainder of the letter. Think about the issue your organization is working on, then try to frame your problem into a graphic and dramatic story – the mountain lake that is becoming polluted by acid rain, the young mother with two children who seeks help at a shelter for battered women, the eight year-old boy who’s waiting for a kidney transplant, the community centre which needs your support to send inner-city kids on an Algonquin Park canoe trip. Once you have drawn a clear picture of the problem, make sure you show exactly how the donor’s contribution will help create a real solution.

6. Make your letter personal. The letter should seem as though the writer sat down to write a personal letter to a trusted supporter. Before you start writing, think about the average donor and why he or she is involved in your cause. What emotions triggered the donor to give in the past: a sense of compassion, commitment to the issue, fear about what could happen if the issue is not addressed? As you write allude to the donor’s feelings as well as your own. Reach out. (`I know you care deeply about children who go hungry – so do I. That’s why I wanted to get in touch with you right now…’) Use a lot of “you’s” and “I’s” (as opposed to “we’s” and “us’s”), and always make sure to thank the donor for what he or she has made possible in the past. Have the letter signed by just one person (never two) to reinforce the sense of intimacy. Add the respondent’s name by computer mail merge at the beginning, and when thanking them for their donation add the actual amount of their last gift. Mail the letter with a real stamp (as opposed to third class or ad mail) if you can afford the cost outlay. First class stamps almost always out-pull third class metered mail by more than their extra cost.

7. Involve the reader. A successful direct mail letter needs to convince each donor to find a pen, pick it up, and use it – right away, before the mailing gets lost in other papers or thrown away. One way to get donors involved as they read is to include a survey or a postcard related to your letter’s theme – something that asks for their opinion as well as their money. If you do include an involvement device make sure the respondent is asked to return it with (not instead of) a donation.

8. Stick to the point. If your mailing is to raise money, don’t talk about, or include, other materials. While it may seem as though you are saving money by including newsletters, event notices, executive lists or other material, all of this material could get read instead of your fundraising appeal. In fact, if you include extraneous material people who scan your package may not immediately notice that it’s a fundraising mailing at all. The most successful packages almost always have an overall theme that is repeated throughout the letter, on the coupon, and on the outer envelope.

9. Make your request for funds clear, specific, immediate, and prominent – and repeat it often. Make sure donors know that the main point of your letter is to ask for money. Tell them what the donation will be used for as specifically as possible (`Your gift of $125 will send one inner-city kid like Robert to camp for a week this summer’). Make sure they know the money is needed now. Deadlines raise the response rate, so try to include a concrete reason to respond within a specific period. Include the deadline on the coupon and outer envelope, as well as in the letter. Repeat a variation of your request for funds a minimum of two or three times in each letter. And always emphasize and explain the availability of tax credits for donations.

10. Ask for an upgrade. Asking people to give 15 per cent to 25 per cent more than they gave before usually encourages them to do so, and it at least discourages them from giving any less. Again, using computer mail merge you can include a specific donation amount with text such as, `I’d like to thank you for your last donation of $50. IF you could possibly give $65 or even $75 this time, we’d be well on our way to our goal of $6,000 by the end of October.’

11. Include a response coupon and postage-paid return envelope. Many people will want to give – your job is to make it easier for them to do so. A response coupon and postage paid envelope are often more important than the letter itself. Ideally, the coupon should be able to stand alone – without the letter – and still motivate the donor to send money. It’s often a good idea to start the coupon with one or two sentences that convey emotion and urgency and summarize the main theme of the package. (`Yes, I know extinction means forever… I want my children to inherit a world where killer whales still swim freely in the Pacific…’) Then make sure you give suggested donation amount boxes, ranging from a good high figure to a more modest one. Don’t list a very low donation amount of $5 or $10, or you will lower your average donation. Do include an option for people to give by credit card, as well as by cheque. You should use a business reply envelope (permits available from the post office). As a second-best option, you can simply include a self-addressed envelope and ask the recipient to add their own stamp.

12. Follow-up by phone. The combination of a mailing an a phone call usually works best, but make sure your letter stands on its own for those you can’t reach by phone.

Bob Penner is president of Strategic Communications Inc., a campaign, communications, and fundraising company based in Toronto.