8 Ways to Get Better Results From Annual Fund Appeal Letters
Your annual appeal letters are your primary chance to raise money for your nonprofit organization. Make the most of this important communication by following the steps below, and you’ll find you can improve your annual fund in many ways.
Use story telling in fundraising letters. Speak from the point of view of the potential donors. “I was helped, and now I’m helping,” Show what the help does.
Use color photos with captions that support or convey the story in annual appeal letters.
Improve convenience and choices for the donor and gather more information by using a 7 x 8.5, two-color folded response form. This increases your space to work with and puts all donor response information on one side.
Use the response form to build your database of email addresses and cell phone numbers.
Optimize the ask amount by using ask strings based on the donor’s last gift. Reminding donors of the time and amount of their last gift sustains and increases giving.
Use an integrated, multi-channel approach: direct mail, email, thank-a-thons, or phone reminders. Direct mail response is 10 times higher than email response but integration boosts response rate in all channels
Remind donors with a personalized postcard (with ask strings) timed for the end of the year when 25 to 35 percent of all gifts are made. Send the annual appeal letter at the beginning of November and the postcard in the second week of December.
Increase frequency of development communications. Thank donors immediately. Before the next appeal, inform them that their gift has been put to work. Then inform them what their gift has accomplished. And then ask for the next gift. Ask by mail two to four times per year.
Get started today! Five Maples can help you optimize your mailing results for a stronger annual fund all year long.
Strategy Is Everything!
From a well-planned annual fund calendar, to the perfect messaging, to donor-centric pieces with the right design, a lot goes into making your annual fund successful. You can count on Five Maples to help you strategize, write, and design your development communications all year long so you can raise more money.
Contact Sarah Gnerre, CFRE, VP of Philanthropy, at 1-802-387-3091 or sarahg@fivemaples.com!
