Last week, I hosted a webinar for missionaries and nonprofit fundraisers that incorporated elements of marketing into their work.
One idea that I left out was regarding OFFLINE engagement. Physical letters and direct mail are still important parts of fundraising, often used for newsletters and support letters.
If you want to make sure your fundraising letter gets opened, try this simple hack:
Make your package oddly shaped.
If you’re on a shoestring budget, buy some individually wrapped hard candy like Jolly Ranchers…and stuff ’em in your envelope! If you have a straight legal letter envelope, it works even better because the package won’t be flat.
This works because people rarely, if ever, ignore oddly-shaped mail.
Like email, snail mail also competes for the recipient’s attention. You’ve got to find a way to make your piece stand out. Personally, I let snail mail accumulate for days and then go through “the purge”. But I never ignore oddly shaped mail. Neither will your recipients.
I’ve used this for both the company where I’m CMO as well as personal and nonprofit fundraising. Often times I’ll stick in a non-jewel case CD inside fundraising letters (I used to do a lot of music) because it slides around on the inside of a full-sized envelope. The recipient will feel the weight of something shifting around. Plus they get a free gift!
Remember, you’ve got to grab the recipient’s attention so they open your package. Since snail mail doesn’t come announced with an eye-catching headline, it’s got to come in an eye-catching–or at least attention-grabbing–way.
Now go get some Jolly Ranchers!
Question: What other tactics have you tried to make your snail mail standout?
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