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Welcome to Vantage Business Support & Insurance Services
VANTAGE has been servicing the nonprofit industry for over 35 years. Over the years we have accumulated much knowledge, contacts and experience in helping to establish nonprofits and help them grow. As such, we will be publishing a semimonthly newsletter geared toward providing nonprofits with the latest news, products, and guidelines to assist in their success and growth. Please feel free to comment and/or request topics that are important to you for us to research.
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8 Reasons Why I Didn't Respond to Your Fundraising Letter
 If you thought direct mail fundraising was slowing down, just keep an eye on your mailbox for the next few months.
As we fly into the year-end fundraising season, you can see all of your competition overflowing the mail person's bag or truck.
I'm guessing that a huge chunk of this fundraising mail goes right into the trash. Another batch goes there after the recipient opens it and scans the contents.
A few appeals will be put aside to be answered with a check, or with an online donation.
Now, writing and packaging a fundraising appeal is hard work. So it's a shame when it falls flat.
Here are some of the reasons your letter didn't succeed, from the donor's point of view.
1. You didn't use my name, or you got it wrong. I still see a lot of "Dear Friend" letters. That usually signifies that the appeal is from a smaller charity with limited resources. However, it's pretty easy now to personalize letters and not that expensive. A decent donor management system can do it and make all of your fundraising tasks so much easier.
If my name is wrong, the letter may be from a big charity. That seems counterintuitive, but with huge mailing lists, some purchased, it's easier to make an error and for that mistake to escape notice for a long time. For years, I've been getting mailings from a large nonprofit that misspells my name.
2. You made your mailing too complicated.
When there are reams of inserts in the package, I can't even focus on the letter.
I get confused, lost in indecision and end up dumping the whole thing.
The best letters I've received recently included one from the ALS Association, which was very simple, even plain, with one small insert. I wrote about that letter here.
The other letter was from a small theater company in my city. The Executive Director wrote a beautiful, simple, heart-felt letter that got to me immediately. You can read that letter here.
3. You talked about you, instead of the person (or animal) that my donation will help.
I respond best to a story about one individual rather than a crowd of people. I am quickly overwhelmed by vast numbers and feel helpless in the face of them.
Tell me about just one person and how I can help. I also don't care about your organization's accomplishments, the award you got, or where your president last spoke.
4. You tried to impress me with your vocabulary. I'm perfectly capable of reading hard stuff. I do it when I have to. But, I'm not going to take the time to wade through optional reading like your fundraising appeal if it's too hard.
Give me short words, short sentences, short paragraphs. Get to the point quickly! I simply don't have the time to decode your message.
Jeff Brooks suggests that fundraising letters should be somewhere between 4th and 6th-grade reading level. There are tools to help you check your letter for how easy it is to read. Please use them.
5. You didn't tell me that I need to donate now. I respond better if you are urgent. Tell me why I need to give today. Tell me what will happen if I don't. How many more people will go hungry, or how one person will not survive unless I give today.
Remind me that you will match my gift if I give right now. I respond to urgent needs, not ones that I can easily ignore until your next appeal.
6. You weren't specific about what you want. I respond better when I can see the effect of a specific amount of money on a problem. Tell me that my $25.00 donation will buy four backpacks for needy kids. Or that $50 will feed Fluffy the cat for three months.
Help me visualize what I'll give and the results it will accomplish.
7. You were more concerned about pretty design than making your letter easy for me to read. Did you know that reverse type (white type on black background) makes my eyes hurt? Are you trying to cram more words on the page by using a small font size? Look, I'm probably older. I wear bifocals. Design means nothing if I can't read your letter.
You will want to get over your fear of "tacky" too. Help me pick out the important parts of your letter by underlining key words and phrases, or even highlighting them or using bold text. I won't mind at all. I like to skim your letter. Help me do it.
8. You didn't appreciate me. First, you didn't acknowledge that I've been giving to you for the last two years. Second, you never said how kind and caring I am, and that's why you know I'll want to make this gift too. Yes, flatter me. Tell me that you know I care and that's why you are writing to me.
There are other reasons I might not respond to your fundraising letter, but these are my main complaints. I'm sure you'll do better next time.
SOURCE: Joanne Fritz Nonprofit Charitable Orgs Expert
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DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
Our firm provides the information in this e-newsletter for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax advice, accounting services, investment advice, or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, accounting, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation. Tax articles in this e-newsletter are not intended to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding accuracy-related penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The information is provided "as is," with no assurance or guarantee of completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose.
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Vantage Business Support & Insurance Services
4096 Piedmont Ave # 616/ Oakland / CA / 94611
28346 Alava / Mission Viejo / CA / 92692
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