It was our second-ever direct mail appeal for a new client (these things always seem to happen with new clients). The first appeal was at the printer, and we had a good head-start on #2.

The two appeals were very different: Different offers, different specs, different approach. (Basically, we were trying to show off to the new client how versatile we were.)

We were feeling pretty good. The work was strong, we were ahead of schedule, and everyone was happy. A few weeks later, the first appeal showed up in mailboxes. Yay!

A few weeks later, right on schedule for the second mailing, mailing #1 arrived.

Yep. The first appeal came again.

Gulp.

It turned out the someone at the printer had, despite all the normal quality control checks, printed and mailed #1 instead of #2. The exact same appeal. Again. Same date and all.

Recriminations flew. The client threatened to fire us. We threatened to fire the printer. The printer no doubt threatened to fire the person who made the error. (And that person probably threatened to fire their dog!)

Then results to the mailings started to come in. Mailing #1 did pretty well. Not great, but decent.

Next, things got weird. Results for mailing #2 came in, and they were better than Mailing #1. A lot better. Not just okay like the first time, but very, very good.

The exact same letter, sent again, including the date nearly a month old.

Mistakes are no fun. But when they’re like that, the sting is a lot less.

The lesson: Repetition is not necessarily a problem in fundraising.

I’ve seen similar things many times. The second (or third, or fourth) time a fundraising campaign goes out works just as well – and sometimes – better.

Which has got to be good news for overworked fundraisers. You can re-use previous campaigns.

Any time you’ve got success on your hands, do it again!

The most common place for this is campaigns that you do every year, like your Year End appeal. Did it go well? Don’t reinvent it. Do it again. Change things that should be changed, like the date, or any content that isn’t still current.

I’ve worked with organizations that just kept sending almost-identical year end appeals year after year, and got consistently good results.

It doesn’t always go that way. Sometimes an appeal works a few times, then fades. In that case, it’s time to re-invent.

But on the whole, you should only re-invent fundraising messages when you have to, as when it didn’t work well last time, or conditions have rendered it irrelevant in some way. Repeats of success are more likely to work than not.

Here are some other proven ways to make repetition work for you and save you time:

New Donor Welcome Appeal

One of the best ways to get the most from your work is this: For new donors, send an appeal that is nearly identical appeal that brought then on board. That is the most successful “New Donor Welcome” I’ve yet seen. Think of it: You know very little about new donors, other than that they said YES to a particular appeal.

Sending that proven winner to the people it won with is not just time-saving, it’s smart.

Stories

Getting good stories for fundraising can be a real challenge. If you have a story that is really working for you, don’t be afraid to use it again.

1. Tell the rest of the story: In your appeal, tell the story right up to the point of crisis, and then ask the donor to give. Don’t tell them how the story ends (even though you probably already know how it ended). Then, in your thank you letter or newsletter, tell the second half of the same story. The success that donors helped make possible. Remind them: “I told you about Michael recently. Here’s what happened when friends like you stepped forward with your generosity…”
2. Recycle stories. Had a really excellent story in last year’s Year End Appeal? Consider telling that same story again. I have never seen a downside to repeating a story. Donors largely don’t notice — I mean, really, do you think they paid that much attention and remember things like that a year later?

Photos

Appropriate photos can be as much of a challenge to get as stories. Use the good ones more than once. In fact, sometimes a particularly effective photo can become a sort of “fundraising icon” that captures the essence of your cause and becomes an effective reminder through repetition.

Offers

Some organizations have a lot of offers. It may be because they have a variety of programs. If most of your variety of offers are working, that’s great.

But you don’t need a variety of offers for the sake of variety.  Some organizations have one basic offer that they use over and over again – creating variety by pairing the offer with different stories and different contexts. When that works (and it often does) there’s nothing wrong with it!

Reusing your best material is a real win-win for fundraisers. You save time – sometimes a lot of it – and you can improve overall results.

So go out there are start reusing!

Looking for more ways to save time and raise more money? Our members have access to time-saving templates, checklists, tools, and expert guidance – all designed to make their job easier and their fundraising more effective. Join The Fundraisingology Lab waitlist for access to these powerful resources – and discover how to work smarter, reduce stress, and keep your donors coming back.

Please share your experience by leaving your reply below. We’d love to learn from your experience.

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