Double your income! This post is part of a series on specific steps you can take to meaningfully increase your fundraising revenue. This is part 2.

It’s easy to say “Spend more to get more.” But what exactly should you spend more to do?

Last week we looked at a case study of an appeal that spent nearly $10 per pack on the top donors, while spending less on lower donors.

This week, we’ll look a range of ideas for increasing your investment on high-end donors.

The goal of spending more isn’t just to spend more. Just because it costs more doesn’t mean it’s a good idea likely to improve your results!

When you think about what might improve a direct mail campaign, it helps to keep in mind the two main challenges of fundraising:

1. Getting people’s attention: This is the hard part! Our donors live in a world saturated with messages from people trying to get their attention.
2. Moving people to action: Even once you get their attention, you still need to give them reasons to donate.

Those are the two areas you should be spending extra money on. Starting with the most important piece in any direct mail pack:

The Outer Envelope

Testing is clear: The outer envelope is the most impactful element in any direct mail kit. If it doesn’t get noticed and opened, it really doesn’t matter how amazing everything else might be.

• Larger size. There’s really nothing wrong with the standard #10 envelope. But larger sizes can stand out in the mailbox.
• Smaller size. Going smaller than the standard size can also help an envelope stand out.
• Unusual paper stock. Any envelope that isn’t standard white stock stands out, textured, anything – if it’s unusual, it is more noticeable. I’ve fielded a number long-lasting control packs that had only one thing different from the control: unusual stock.
• Surprising teasers. What can you put on an envelope that’s highly unexpected? Try weird rubberstamps that say unexpected things like LETTER ENCLOSED. Or markings that make it look like something or someone has done something with it along the way. (I’ve had great success with envelopes that only had a “coffee ring” printed on the front or back!)
• Postage. The type of postage you use has some impact on response, but maybe not as much as you might think. But the way you use postage can have real impact. The greatest of all is to send your pack in a pre-printed Priority Mail envelope – the kind the post office sells, including the postage. The cost for this is high, but the impact is big!

You can also give the outer envelope extra weight or lumpiness by what you put inside it:

• Something that’s thicker than usual. One of the best I’ve ever seen was in a mailing from a hospital that was raising money for its neonatal unit. In the envelope was a stocking hat for premature babies – something so tiny it was kind of shocking to see. And it made the envelope lumpy.
• Something heavier than paper. How about a fridge magnet?
• Something that makes a sound. A packet of seeds adds a whole new sensory dimension to the envelope.

Also, consider sending a small package rather than an envelope.

Handwriting, high-touch elements, and the letter

For your very top donors, you can have human beings write on and assemble the pack. Things like:

• Address it by hand.
• Hand sign.
• Add handwritten notes.
• Paperclip the elements together.
• Put it all in a folder.

Lifts

A lift is anything you add to a direct mail pack to “lift” response. They can really work. One of the surprising things about lifts is this: The more, the merrier. Really. You can hardly have “too many” lifts in a direct mail pack, and when we’re talking about top donors, you can afford more than usual! Here are some lift ideas:

• Extra letter: This is the classic lift piece, usually a message from a different person than the main signer. Maybe someone with direct connection to the frontlines of the work, describing the urgency of the situation. (It’s usually a good idea to put the lift on a different size of paper.)
• Added sticky note on the letter.
• Internal paperwork. Print-out of an email from someone in the organization to the president. A budget sheet. Anything that looks genuine and tells the story. (And it’s okay if these are a little on the “boring” side. As long as they look real.
• Photo(s). Printed like “real” photos, showing one or more aspects of the situation, maybe before and after images.
• Letter from a beneficiary. A reproduced letter from a child is especially powerful!
• Map: A real go-to that just works every time. It can be a map of anything – maybe a close-up map of where the donor’s gift will go to work, maybe a floorplan or cross section.
• Keepsake for the donor. What would the donor enjoy keeping? A magnet with an inspiring saying. A bookmark. A small craft item. A small, meaningful booklet. Just make sure it’s relevant.
• Bouncebacks: This is a whole category of lifts – things you might ask the donor to sign and send back. A get-well or thinking-of-you card.

Return envelope

Making the return envelope stand out can improve response. Use a paper stock other than white. Include an urgency-boosting teaser (like “PLEASE RUSH.”) And, most impactful of all: live first-class postage in a variety of denominations.

One thing not to add to your direct mail pack

A brochure. They almost always suppress response.

All these ideas cost money. Some of them quite a bit.

But that’s the point, really. Spend more to get more.

Next week we’ll look at some things you can do outside of direct mail to boost response to a campaign.

Your critical year-end fundraising is just around the corner. How’d you like to DOUBLE your income from that campaign? Find out how at our all-new webinar, Double Your Year-End Donations Without Spending More. Sean Triner will lay out the complete plan that can dramatically boost your income this year!

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

Related Blog Posts:

• What Your Direct Mail is Like for Real People
• 7 Ways to Encourage Your Donors to Upgrade Their Giving
• Want More Fundraising Revenue? Give Donors a Personalised Experience!