By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
I was handed a challenge last week. If I am brave enough I will accept it.
I taught a class at a college in Toronto. The professor invited me to teach his students about direct mail fundraising envelopes. So I spoke at length and, with examples, class participation, question-and-answer sessions, brainstorming and group exercises, taught the basics of envelope dimensions, indicias, envelope teaser copy, envelope graphics and more. The students were engaging and creative. We had a hoot.
At the end of the class, after I had shown dozens of examples of oversize envelopes, four-colour envelopes, envelopes with teaser copy on both sides and plenty of other creative carriers, the professor, as we parted company, remarked casually that Mal Warwick (direct mail fundraising consultant and author of “Testing, Testing, 1-2-3, Revolution in the Mailbox and How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters), had been the class lecturer a few weeks before, by phone. “In Mal Warwick’s opinion,” said the professor, “a plain Number 10 envelope often generates a higher response rate than an envelope that uses graphics or teaser copy.”
Sure enough, on Mal’s website, at https://www.malwarwick.com/mals- corner/askmal/production-pst.html, he says, “Often the least use of color and graphics is most advantageous in fundraising mail. Time and again, I’ve seen flashy, beautifully designed packages draw substantially lower response than the simplest, most straightforward and businesslike letters.”
I receive direct mail fundraising appeals from over a dozen non-profits, and only one of them consistently sends me a plain envelope with no teaser and no graphics. All of the others try with each mailing to tease me or persuade me or provoke me into opening their envelopes.
I believe that if every charity mailed Plain Jane envelopes, someone would generate a higher response rate by using teaser copy. And, contrarywise, if everyone uses teaser and images on their envelopes, someone will likely generate a higher response by using a plain envelope.
So which pulls better, an outer envelope dressed in the fashions of the day or a naked envelope? If I have the courage, and the approval of the board, I will test this with my next mailing. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, if you’d like to see over a hundred ways to add variety to your direct mail fundraising carriers, read: 101 Irresistible Direct Mail Fundraising Envelopes. Borrow inspiration from the ingenuity and daring of more than 70 non-profit organizations. This is an electronic book delivered by mail on a CD-ROM in Adobe Acrobat format. |
 Handbook Number 18Boost Your Response Rates and Income with Simply Irresistible Fundraising Letter Envelopes. Learn from 22 examples of fundraising letter packages that really push the envelope. |
