The purpose and value of long letters
All fundraising communications should be approached with your objectives as the first consideration. From here, identifying the target audience and understanding their needs and being respectful to them as individuals shape the form of the communication. Pareto Fundraising’s recommended approach to all donor communications is that they are developed as part of a long-term supporter relationship management plan aiming to develop the one-to-one relationships you have with your donors. For test results and case study example click here
Your organisations target audience
For direct mail appeals and acquisition you should have a clear audience for your organisation. For example you may know that your donors are (using information gathered from a warm donor survey):
- 65+, retired, home owners who like reading and gardening, playing bowls and golf. They support your organisation because they are passionate about the work that you do.
- The publications they read include Good Weekend, Australian Geographic, Better Homes and Gardens.
- They listen to 3AW and watch ABC and 60 minutes. All of which present long format information and stories.
Your supporters have told you:
“I do not use the computer … I prefer snail mail, I handle all donations”
“I think that the work you do is outstanding, I cannot fault your communication”
In summary your donors are older – they like the mail, they sit down and read it, they like a good story. They need at least 12 point font. They need a clear message and for giving to be made as easy as possible (less thinking/decision making).
And while there will be different kinds of readers in your audience – long letters are OK for all of them:
- Those that throw unopened envelope away – the length of letter is irrelevant;
- Those that read only beginning and ending – the length of letter is irrelevant;
- Skimmers can pick up more points from a longer letter; and
- Passionate readers love long letters.
Short letters don’t work for the last two groups. Along letter must contain some key elements to make it work well. These key elements are detailed below – letter length is the consequence of the personalised communication approach Pareto Fundraising has developed, tested and found success with for over 65 charities worldwide.
The letter should be as long as it needs to be to tell a story and make it compelling:
- Real story with a beginning, middle and end;
- Case study, real life;
- Short sentences; and
- Short paragraphs
The letter should include:
- A clear message:
o Problem, solution, what I am asking you to do today; and
o Linked to the story (interwoven) - Clear and repeated ask
- Personalisation
o Make the recipient feel like an individual not a number
o More than just name and address - Deadline & Target (where relevant and real)
There is no formula for the actual length – four page, five page, six page. What we know from writing over 200 appeal packs in the past seven years in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and North America (with staff having written packs in the UK and Europe in their careers) is that you need to tell a compelling, human story, presenting a clear message and ask. This generally not possible in a two page letter – testing and trialling have proven this time and again.
In fact, in communicating a key appeal for one Victorian client, Sean Triner (co-founder of Pareto Fundraising) once wrote a letter for an organisation he volunteered with (and not a Pareto Fundraising client) that was over a dozen pages long. The letter achieved nearly 50 percent response and the highest average donation the organisation had ever received.
