A Look at Style: Why Nonprofit Fundraising Packages Look the Way They Do
Posted on Tue, May 18, 2010
By Chris Quillian, VP Graphic Design
We do a lot of fundraising direct mail packages for nonprofit organizations. The marketing style that tends to be effective for them is one with a personal touch. This means rubber stamps, handwritten notes and highlighting things of interest. It also means telling people how their donation can help. The complete opposite of this style is advertising, which tends to be more sales-y and flashy. It gives more attention to the product or service and tells people how it can help them.
So, you may ask, what if fundraising mail looked like advertising mail? Would shiny envelopes with elaborate Photoshopped graphics get people to open them? Maybe ... but most likely not. Would language like “Special Offer” or “New and Improved” give people a warm, fuzzy, feeling? Definitely not. The reason fundraising mail looks the way it does is because people tend to want to open things that look important or personal. They want to hear what THEY can do to help. They do not want to feel like their donation is being wasted on, well ... advertising.
When it comes to the two types of mail, it’s fairly easy to tell them apart. Advertising mail tends to be image and graphic heavy, while the fundraising mail keeps things simple and, well, direct. Both styles are equally effective, when done correctly. Here are some of the basic differences between the two styles:
- Advertising mail spends money to make money.
- Fundraising mail is done on a limited budget to keep the money for the cause.
- Advertising mail uses four-color photos and coated (glossy) paper stocks to promote their products.
- Fundraising mail occasionally use photos (often black and white) to help set a mood.
- Advertising mail uses words and phrases like “Special” or “Guaranteed Now” to add sales punch.
- Fundraising mail uses words and phrases like “Your Response is Required” or “Please Help Today” to give power to the donors.
- Advertising mail sometimes uses special techniques, like pop-ups or die cuts to add a “wow” factor to the product.
- Fundraising mail uses standard formats, like a plain white #10 envelope, to keep the focus on the issue.
- Advertising mail talks to you by promoting deals and features of the product or service.
- Nonprofit fundraising mail wants to hear from you ... Usually in the form of a donation and/or a petition.
These are just a few differences between advertising and nonprofit mail styles. Have you noticed others? Please feel free to add your own.
