1. Sandy Rees, CFRE October 12, 2010

2. Direct mail is sending a letter with the focused message to a targeted list of people, with the express purpose of eliciting a response in the form of a financial donation. In other words, you send a letter to get a monetary gift. (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

3. 1. Plan for success. 2. Write the Letter & Format the Package 3. Choose your Mailing List 4. Thank your donors & Measure success (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

4. Cost effective way to introduce your cause to others Educate people about your work Offers people the chance to give Renew and build relationships with donors (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

5. People who care about your work People who purchase stuff from catalogs What else? Not everyone gives through the mail (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

6. Direct mail is not an end-all, be-all. It is ONE piece of a comprehensive fundraising program. (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

7. Response rate Renewal mailing Acquisition mailing (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

8. 1. The list 2. The offer 3. Timing 4. Package 5. Letter (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

9. You might be ready for direct mail if: People in the community are aware of your organization. You have a simple, easy-to-understand mission. You have a list (even a small one) of people who care about your work You’re prepared to spend some time stuffing envelopes or have the resources to outsource You have money budgeted for postage or printing (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

11. What goals do you have for direct mail? Dollars raised Dollars spent Number of donors renewed Number of donors acquired Response rate Return on Investment (ROI) (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

12. Some months are better than others for mailing. Best: October, September, November Worst: June, July How often will you mail? 1 time isn’t enough More than 4 is probably too many (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

13. Choose a theme for your letter Time of year Project Story (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

14. Once you know when you plan to mail, work backward to create a production schedule to keep everything on track. Include time for Writing the letter Reviewing the mailing list Formatting the letter Printing the letters Folding/Stuffing the letters (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

15. DateTaskResources needed Nov 1Mail lettersTrip to the Post Office Oct 30Fold, stuff, seal, stamp letters Volunteer labor, postage stamps, envelopes, printed letters Oct 28Mail-merge and print letters Data list, letterhead Oct 27Final proof of letterPeople to review the letter (Exec Director) Oct 26Mailing list reviewYour database Oct 25Format letter (and reply card) Word processing or publishing software Oct 20Write letter (and reply card) Sample letters or template Oct 15Choose themeCreativity and ideas (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

16. What will it cost you to create and send this letter? Include costs for: Design Printing & paper Postage Mailing labor What else? (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

17. ItemProjected cost Design$ Printing or paper$ Postage$ Mailing Labor (if outsourced)$ Other costs$ Total costs$ (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

18. Three key pieces of info you need: Number of pieces you will be mailing Estimated response rate Estimated Average gift size Multiply these three together to get the total estimated revenue. (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

19. Local nonprofit is mailing 1,000 letters They know that other animal shelters get an 8% response and an average gift size of $35. They anticipate: 1,000 letters x 8% response = 80 gifts 80 gifts x $35 = $2,800 (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

20. Put the projected expenses and revenue together into one document for an appeal budget. Include expenses and revenue for each mailing you plan during the year to create an annual direct mail budget. (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com

22. Raising Money Through the Mail Part 2 Thursday, October 14, 3:00 pm eastern (c) Sandy Rees, 2010 www.getfullyfunded.com