7 Copywriting Blunders in Fundraising Direct Mail

7 Copywriting Blunders in Fundraising Direct Mail

Creative direct mail is one of the most efficient and cost-effective methods of marketing for small and medium sized businesses and non-profit organizations. The main sources of funds for non-profit organizations are potential philanthropists and charities. In order to acquire funds, these organizations use direct mail for fundraising; however, there is a number of aspects that need to be considered, in order to make it effective. Most writers make some common blunders, ending up losing a lot of potential funds. Following are the common blunders that are made in fundraising direct mail.

Direct Tone

The most important factor in creative direct mail for the purpose of fundraising is the tone of the copy. Introducing the reader to the agenda at the start of the copy is a blunder as this would drive the potential reader away. The right approach is to refrain from using the direct tone and deferring the disclosure of the main agenda of the copy. Initially, the reader should be given a concise but complete background, and the purpose of the copy i.e. fundraising should be disclosed in the middle or towards the end of the copy

Lack of Conciseness

Another blunder commonly observed in fundraising direct mail is the unnecessary comprehensiveness. Although it is important that you give the readers extensive information, it should be done in a concise manner. Most of the potential donors receive a large amount of mail, and they do not have sufficient time to go through extensively long ones. Therefore, it should be ensured that the mail is kept concise without compromising the completeness of the information.

General Nature of Writing

Common and non-personal nature of writing is another mistake done by copywriters who intend to target a large database of donors through a standardized mail. Fundraising direct mail needs to be personal to some extent, and readers should be able to connect with the mail. Therefore, it is essential that the creative direct mail is customized in accordance with each reader.

Very Personal Nature of Writing

Although personal nature of writing is essential in fundraising direct mail, making it too personal may be a blunder. In that case, the reader may feel threatened with breach of privacy. It is important to know the background of the reader while developing the mail, but specifying that information in any way in the mail is not a good idea; references to reader’s financial information or previous donations should be avoided.

Lack of Essential Information

In order to convince the donor, it is highly important that an honest, complete, and concise disclosure of the major activities of the organization are provided. A donor has the right to know, how the funds will be utilized. You should provide an overview of the previous and current activities, along with a brief description of the specific activities where the prospective funds will be applied.

Lack of Information about the Organization

A potential reader donates funds in favor of the organization that are familiar to the donor. If the reader is not given sufficient information about the organization, the credibility of the creative direct mail will be impaired, and the reader will eventually ignore the request for fundraising. Therefore, it is highly important that sufficient information about the organization is given in the mail. There should also be enough leads for the reader to follow, in case more information about the organization is needed.

Lack of Creativity

Another common blunder witnessed in fundraising direct mail is the lack of creativity. A general tone will not influence the reader, and there is a high probability that the mail will be ignored. However, if the mail is written in a creative manner with varying tone and moving stories, it is bound to be highly effective.