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The following ideas and solutions demonstrate how an emotional copy platform
can work for not-for-profit applications. However, this same approach
could be taken for those of you in the for-profit industry as
well.
Emotional Copy Gets Big Donations
for Non-profits
Your mailings must be visually appealing, and a picture may be
worth a thousand words. But a few passion-stirring, need-identifying
phrases can be worth much more to you. You want to grab and hold
the attention of your contributors, and you'll do that best with
powerful, thought-provoking, action-demanding headlines, subheads,
copy blocks and letters. Don't forget the letters.
Want a strong copy platform for your next campaign? Build it
using some of the proven emotional drivers: anger, exclusivity,
fear, greed, guilt and salvation, to name the most effective.
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"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for
you; ask what you can do for your country."
Do you suppose people would have been as inclined to raise their
hands, run off and join the Peace Corps and volunteer enthusiastically
at home if President Kennedy had revised his speech to read: "Okay,
I've got a list of things here I'd like to see get done. Anyone?
Anyone?"
The fact is, emotional copy gets the greatest response for non-profit
appeals.
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Guilt Works for Curative Care Network
Recently, Southeastern Wisconsin residents received an appeal from
Curative Care Network, a Milwaukee-based organization providing services
that improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities or limited
capacities.
 The
design combined guilt as the copy platform and imagery that tugs at
the heart. The number 10 mailer featured a snapshot of Pollie, a child
with a number of medical and developmental challenges. We placed her
image on the outer envelope with the following teaser copy:
Pollie is living proof …
You can make a difference, right here in Milwaukee!
And again on page one of our personalized 8-1/2" x 14" letter,
donor reply form attached, with a moving quote from her mother: "The Curative therapists motivated
us to keep going because they cared
as much about our daughter as we did." --Pollie's Mother
The letter began:
It's caring and generous
people like you who make this world a better place.
When you hear of an opportunity to get involved and help people, you
do what you can.
And people did. The mailing was a huge success for Curative, with donations
received totaling more than four times the cost of the mailing.
It was effective, emotionally driven copy and photos that got folks to
open their hearts and checkbooks.
Consider the Timing and Tone of Your Emotional Appeal
 Be
warned. A negative experience with copy that "plays"
with emotions could backfire. For example, a package arrived at my home
on September 24, 2001 from "Feed the Children," headquartered
in Oklahoma.
The canary yellow, number 10 window envelope had no return address
(this was before the Anthrax terror) with the stamp-like copy "Priority
Delivery Requested" across the back.
Still filled with anxiety and anger over the 9/11 attacks on America,
I read the opening lines of the matching "Urgent Report" memo
from Larry Jones, president of the organization, and immediately became
upset.
It was addressed to my wife:
| TO: |
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MARIA JOHNSON |
| FROM: |
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LARRY JONES, PRESIDENT |
| RE: |
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TERROR IN AMERICA |
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JUST BEFORE 9 AM THE FIRST PLANE SMASHED INTO THE WORLD TRADE
CENTER.
THEN A SECOND. |
My immediate reaction was that someone was playing off my post-9/11
fears and taking advantage of the ongoing crisis situation in America.
I felt uncomfortable, to say the least, angry to say the most.
I have since tried to contact "Feed The Children" to learn
how this package performed. There's been no response yet. If one of
the other emotional drivers had been employed -- guilt, perhaps -- I'm
confident this effort would have resulted in a higher response. It was
simply too soon to be using the tragedy of September 11 as a lead-in.
An emotional copy platform using a driver like fear can move us to respond
NOW or, in anger, walk to the nearest wastebasket.
Lapsed Donors Aren't Necessarily "Lost" |
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It's not easy to acquire new contributors these days. And it's
even more of a challenge to keep them active. Here are three proven
direct mail strategies that you might want to test on your lapsed
donors:
1. Mail them the same package again.
Think about mailing them the same package they responded to the
first time. Yes, you read that correctly. The recipients of this
re-run have already proven the strength of your original creative;
remailing this package may be the most effective way to get them
into a contributed state of mind again. No kidding, it has worked
for other non-profit organizations.
2. Study response patterns.
Do an in-depth study of your lapsed donor file to determine if
there are patterns that might allow you to segment these folks.
Perhaps some recipients would contribute only when you sent premium
appeals. Maybe you heard from others only when you sent oversized
mailings, or involvement devices. And others might have donated
only at certain times of the year, or when you promoted support
of a specific program or cause. The more you can learn about the
giving habits of your donors, the more wisely and effectively
(and economically) you can approach them.
3. Keep them informed.
You know that glossy, colorful, expensive annual report your organization
produces, the piece that relatively few people see each year?
Turn it into a direct mail-friendly brochure to send to your entire
donor base. Let your contributors see where their donations are
going; remind them with copy and compelling photographs of the
good work your organization is doing. Of course, ask for another
gift with your enclosed letter (remember the letter!). You may
be pleasantly surprised by the results.
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Above all, to thy donors be true. Address the people who support your
organization with complete honesty, humility and gratitude. Speak to
them with sincere feeling and you'll get the response you want.
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