Direct Mail Fundraising Success Depends on a Strong Case for Support

The secret to raising funds with direct mail appeal letters is not found in what you say or in how you say it but in why you say it.

Success is found not in technique but in truth. The truth of your case for support. That’s why, before you write a word of your fundraising letter you must state your case for why a donor should support you. I am not talking about a “case for need.” In donor-centered fundraising there is no such bird. Your needs are immaterial. What’s important to your donors is why they should support you. Their needs come first, not your’s.

Your case for support is simply the logical case that you make to your donor for supporting your organization with a donation today. The stronger your case, the stronger the response you can expect to receive to your direct mail appeal. An effective case statement meets three criteria. It must be compelling, credible and clear.

Be Compelling
The first goal of your case for financial support is to present a problem that demands a solution. Your donor must see your problem, your challenge, your goal, as one that is, in a word, compelling. The shortfall in your Annual Fund is compelling to your chief financial officer but not to your donors. A good case is not about dollars. It’s about the difference those dollars make in lives changed.

Be Credible
Your donor must believe that the problem that needs funding is solvable. And that your organization has the people and expertise to solve it. Donors must believe that the money they contribute is a necessary part of the solution. They must believe that their gift will be meaningful and worthwhile. Maybe that’s why The Flat Earth Society, which has been “Deprogramming the masses since 1547,” does not rely on direct mail to raise funds.

Be Clear
You must make a clear connection between the need you are addressing and how the donor’s gift will meet that need. Don’t spend all your ink on describing the problem. And don’t use your quota of exclamation points pleading for “support.” Donors need a reason to give. Money follows mission. And the clearer your link is between your mission and their money, the more likely your donors are to respond with a gift.

“There is simply no substitute for a nonprofit having a clear and compelling reason to exist, presented concisely and persuasively,” says Kent Dove in his book, Conducting a Successful Fundraising Program. So spend time and money and effort preparing your case for support. You can’t raise funds without it. Not for long, anyway.

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