Locating the best names for your mailing is complicated and best left to experienced list brokers. Alan works with these brokers on your behalf to find your ideal donors.

As you know, the single most important factor in determining your success in direct mail donor acquisition is your list. A poor letter mailed to a great list will generate a response. But a terrific letter mailed to the wrong people will generate zero.

Alan Sharpe is a direct mail fundraising copywriter, consultant and coach. He helps your development department run a successful direct mail fundraising program year after year. And that, naturally, includes finding, renting, testing and evaluating lists for you.

Before you rent a list of names and drop a direct mail acquisition package in the mail, Alan works with you to examine the potential donors on your list. He makes sure they are good prospects for a donation today—and tomorrow.

In Alan's book, potential donors need to meet at least three criteria:

1. have the capacity to make a donation now
2. have an interest in your cause or the people you help
3. stand a good chance of making repeated donations

How Alan helps you

• find new lists
• identify profitable segments on unlikely lists
• help you create a matrix for testing your mailing against other lists
• negotiate the best prices for you with the list owner
• rent lists
• recommend other media (such as email) to consider testing
• make sure the list gets to the lettershop on time
• evaluate your response rates, gift income and other results
• reduce your list costs by exchanging your donor list with suitable
  non-profit organizations
• clean your list by removing duplicate names
• make your list more accurate by comparing it against the National Change of Address database
• manage invoicing for lists you rent

If you need help planning and executing a comprehensive direct mail fundraising program that attracts donors, builds relationships and retains donors, talk to Alan.

Ready to move ahead?