Run a Successful Direct Mail
Fundraising Program

Learn the proven, step-by-step process for raising funds and friends cost effectively, year after year.

How to acquire new donors each year
Where to find lists of potential donors
How to save money on acquisition mailings through testing
Why you must mail a welcome kit (and what happens if you don't)
When you must mail your thank-you letters to avoid losing donors
How to get that vital second gift from new donors
How to upgrade donors to higher gift levels
Easy ways to reduce your donor attrition rates
Why the most important letter in fundraising never asks for money

Date: Friday, September 29, 2006
Time: 9 am to 4 pm
Location: Richmond, British Columbia. Best Western Richmond Hotel and Convention Centre.
Presenter: Alan Sharpe, President, Raiser Sharpe
Early Bird Price: $179 before September 14, 2006—a $50 saving
Regular Price: $229 after September, 2006
Register: Click here.

This workshop is one of two that Alan Sharpe is delivering back-to-back in Richmond only. The other one is on Thursday, 28 September (the day before this one), at the same location. It's called Novel Fundraising Letters. Read the details here.

Learn the Insider Secrets of Running a Profitable Annual Fundraising Letter Program.

Running a successful annual fundraising letter program is getting harder by the week. There are more non-profit organizations today than there were a week ago. And competition for your donor’s dollar is increasing—along with costs of printing and postage.

And yet direct mail fundraising remains one of the most cost-effective ways to raise funds. Many non-profit organizations depend on the mail for over 50% of their contributed income each year.

Over the years, successful direct mail fundraisers have discovered that the route to results lies in following some time-tested principles. You'll learn them during this one-day workshop.

how direct mail fundraising works
why you should plan to lose money on your acquisition mailings (and why your board shouldn't mind)
four goals of every renewal fundraising letter
response rates, net profit, cost to raise a dollar and other vital signs of your success
key steps you must follow every year to retain donors
why donors give—and what makes them stop

Workshop materials

You'll leave this workshop with a soundly researched workbook that contains step-by-step, practical guidelines for using the vital skills you've just learned.

A special message from your trainer . . .

Dear fundraising professional,

How can you raise money with direct mail when you never seem to have enough hours in your day—or money in your budget—to do the job properly? You need a plan. A step-by-step plan that helps you save time, reduce costs and still meet your fundraising goals.

During this eye-opening one-day workshop you'll learn the tested methods that leading charities use to raise money through the mail.

You'll learn the mistakes to avoid, the best practices to implement today, and the tips, techniques and shortcuts that you can use for years to come. See you at the workshop! Register now.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Sharpe, President
Raiser Sharpe

Remember: If you're tired of never having enough time or budget to run a professional direct mail fundraising program, or if you simply want to take your program to the next level, this is the workshop for you. You'll arrive back at work with the tools you need to raise funds and friends cost-effectively, year after year. Register Now.

Workshop Outline

Why direct mail is so powerful

how direct mail should integrate with your annual campaign
the three goals of your direct mail program
why you need to plan one program, not many campaigns
why direct mail fundraising is different from other methods
why professional direct mail fundraisers know 12 months ahead of time what they are going to mail
the hazards of mailing a number of unrelated packages each year (and how to avoid them)

How to acquire new donors

why you likely lose more than 15% of your donors each year
why you need an annual plan for attracting new supporters and members
where to look for new donors
how to rent or borrow mailing lists to acquire supporters
how to avoid disaster (and the wrath of your board) by testing a list
how and when to thank new donors so they stay with you

Anatomy of a successful acquisition package

tips, insider secrets and proven tactics from a national charity
seven tips for creating a compelling mailing envelope
observations, recommendations and criticisms of an acquisition letter to help you produce winning acquisition letters
premiums, and why you should use them (maybe)
five tips about writing effective buckslips
how to write and design an effective reply device

How to renew your donors

what donors say they need from you before they'll mail you another donation
why newsletters are so effective at renewing donors
four goals of every renewal letter
first-time donors need a reason to repeat their generosity—learn what that reason is
how to involve your donors so they'll give again
the vital role that thank-you letters play in donor renewal
how to recover lapsed donors

Testing, tracking and analyzing with confidence

discover the most important number to track in direct mail fundraising
what to code in each mailing so you capitalize on your successes—and don't repeat your mistakes
how to segment your database so that you encourage larger gifts
eight vital ways to measure your direct mail fundraising success
how to budget for a typical mailing

Planning your year

the best times to mail during the year
how often you should mail
what you should mail, minimum
what a typical year's worth of mailings looks like

What others are saying about your instructor

Comments from participants at Alan's 2004 direct mail fundraising workshop in Winnipeg, on direct mail fundraising letter writing, quoted verbatim from their Workshop Feedback Forms:

"Most helpful seminar of the session" (anonymous).
"Great tips for creative and effective communication" (anonymous).
"Thanks for the great tips. Very applicable, practical" (Jessica B.).
"Just what I needed" (Brian T.).
"Terrific! Very beneficial" (anonymous).
"Very practical and useful. Thanks" (anonymous).
"Well done. Most informative" (anonymous).
"Very helpful" (Len S.).
"Very good! Well worth repeating! Very practical and user-friendly" (Graham G.).

Comments from participants at Alan's 2005 direct mail fundraising workshop in Mississauga, quoted verbatim from their Workshop Feedback Forms:

"Excellent! A lot of food for thought + application. Very energizing!" (Diane P.).
"The workshop was great. The room was inadequate to accommodate the audience. Choose a better room for this speaker." (anonymous).
"Very useful information." (anonymous).
"Very much enjoyed the high energy, interactive, informative session." (Keren K.).
"Excellent session. Very useful." (anonymous).
"Excellent practical tips! I was jotting down opening sentences all session long." Avril H.).

Another reason to attend Run a Successful Direct Mail Fundraising Program . . .

Your trainer, Alan Sharpe

Alan Sharpe didn’t discover that he wanted to write fundraising letters for a living until he had first fought in the Falklands War, travelled with the circus, lived in a snowhole, taught children with disabilities how to downhill ski and lived in Jane Fonda's old house in Paris.

Today, Alan helps non-profit organizations worldwide to raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using cost-effective, compelling, creative fundraising letters. His clients include Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity and Medic Alert.

As a seminar leader and mentor, Alan coaches executive directors and directors of development to craft engaging, warm appeal letters that win the hearts and minds of their donors.

Alan’s popular email newsletter, Direct Mail Fundraising Today, is read weekly by professional fundraisers worldwide.

Alan served as Director of Development and Communications for two international non-profits, where he was responsible for strategic planning, annual direct mail fundraising campaigns, major giving, planned giving, major events, publicity and other enjoyable headaches. He lives and works in the other London (the one in Ontario, Canada).

Alan's teaching style is energetic, fun, helpful and memorable.

Workshop Timetable

09:00 to 10:00 Session One
10:00 to 10:10 Break
10:10 to 11:00 Session Two
11:00 to 11:10 Break
11:10 to 12:00 Session Three
12:00 to 12:45 Lunch
12:45 to 13:45 Session Four
13:45 to 13:55 Break
13:55 to 14:45 Session Five
14:45 to 14:55 Break
14:55 to 16:00 Session Six

Each workshop session includes time for questions and discussion.

Come prepared to learn by doing!

There are individual, small-group and class exercises to help you gain the most practical, take-away value from each session.

Details

Cancellations
You may cancel at any time for any reason up to the day of the workshop and receive a refund minus a $25 service fee. We have to pay someone else a fee to register you and to process your credit card payment. The $25 service fee that we levy covers these expenses that we must incur on your behalf.

Lifetime guarantee
Apply the techniques and skills you learn in this workshop. If you're not 100% satisfied with your results, tell us in writing and we'll refund your entire fee immediately.

Location
Best Western Richmond Hotel and Convention Centre
7551 Westminster Highway
Richmond, BC V6X 1A3 Canada
Phone: 604-273-7878
Toll-free: 1-800-669-0299
Fax: 604-278-0188
www.richmond-hotel.ca

Meals and snacks
Coffee, soft drinks and water are available throughout the workshop at no charge. Lunch is on your own, at any of the nearby restaurants.

Parking
The hotel has plenty of parking spaces at no charge.

Questions
Phone our workshop hotline at 1 877 742-7732 or write to us at

Registration
Register for this workshop here.

Recording
This workshop is fully copyrighted. What you see and hear and hear is the property of Raiser Sharpe. No audio or video recordings are allowed.

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Alan Sharpe Consulting, Inc.
1 Herlan Avenue
Kitchener, Ontario N2G 2C4 Canada

www.raisersharpe.com |

Workshop details

Run a Successful Direct Mail Fundraising Program