5 Ways to Personalize Direct Mail

Most organizations begin a campaign of any form with a mailout. It puts information in donors' hands and it can be a small ice breaker before makign a 'cold call' later.

At this point, take the personal touch with as many of your potential donors as possible. Here are a few ways:

1. Write the note by hand

For your already commited and significant donors this sends a special message about how important they are to you. It also makes your approach stand out. Do the same for donors who may not yet be commited but you are targeting, or perhaps just people that you kow already. Use special note paper too.

2. Add a short handwritten note to your form-letter.

You can't write every note by hand (can you?), so the next best thing for donors you have some connection with is to add a short note to the merged letter that you are sending. It lets donors know that you're thinking of them.

3. Personalize the salutation.

In combination with #2, of instead of it for donors you know - but may not have the time for writing a personal note - peresonalize the salutation in the merged letter. There are two ways of doing this:

a) omit the Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith altogether and write it in by hand
b) a simple one-line cross out of name in the salutation (leaving the "Dear") and write in the names of the recipient by hand...first names for people you know well.

4. Sign the letter by hand.

You really should do this one simple thing for as many as you possibly can. Computer inserted signatures, even in different colours as some now do, still stand out as obviously impersonal. You can sign hundreds if not thousands of letters if you make it a priority.

5. Personalize the envelope

Hand write the address if possible, or perhaps add a word or two to the outside to make it clear that it is from you for donors who you are familiar with. This may be one of the most often overlooked aspects of personalization - but most important. If your envelope looks too much like a fundraising attempt, or too corporate, it may never get opened in the first place.