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Tip
of the Month
The Little Message: penny-wise and pound-foolish
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April, 2003 |
"You can help more by placing a stamp here." How often have you seen that message on a Business Reply Envelope (BRE)?
Fundraisers love that little message. Trouble is, in my experience, it doesn't work. It's a case of being penny-wise, wishing to save the cost of returned BRE's, and being pound-foolish, losing response percentage and average donation.
If you test types of reply envelopes I bet you'll find, as I have, that a BRE with a message will net you less than any of the alternatives. The best response will almost always be from a return envelope with a live stamp on it. But - and it's a big but - this won't be cost-effective for any but your highest donors. In the past, a BRE would always beat a plain return envelope ("put your stamp here") but this isn't always the case today. I suggest a BRE as a standard, but be sure to test a plain envelope against it. And the BRE with a message, however stated - always finishes dead last in response and return.
Why? Well, remember that ours is an applied, not pure, science. I don't know, it just works out that way.
By all means test it yourself and be sure to let me know if you get different results, but I don't think you will.
So while copying something you see over and over again in direct response usually makes sense ("it must be working") it doesn't here. Forget the message.
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Steve Thomas, CFRE
Chairman, Creative Director
Stephen Thomas
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Past Tips
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May, 2006 |
Data Management and Hygiene Tips |
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November, 2005 |
Top 10 Common Mistakes in Acquisition |
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July, 2003 |
Summer tests |
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June, 2003 |
Take advantage of those slow summer months! |
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May, 2003 |
Are You Violating Your Online Privacy Policy? |
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April, 2003 |
The Little Message: penny-wise and pound-foolish |
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March, 2003 |
Newsletter as Fundraising Tool |
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February, 2003 |
Member vs. Donor |
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January, 2003 |
Live stamps vs. indicia |
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May, 2002 |
Ask for Free Lists |
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April, 2002 |
Should You Suppress Deceased Donors From Your Database? |
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March, 2002 |
Three Proven Strategies to Reach Lapsed Donors |
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February, 2002 |
Postal Sorting Tip |
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January, 2002 |
Piggyback Your Test Package Onto A Larger Run of Someone Else's Roll Out |
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November, 2001 |
Identify yourself on the outer envelope |
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November, 2001 |
Add a lift note to your year-end appeal |
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May, 2001 |
Promote Planned Giving at Tax Time |
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April, 2001 |
Convert your annual report into a brochure |
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March, 2001 |
Welcome Package |
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February, 2001 |
Tips for Reinstating Lapsed Donors |
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January, 2001 |
Look at your package with fresh eyes |
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December, 2000 |
Successful Online Holiday Appeal |
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November, 2000 |
Undeliverable? NOT! |
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October, 2000 |
Learn Before You Leap |
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September, 2000 |
Select Nth Names for Prospect Creative Tests |
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August, 2000 |
Use a Double Control Periodically When Testing |
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Utilize those summer months! |
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| Upcoming
Events |
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September 29, 2010 |
Meet the Winners of the 2010 Package of the Year Awards! More
info...
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