How to shift your appeal from obligation to anticipation

How do your donors feel when they lift your branded envelope out of their letterbox? Is there a sense of joy and anticipation? Are they looking forward to reading your latest appeal letter? Or is the emotion more along the lines of receiving their latest rates notice – an obligation? 

Our letters tend to be formulaic and pointed, with the singular purpose to raise funds. Of course raising funds is critical, but what if it could be less of a chore?

What if you could make reading your letters and emails a more deeply engaging experience?

Supporters are bombarded with appeals from organisations all worthy of their donation. A good brand has already answered the question “Why should I choose you?” before a donor receives the letter.

Campaigns that stem out of a strong brand position are the ones that win out in the end. They’re not catching supporters unawares, rather the supporter already feels like such an integral part of the organisation, that the request to contribute financially seems natural.

If you haven’t first done the work to clarify, articulate and build a strong brand, you are limiting the potential of your appeals. This work happens slowly over time, through every interaction and touchpoint.

When the tone is too transactional we risk over-simplifying the significance and miss building deep, heart-level connections. It may generate income in the short-term, but keeps you on the hamster wheel of superficial giving.

People give because they are invested in the purpose, use your appeal to help the reader feel like an interconnected part of the impact. Don’t skip over the core message in an effort to make a quick transaction.

Don’t forget that your appeal shouldn’t exist in isolation, It should be building from, and back into, the broader brand experience. All departments should be aligned around a single message.

This year, let’s stop filling inboxes and letterboxes with boring, transactional letters, and instead let’s create meaningful experiences for our donors that go beyond June 30.

Think about the person taking your letter from their mailbox at the end of a busy day, make them glad they opened your letter.

Ask yourself these questions:

• How are you crafting the narrative in a way that makes your appeal an enjoyable experience?

• How does your appeal help build a heart-level connection between the reader, your organisation and the subject?
• Are you relying solely on transactional tactics?
• Are you creating a multi-channel appeal that runs seamlessly across all channels and departments? Or are your own departments competing with each other for your donors’ attention?