How to Use Reply Envelopes To Enhance Fund Raising Donations

Add reply envelopes to get a bigger donation response.

Raising funds for your organization is not always easy. If donations are down, you may want to try a new technique to elicit contributions. One method is to incorporate reply envelopes when sending out direct mailings. Recipients will have everything they need in front of them to complete the donation, making them more likely to take the time to write out a check or to make a donation via credit card.

Things You'll Need

• Open Mind
• Local Printer
• Me ... if you can't get the help you want locally.

Instructions

1. Decide whether you want to use a reply envelope that has a tear-off information sheet, or if you want them to be separate. Donors must have an information sheet to fill out their name, address, phone number, email address, check number, donation amount and credit card information. It may be more economical to have the sheet already attached to the reply envelope.

2. Contact local printing companies to find the best price for your reply envelope. Once you choose the printer, provide the staff with your organization's reply address and logo for placement on the envelope. Keep the envelope simple. Your basic information and logo should be all that appear on the envelope.

3. Send out your charity's newsletter along with the reply envelope. Monitor your response rate. Continue using this reply envelope with each mailing.

4. Change the look of the reply envelope to make it more fancy by adding a design or changing the envelope from white to another solid color. Send out another mailing several months later using this new envelope design. Compare the response rate of the new envelope design with that of the first, simpler design to see which envelope brings in the most new donors, and which one brings in the most money.

5. Repeat, continuing to use the reply envelope that benefits your organization the most.

Tips & Warnings

• You may also want to test donor responses after adding a small gift, such as name stickers, to the direct mailing.

• According to the website Werth-It, it's not advisable to pre-pay for each reply envelope's postage. Those who wish to donate to your cause shouldn't mind adding a stamp.

• A small response rate may not have anything to do with the reply envelope. Revisit your charity's brochure and fundraising letter to determine if they're doing their jobs to convince readers to donate.

References

• Werth-It; 60 Ways to Improve Your Fundraising Immediately; Katherine Wertheim, CFRE
• The Grantsmanship Center; Direct-Mail Fundraising: Testing the Trends; Fran Jacobowitz and Kay P. Lautman
• Kluth; 17 Ways Your Newsletter Can Help You Boost Your Donations; Mal Warwick