The Acquisition Series – These Aren’t Your Donors, Folks

I had intended for this week to be Acquisition Week, chock full of handy tips, dos and don'ts, and answers to common questions all about the art of acquiring new donors in direct mail. But somehow I woke up and it was Wednesday already! (How does this happen?) The upshot: Acquisition Week is going to straddle a couple of weeks...and I might even toss in a couple of extra tidbits along the way.

First things first: Prospecting is hard. And expensive. And scary. You're tossing a huge amount of money out the door, knowing you won't recoup that investment for around 18 months. You may have to scramble to convince your board that it's worth it. And then you have to figure out how to craft your message and develop a winning package. Whew!

So let's break it down.

Why's it so hard?

The toughest thing about creating a strong Prospecting package? You’re mailing to people who aren’t your donors.

The people who support you are already vested in your mission. They got your mail, stumbled across your website, heard about you from a friend or a news report, and said, “Yes! That’s an organization I can get behind!”

When you’re talking to people who already think you're great, you don’t have to work so hard to convince them that you’re worthy of their support. Sure, you want to remind them of all the reasons they chose to give to you in the first place (in their Renewal letters) or convince them to give a little extra to a Special Appeal, but you don’t have to sell them on your organization. You’re free to riff on your work.

But when you’re trying to capture the attention of someone new, you have to convince them – from the get-go – that you’re worthy of their time and their money.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you how you can write a blockbuster lead for an acquisition package. And if you have questions, post them in the comments below.

BONUS: Check out this new resource for Prospect researchers for more information about how to choose your prospects, engage with other professionals and learn new trends.