Renewal Series: Compelling Renewals

Well...so much for Renewal Week. Instead, we'll just call this the "Renewal Series" and pretend that 3-week, house guest/back-to-school/tsunami of work-induced blogging break didn't happen. OK? Excellent!

So I left off with a short post about what goes into a Renewal letter and what stays out. Now, let's talk about how you can make your Renewal letters compelling.

Most organizations send a series of letters (generally 6-8 passes) over the course of several months that gradually amp up the urgency and aggressiveness of the ask. So how do you make the same ask 6-8 times without sounding dull, repetitive or (horrors!) rude?

Keep it Personal

This is true of ALL your Direct Mail communication -- heck, all of your communication with your donors, period -- but don't forget that your Renewal letter is a personal letter from ONE person in your organization to ONE donor. Yes, most of your donors will get the same letter, but when you're writing it, don't think of your donors as a mass group of anonymous sacks of donation money. You're writing to Velma, the one person who stands in for your entire audience of donors.

In these days of e-mail and Facebook, the art of letter-writing is waning, but try to think about how you would ask an old friend to support your cause. Would you give them your official mission statement and a bulleted list of accomplishments and leave it at that? Or would you ask them questions, remind them of shared experiences and explain how important it is to you, personally, that they support this cause? (Hint: it's the latter!)

One simple trick for making a letter personal is to write the first draft starting every paragraph with I, You, or We statements:

• "I know you are someone who cares about the future of our planet."
• "You are no doubt aware of the growing gap between the rich and poor in this country. But did you know..."
• "We never back down from a fight we believe in!"

Of course, on editing, you'll likely change it up a bit, but it's a good exercise when you know you want your letter to be personal and aren't sure how to make that happen. And it will help remind you to think more about what your donor gets out of supporting your organization, not what you get from their support.

(And just so we're clear here: I'm not talking about tangible benefits or gifts...I'm talking about the sense of partnership and inclusion in solving the ills of the world, which is the driving force behind most philanthropy.)

Above all, keeping your Renewal letter personal means that each paragraph you write is designed to engage your reader in your organization's mission, accomplishments and needs for the future. Your donors play a huge role in your success -- so don't be afraid to remind them. (And thank them.)

Remind Them Why They Gave in the First Place

When I'm writing Renewals for an organization that actively prospects for new supporters (and, unfortunately, many don't in today's shaky economic climate), the first thing I often do is re-read the Acquisition letter.

Why? If you have a robust Direct Mail program, your Acquisition/Prospecting letter is very often the thing that compelled your supporters to donate to your organization in the first place. And as such, it's often got your most vivid and persuasive language. Using it in your Renewal

• Ensures that you're bringing your A-game to your most important mailing
• Subtly reminds your donors of the very thing that excited them about becoming your donors.

Again, while it may be tempting to approach Renewals thinking about what your donor owes you (an annual gift), you'll write a better letter when you remember what it is your donor gets when they support your organization.

Later this week...I'll talk more about your series as a whole, including how to ramp up tension and urgency as you go along without alienating those deadbeats -- oops! I mean, those very busy donors -- who ignore your first few letters. (And as always, post questions below!)