Handwritten envelope? Sort of…

You may recall, I have written about hand written envelopes prior and their ability to capture a donor’s attention amongst a mountain of mail in our letterboxes.

Bush Heritage Australia nearly got there last week with this interesting piece.

I received an appeal from Bush Heritage Australia and the carrier had an interesting font, which is unusual and particularly stood out amongst the charity mail received last week.

Hand written envelopes (not actually hand written at all, but machine produced in a hand written font of the non-profit’s choice) are rare. The fact is we receive hand written Christmas cards (becoming rarer these days), birthday cards, and perhaps the occasional thank you note.

But, how many charities send hand written devices to stand out amongst their peers?

Remember non-profit organisation shave three challenges with direct mail:

1. Getting the piece delivered to the correct party at the correct address.
2. Getting the piece opened.
3. Getting the piece responded to.

To achieve #1, you have to practice good data hygiene. To get to #2 and #3 you must produce a captivating piece, which will not end up in the recycling bin. I am not suggesting your organisation will employ hand written as a strategy for every appeal. But, testing it for one appeal next year would be prudent.

Your suppliers likely have the tools, in house, to produce hand written pieces.

Bush Heritage Australia produces outstanding pieces of direct mail. Last week was an example of how Bush Heritage Australia stands out often in my letterbox. How will your non-profit organisation stand out in letterboxes in the new year?