Thanks to "Good Friends Like You"- Direct Mailing from a Nonfprofit

Its a phrase we've all grown up hearing with the predominantly educational television network PBS, but many nonprofits utilize phrases such as "viewers like you" or "good friends like you" when trying to appeal to donors. The fundraising is a never ending circle: in order to raise the funds organizations need to continue doing good works and functioning, nonprofits have to find and utilize a variety of ways to reach out to their potential donors. When presented with the task of reviewing some of these direct mailers from nonprofits, I chose to look into Habitat for Humanity.

Coming from an active volunteering background, I was very familiar with the works of Habitat before delving into the stack of mail from the organization and had to challenge myself to look at the materials from a fresh point of view. While the Habitat letters I looked at had both pros and cons to their layout and techniques, these are just a few of my favorites.

At first glance we naturally inspect the exterior and the envelopes of these "plea" letters were all incorporated into the overarching goal of Habitat (building homes for families in need) in some way. Through the use of a phrase or the image of a hammer, the envelopes already gave the receiving audience and idea of what they were getting themselves into.

One of the letters received with a human
interest story woven into it.

I opened about 10-15 letters that were mailed this particular donor and while each one varied slightly, there was a common pattern that each one utilized to incorporate a story of someone helped by the good works of Habitat for Humanity. It would begin with a personalized, first-name greeting and then move into a brief message about the works of Habitat and why it was so important. Once that was out of the way, the human interest story would come into play and weave its way throughout the remainder of the letter. I read about families from all over the place including Florida, North Texas and Minnesota and each one brought about the understanding that every family should have the right to a safe and secure place to call home (a universal theme that most people can relate to and understand the importance of). After introducing a real person to the reader and making the organization a reality, Habitat took the opportunity to include some numbers to reinforce the importance of donating to this cause as well as "asking" for a donation (see image below). It may have been due to the previous donations of the individual this mail came from, but all of the letters offered the same three numbers for donations- $120, $180 or $240.

Habitat was very consistent in their letter format and technique in asking for donations, but they were also very good about including incentives/easier ways to donate for the person receiving the letter. Included in many of the envelopes were donation slips to simply check the amount box you desired to give and were coupled with a pre-stamped envelope. This was very impressive and highlighted

The age old "friend" ploy.

Habitat's understanding that by making it as easy for the donor as possible would ensure a greater likelihood that the donor would actually send something back. Tying in with discussions we've had in our Grant Writing and Fundraising class, not all of the letters were "plea" letters. Some of them were purely "thank you for your support" letters and included those familiar phrases like "good friends like you" and small tokens of appreciation. In the handful of letters I looked at there was a calendar with images of children whose families have all received Habitat housing, personalized mailing labels, seasonal stationary, car decals, and a personal message and photo from a family in front of their Habitat home (see image below).

Ultimately, I believe Habitat for Humanity knows how to reach out to their donors and effectively communicate a need for donations. While I thought many of the letters were very long and wordy, they did adequately convey the stories of individuals who needed and received the good works of "donors like you" in their Habitat homes. Based on the universal themes of family and home being a safe and secure place, Habitat has the ability to pull from a wide range of donors and I think they've created a well done mailing pattern that will help them meet their end results. Since I am still the stereotypical "poor college student" I will not be donating money any time soon, but I will continue to serve their greater goal through volunteering on build days with my local Habitat for Humanity.

For the donors who need facts in their donation process,
here it is!

Look at all the sweet thank you gifts Habitat sent this donor!

Story Bank Response

      It seems like we as students are constantly reminded of the importance of finding commonalities between things in life. I feel as though this family's story from the SAFB story bank is an example of finding that connection. The story we read about Belinda and Miguel was compelling for many reasons--it was short and easy to read, it served an immediate purpose of advertising for the SAFB and it pulled at the heart strings through the commonality almost every person has--taking care of your family. Under a variety of 'ifs' (if I weren't a poor college student, if I had received this story in the mail, etc.) I think I would consider donating to this cause. While monetary donations are almost always preferred, I might be more inclined to donate my time as opposed to donating from my wallet simply because I am a service oriented person and, as stated above, am a poor college student.

      One thing I would try to stress to the SAFB on their story bank is the importance of finding and distributing a wide range of stories involving the goods and services of the SAFB. Other than that, I think this is a valuable piece that will hopefully draw some attention to the good works that the organization does.

Reading A Grant Proposal

      Upon first glancing over the Kronkosky Foundation grant proposal, I was in awe of the amount of work, time and energy the must have gone to making sure that document was ready to be turned in. I am sure that foundations such as the Kronkosky Family Foundation see documents like that all the time, but for a first time grant-reader, it was an impressive thing to look upon.

      Length and layout of the document aside, I think the San Antonio Food Bank presented a very thought out and well done proposal. It provided the reader with all of the information necessary for understanding the organization's mission and what they stand for, which is very important when assuming zero prior knowledge of your audience. On top of the effective communication of the SAFB as an organization, the proposal drew a direct connection between the mission of the SAFB to the mission of the Kronkosky Foundation, indicating to the grant reader that the SAFB knows both organizations very well. I really appreciated how clear and concise the Food Bank was with following the guidelines of the grant proposal to a T and I am sure the grant readers appreciate that attention to detail too. When applying for a grant I understand that it is important to clearly outline what exactly you will be doing with the money you are given and I feel as though the SAFB did a great job of explaining and outlining the goals of the proposed program as well as providing ways to assess the effectiveness of the program once it has been completed. 

     It was really eye opening to visit the Food Bank on Saturday and then to read this very detail oriented proposal about their future plans. I know grant writing can be a nitty gritty task, but I am looking forward to getting into the nitty gritty for an organization I believe in.

Giving back with the San Antonio Food Bank

      This past Saturday, some members from our grant writing class had the opportunity to volunteer with the San Antonio Food Bank. I have been to the SAFB before to work service events through Alpha Phi Omega (the co-ed service fraternity on campus), but each time is a brand new experience! This past visit we were charged with labeling and sorting cans of spinach or tomatoes and making sure each box had the appropriate number of cans to them. As with every time I volunteer in the community, I learn more about myself as an individual. After this particular trip, I was reminded that I am a very number oriented person and found myself counting and re-counting the cans of spinach or tomatoes we were working with. But that tidbit of information is besides the point. I found it very interesting the certain qualifications that the SAFB had when it came to sorting cans between good and bad. What seemed to me to be the smallest affliction to the can actually condemned it from being stored for future distribution. With that new-found knowledge of what a "good" can looked like, I found myself very surprised at the sheer number of cans that seemed to go to waste because of their damages. It was also amazing at how many of the cans were severely damaged--I don't think I've seen that many exploded cans of tomatoes in my life!

      I love giving back to the community through service so I would of course recommend working with the SAFB to anyone who asked me about it. It is a lovely facility that has clean accommodations for volunteers and the labor that is required of you is not physically demanding. I think it is a perfect facility to bring the whole family to enjoy giving back, no matter their age or ability. The family friendly environment, state of the space and the high standards to which the SAFB keep their donations are all valuable pieces of information that I believe all donors should be aware of. I had fun being able to do service and get to know my classmates better during this field trip!!