For years, it’s been the dirty little secret of direct mail fundraising – thank you letters don’t work. One problem is that a thank you letter can cost the same, or even more, than the cost of sending the original solicitation. Especially since they are sent in...

Over the past 25 years, we've mailed virtually every imaginable premium. From greeting cards and shopping bags to ultra sound images, sachets of lavender, peppermint tea, chocolate coins, real coins, and even free pints of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. Not all of these...

This is a tale of two charities. Both charities are based in Australia, and they both work in the area of overseas aid. Last year, they both mailed a premium calendar-based acquisition direct mail package. The two designs are shown above. The charity on the left...

Did you know that Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream's most profitable customers buy both Ben and Jerry's and other brands of ice cream? These "disloyal" customers spend about $400 a year on Ben and Jerry's alone. Whereas their "loyal" customers -- those that only buy Ben and...

We once had a client insist on mailing each donor a single shoelace. They called it a "premium". It was an Alzheimer's charity and they had some copy about how the condition can make tying your shoelace a challenge. It bombed, big time. That's because not all premiums...