Top 10 Direct Mail Fundraising Myths - Part 3

By Wayne Gurley
President & Creative Director

Myth #3: Too many complaints from your mail program means you’re doing something wrong.

First, define “too many.” Some take that to mean more than one.

Fact is, if you send anything to a large group of people, you will get complaints. You should be willing to accept a certain number of complaints as a "cost of doing business."

How many is too many? If you have hundreds of complaints, maybe you were insensitive. But 10, 15 or 20 complaints isn’t a lot. That’s generally a number you should be willing to tolerate.

It also depends on how many pieces you mailed. If you mailed 1,000 pieces and got 100 complaints (10%), that’s probably too many. But 100 complaints out of 20,000 or 30,000 pieces isn’t a lot (.03% - .05%.)

Some people will complain about anything. They may complain about the frequency of your mailing program...or that you sent a letter to their deceased husband or wife. (But did you know they were dead?) Look closely at the nature of the complaints you are receiving and respond accordingly.

Strive to answer all complaints. And code complainers “no mail” so they won’t get any more letters from you.

But don’t run your program based on complaints.

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