Is your fundraising menu too big?

By Wayne Gurley
President & Creative Director

Have you ever been to a restaurant called The Cheesecake Factory?

It serves delicious cheesecakes, obviously, in various flavors and toppings.

But it also serves burgers, sandwiches, steaks, chops, seafood, salads and brunch items on Saturdays and Sundays.

The menu is huge. In fact, it's the size of a small city telephone book (if you remember what those used to look like).

The times I've visited the Cheesecake factory, I've spent way too much time going through the menu trying to decide what to order. 

It's overwhelming. And I've often wished they had a smaller menu. There's just too much to look at.

Which brings me to the topic of my post today...

Is your direct mail menu too big?

I'm not talking about the list of gift designation funds you might include on your reply slip (though this can be a problem if there are too many of them). 

I'm mainly talking about the way your direct mail package looks. Is it loaded up with photos and graphics...boxes and charts? If so, you've probably overwhelmed your reader with way too much information to process efficiently. 

Reader interest in a direct mail package boils down to mere seconds. If it takes someone too long (in their mind) to figure out what you want them to do, they will drop your package in the trash. 

Admit it - you open your mail over or near a trash can, don't you? There's a reason for that. Even for mail you want to keep, you're scanning it rapidly because you're busy.

You toss extraneous envelopes and inserts quickly because you want to get on with your life.

If your package has too much to look at or comprehend, your recipient won't spend MORE time with it. Instead, they'll become annoyed and trash it.

You want your reader to read your letter, right? And send a gift, too. Then make it easy.

Don't force them to spend extra time wading through what I call "STOP SIGN GRAPHICS AND PHOTOS" so they lose interest before they even get to your letter.

Don't just take my word for it...

One of the top direct mail experts in the nation is Jeff Brooks. Jeff's post - "Fundraising is good, not bad, when it's ugly" - is a short, excellent read on this topic.

Jeff says "Sometimes beauty can be your worst enemy in fundraising - when it gets in the way of your real goals."

Questions or comments? Contact me at: wayne@allegiantdirect.com 

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