November onward is a traditional season for giving. Lots of individuals and families are more inclined toward charity from Thanksgiving to New Year’s than any other time in the calendar year. In fact, according to a recent survey, over half of the nonprofit organizations queried reported that they received over a quarter of their contributions between October and December, with 16 percent receiving more than half a year’s total contributions during that same season.
So what is your organization doing to capitalize on this seasonal generosity?
TIP: A holiday card that does double duty as a donation opportunity is a great way to build your relationship with proven and potential donors, as well as offer a convenient vehicle for them to give. We are in the process of creating such a holiday card for a hospital foundation client, complete with an enclosed donation reply card and envelope. September sounds early? Nope, several clients come to us right around now because it requires planning to consider the message, design and get all the internal buy-ins, not to mention get the mailing lists in order so the card hits mailboxes just after the turkey leftovers hit the fridge.
> If you need a holiday card or help with your development efforts, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
Lazzaro Designs has been creating a series of appeal letters for North Shore-LIJ’s philanthropic arm, the North Shore-LIJ Health System Foundation. Each direct mail piece has been followed up with an e-blast within the month that is similar in tone both visually and editorially, ensuring a second chance for donors and potential donors to give to this worthy nonprofit health system. As shown here, a recently released appeal letter and e-blast for The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, the research arm of the health system.
> If you need help with direct appeals or e-blasts, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
What to do when the budget only allows for stock images and not original photography? Don’t fret. Use this as an opportunity to bring your Photoshop and Illustrator skills to the forefront.
Tip: We’ve found that collage is one of the most effective ways to use stock images. A collage (done well) takes stock imagery out of the realm of being mundane and uplifts the visual to a unique piece of art. This was the case for a collage Lazzaro Designs did here conveying the many hospital areas that benefited from a donor’s legacy of giving.
Resource: Here are some of our favorite stock houses:
– thinkstock.com
– iphoto.com
– shutterstock.com
– sciencephoto.com
– sciencesource.com
– gettyimages.com
> Too much to figure out on your own? Give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email. Maryellen can research stock images and create design solutions that are beautiful and budget-conscious.
It’s a delicate thing asking for money. A direct appeal letter needs to quickly capture the readers’ attention, answer why they should support this institution, ask just the right amount of times, and ask clearly in a call to action, all the while being engaging, warm and straightforward.
Recently, we created a direct appeal letter for Cohen Children’s Medical Center, a renowned stand-alone pediatric hospital on Long Island, New York. What was unusual about the letter was that it was highly designed, as well as carefully written. Through content and visuals, the letter accomplishes a lot—it alerts the reader to the national standing of the hospital and features an innovative neurodevelopmental division. It also provides some history to this extraordinary facility and provides an attached reply device. Design-wise, it further echoes a larger advertising campaign, featuring some of the tag lines and photos from that marketing campaign without merely mimicking the ads themselves.
> If you need help creating a direct appeal, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
