Struggling to reach someone? Try lumpy mail.

Christine Gilliland had a great post last week about how to use lumpy mail to make your direct mail fundraising more effective.

What's lumpy mail?

It's a term used to describe mail that stands out from normal envelopes because there's an additional object included to make it ‘lumpy’.

The object can be anything... I've seen things as small as a magnet and as big as a prepaid cell phone:

When someone opens their mailbox and finds a piece of mail that's lumpy, their curiosity always goes up.

They actually want to open lumpy mail to see what's inside.

And then, once they've opened your letter, they're way more likely to read what you've sent.

Lumpy mail works great in direct mail fundraising because lumpy mail gets opened, and mail that gets opened is mail that gets a response.

But... did you know that lumpy mail can help you in major gift fundraising, as well?

How?

Have you ever had a hard time getting in touch with a giver to share a story of impact, express gratitude, or set up a meeting to invite them to give?

You send emails. You leave voicemails. But all you hear back is crickets.

Next time, try sending a piece of lumpy mail and see what happens.

In my experience, a simple handwritten note with something thick stuffed inside the envelope (preferably something connected to your mission, if possible) with a short direct message can be incredibly effective at getting someone to respond to you.

Here are a few variations of a note I've used with good results in the past:

Michael - Thank you so much for who you are and the way you pour into this mission with us! Can you do me a quick favor? Can you call me when you get this? I have a few questions I want to ask you about _________. My number is ______.

or...

Michael - Thank you so much for who you are and the way you pour into this mission with us! Can you call me when you get this? I'd like to find a time to visit with you in person sometime to learn more about you and why you support XYZ nonprofit. My number is ______.

or...

Michael - Thank you so much for who you are and the way you pour into this mission with us! Can you call me when you get this? I'd like to tell you a story about something that happened recently because of your generosity. My number is ______.

or my favorite...

Michael - Thank you so much for who you are and the way you pour into this mission with us! Can you call me when you get this? I'd like to tell you more about _______ and invite you to consider a gift to help make it happen. My number is ______.

I think you get the point.

The next time you're struggling to get someone to return your phone calls or respond to your emails, try sending a piece of lumpy mail and see what happens.

What do you think about lumpy mail?

Have you ever used it in your fundraising? How did it work?

Comment and let me know.