Like everything else, it depends.

Special inserts have a place in a direct mail package, but it depends on their purpose, which should be very specific. The first rule, however, is that an insert should support the primary goal of the package, which is to raise money. It should not have a purpose of its own especially one that is at odds with or a distraction from the goal of fundraising.

A special insert that is time consuming to read or fill-out, like an application or survey, delays the impulse of writing out a check or filling in credit card information for a gift. Documents that entail extra work are going to prolong the quick action that generates a gift. If the insert doesn’t add promotional value to the primary goal, it will split the thought process between two different concepts and the reader will put down all the package components until a “better time” to read, thus ending in a lost response.

Recently a public broadcasting station included a nine question survey in their special appeal mailing. It had some detailed questions about the impending transition to High Definition TV (not yet clearly understood by most viewers), a long list of programs to check-off indicating which ones they watch; it asked recipients to rank 6 programs in order of interest from 1 to 5, and there were other engrossing questions.

The result was a significant depression of results. There was too much going on in this package, too much work and decision-making for the respondent which interfered with the most important decision — to support the station. Lost response, lost income, little research.

It would have been less costly to mail the survey separately – even with the cost of additional printing and postage. Many mailers believe they can include materials describing opportunities or options for giving (matching grants, planned giving, gala invitations, monthly giving etc., because they’re communicating anyway – the “kitchen sink” philosophy of fundraising. Be aware that you may be overwhelming the reader and cause him to go onto the next fundraiser in his stack of mail that maybe easier to deal with.

• Examples of inserts that support fundraising are:
• “Lift notes” from a person other than the signer of the letter, like the President or Executive Director of the organization that says something like, “before you decide not to support us at this time please reconsider your decision for these reasons (then spelled out) Or, it can provide details of a project or cause (treatment of a disease, equipment, etc.) the reader is being asked to support.
  A premium used as an incentive to respond or to give a larger gift. The more the premium is based on the cause or service, the better the connection and justification for acceptance of a gift for one’s contribution.
• Many packages promise a reward inside for opening the envelope:
  • A recent Greenpeace envelope read “Newsletter Enclosed” a well done insert explaining the merits of planned giving
  • Habitat for Humanity’s “Do Not Bend Photos Enclosed” (photos of houses being constructed and the families who will live in them)
  • Publisher’s Clearing House subscription sweepstakes packages had up to a dozen pieces, but they were all related to the contest, i.e. Super Bonus prizes, Extra Chances to win, Early Bird Prizes, Mystery prizes and so on. They all made the sweepstakes more exciting and they gave the sense that there were so many things to win.

Sometimes a piece we think will be a logical improvement doesn’t work out that way (reminder: many things in direct marketing that work or don’t work, are not based on logic or common sense). For example, our experience in direct response fundraising for public libraries is that when tested, a letter works better without an insert describing services in greater detail. Could it be that a public library supporter doesn’t want to read more than the letter because he or she is anxious to get back to the book they were reading before their take-out time expires?

We’ve also seen cases where adding an informative piece about an organization that uses a raffle or sweepstakes does no good. Here again, a raffle recipient may not want his/her attention diverted away from the importance of the prizes, deadlines, rules and the dream of winning.

That is why testing is the foundation of our trade. Try mailings with and without additional materials to see if they add to or subtract from profitability. Isn’t it better to spend less and still get the maximum return on your limited budget dollars?

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