The Annual Giving Exchange

There is a certain level of formality that is necessary in direct mail.  If I don’t know you, you should address me as “Mr. Allenby.”  If you don’t know me, but know that I know your organization, you should address me as “Daniel.”  If we know each other, it’s okay to call me “Dan.”  Regardless of the scenario, you’ve done 50% of your job if your prospect has opened the letter and is even reading the salutation.

A salutation in e-mail, however, is more important.

If I receive an e-mail that begins “Dear Daniel,” it’s likely that it will be deleted before I even have a chance to see who sent it to me.  “Dear Daniel” lets me know that you don’t know me.  It’s a signal to me that you’re a spammer.

Building a good e-mail list of constituents and prospective donors is one of the most important things that a nonprofit organization can do.  While you’re building your list, don’t underestimate the importance of collecting good “preferred names” on your constituents.

That’s no easy task.  It might even require that you get out and talk them once in a while.