“Thanks to donors like you, we're granting an average of 3.5 wishes per day...”

Does Direct Mail Even Work Anymore...?

We're sitting at the dining room table as my girlfriend opens up a letter from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

It's a letter thanking her for donating in the past and asking for another round of donations, especially as Christmas is approaching.

It also has a "gift" of postage stickers with her name and address already pre-populated. Making it easy for her to mail out Christmas cards.

(Reciprocity)

You Know Me... I LOVE Seeing MIA (Marketing In Action)...

It's been a long time since I've seen a direct mail piece...

So I grab the letter to see if it "sells" me on donating.

Here's how the letter goes...

1. It starts off by thanking Cassandra (my girlfriend) for supporting children and families facing critical illness.

   (giving her an identity that she's the type of person who supports children and families)

2. The letter then reminds us that we're looking forward to spending time with loved ones and seeing children's faces light up with excitement during the holiday season.

   (Future pacing to how fortunate we are to be spending time with family and friends during the holidays)

3. Then it segues into mentioning how many children and families will NOT be able to see their family and friends because they're spending the holidays in the hospital

   (Creating "the gap" of how there's children and families who won't be able to experience what we experience during this special time)

4. It then mentions how the support of the community and the promise of a wish is what will give the children strength they need to persevere.... which is why we invite you to join our holiday campaign and "Believe in the Power of a Wish"

   (It's not a one-person job, it's a community that comes together in order to make these wishes come true - tapping into a sense of belonging for a greater cause)

Then it goes on to share how they've witness magic happen as children's wishes and dreams get fulfilled.

How it gives them strength to endure another surgery and more medical procedures.

How it gives them hope to overcome life-threatening diagnosis.

Then it goes back to giving Cassandra the identity of what they want her to be... a donor.

"Thanks to donors like you, we are granting an average of 3.5 wishes per day....

...No child should have to wait for thier wish."

(3.5 wishes per day is something tangible and real that someone can wrap my head around. Specificity > Vagueness)

And Here Comes The CTA...

"Today we invite you to believe in the power of a wish, for within that belief, you can transform the life of a critically ill child."

(Tying it all to an end benefit of transforming a life of a critically ill child)

At this point... I'm thinking...

..."Alright, SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY..."

What I love about this campaign is they also attached a "WishGifts" catalogue that showed 30 gifts that have deeper meaning instead of just the monetary value.

e.g. Aubrey, who is 3 years old and has leukemia wishes to have her own circus one day. And there's even a picture of Aubrey dressed up as a fairy looking adorable!

There's also different category of gifts you can give...

• "Gift of seeing the world" - $200

• "Gift of travel support" - $100 2X Matched

• "Gift of creating memories" - $35

• "Gift of accessibility" - $250

• "Gift of experiences" - $60

• "Gift of a musical journey" - $100

The catalog is packed with pictures of children with different medical conditions experiencing a wish out in the real world, away from the hospital bed. There's also quotes of them saying what their wish is.

Oftentimes When People Donate to Charity, They Don't Know Where Their Money is Going.

This catalog makes it more "Real".

Even if 100% of that money isn't going to the exact "thing"... it helps give the person donating a sense of what they're supporting.

I'm a big fan of travelling so I feel more inclined to give a gift of "seeing the world" to a child.

Instead of donating $200, I'm making a child's wish of travelling come true. Wayyy more impactful as a donor.

They also have a bunch of stats and data that show how much a Wish impacts the children and families.

e.g. "95% of wish alumni said their wish helped them overcome feelings of sadness"

So many great marketing lessons in this campaign that I had to share.

If you're not already doing it...make sure you pay attention as you're pulling your wallet out (online AND offline).

Try reverse engineering HOW and WHY the company got you to spend money.

The same "triggers" that got you to pull out your credit card is likely the same triggers your current prospects and customers have.

Take notes, write about the process, and see if you can incorporate SOME of what they did to your own sales process.

Being a "Student of Marketing" doesn't just mean taking courses and programs on marketing...

...it also means studying your own buying behavior to understand how YOU get sold.