The 6 most read parts of any major gift letter

I’m always a bit baffled when I see fundraising letters that fail to take into consideration the following. After all, research by Professor Siegfried Vogele has clearly proven what people read and in what order.

Here are the 6 most read parts of any major gift letter:

1. The sender (firstly, the donor wants to see who sent the letter)
2. The donor/recipient’s name (to see if the sender spelled it correctly and if it was sent to them specifically)
3. The signature (to see if the sender signed it personally)
4. The P.S. (to get the gist of the general theme quickly and to see “what’s in it for them”)
5. Any handwritten text (special little notes that would make them feel special)
6. Any underlined, bolded or highlighted copy (so they can skim the letter easily for convenience)

If you aren’t embracing what Professor Vogele learned a long time ago, you could be making big mistakes and missing big opportunities.

Related Posts:

• 8 Great Ways to End Your Emails or Letters
• 9 Simple Pointers for Writing Better Emails and Letters to Your Donors

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