ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
19.07.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


Write Fundraising Letter Overlines That Donors Can't Resist (Includes Samples & Examples)

Author: Alan Sharpe Author Ranking Gold | Posted: 12-09-2005 | Comments: 0 | Views: 1,600 | Rating:  (67) Article Popularity - Blue (?) Got a Question? Ask.
Sign Up Now!

Write Fundraising Letter Overlines That Donors Can't Resist

The headline that appears over the salutation in a fundraising letter is known as the overline. Overlines have one goal: to persuade your donor to read your letter.

According to direct mail copywriter and author Hershell Gordon Lewis, the best kind of overline to use in a one-to-one piece of communication like a fundraising letter is a hand-written overline, one that looks like a spontaneous burst of enthusiasm. Hand-written overlines, says Lewis, should not look "produced." I agree.

Your goal, then, if you decide to use an overline, is to work up more enthusiasm in your readers than your letter can generate without the overline. Here are some guidelines to follow.

Don't give too much away
The goal of your overline, like the goal of your envelope teaser copy, is to arrest attention and arouse curiosity. The quickest way to depress enthusiasm in your readers is to ask them for a gift right up front in your overline. Or to say that you will be asking them for a gift later on in the letter. Don't give too much away.

So instead of writing this:

Your gift today will help us stop gun violence.

Write this:

How do you keep a pistol out of the hands of a 12 year old?

Make the reader want to continue reading
You want to intrigue your reader, tease your reader into reading your opening sentence, then your second sentence, right on through to the end. So your overline, if you choose to use one, should set up a predicament, or pose a question, or suggest a paradox, or in another creative way compel the donor to read on.

Think about signing the overline
A handwritten overline is a little like a P.S. It serves as an afterthought, a spontaneous thought that the writer had just before dropping the letter in the mail. One way to emphasize the one-to-one tone of a fundraising letter is to have the person who signs the letter also sign the overline with his or her initials. Your overline would look like this (handwritten, of course):

Please be sure to read the important update I've enclosed. A.J.S.

Consider a 3M Post-it Note
Recent advances in printing and mailing machines let you attach a yellow Post-it Note to the top of your letters. To make these notes even more powerful, write them in the same color ink that you use for your signature, and address them to each donor by name.

Tie your overline into your envelope teaser copy
One way to use overlines is to make them answer a question or riddle that you created on your mailing envelope. But be careful here. Your letterhead overline is really the beginning of your letter and not the conclusion of your outer envelope teaser copy.

Your overline must work on its own after the envelope is discarded. Your readers, once they have read your outer envelope teaser copy, opened your envelope and started reading your letter, will not likely read your outer envelope teaser copy again. If they pick up your letter a week from now and start reading, they will not return to the outer envelope teaser copy and start reading there.

For this reason, your outer envelope teaser copy and your letter overline copy must work on their own as two grammatical thoughts. When your outer envelope teaser copy ends with ellipses, for example, your letterhead overline must begin with a capital letter, even though the overline may be completing the thought that you started on the outer envelope. Make each letter overline a complete thought on its own, one that begins with a capital letter.

© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message)

Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/direct-mail-articles/write-fundraising-letter-overlines-that-donors-cant-resist-includes-samples-examples-888.html

Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
About the Author:
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.sharpecopy.com.
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Comment on this article Comment on this article
Your Name
Your Email:
Comment Body
Enter Validation Code: Captcha


Related Articles

Four Goals of Every Renewal Fundraising Letter
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
Current donors to renew their support of your organization. Donors renew their support with their cash, of course, but they also renew it with their commitment—with their hearts.

Eleven Reasons Donors Stop Responding To Fundraising Letter Appeals
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
You cannot. Use these findings to retain as many of your donors as you can. 1. They forget I suppose you could call this a case of "poor institutional memory.".

Seven reasons to use direct mail for sales lead generation.
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
Mind to his. Also, unlike any other medium, direct mail can be personalized (Dear Mr. Smith) and customized to each reader ("As an IT manager, you know that . . .."), showing.

How to Write Ads That Will Convert a Prospect Into a Customer
By: M.Markell | 05/02/2007 | Affiliate Programs
You've been quite some time at the Internet, marketing your products, or other's products and running multiple Google adwords campaigns. Although your market is a competitive market, your sales letter is amazing, your ads are targeted, your landing pages are specific and well designed, you offer free ebooks to tempt your potential customers, but still you cannot convert your visitors into customers. What is happening? If this is you then keep reading.

Why didn't I think of that? Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets
By: Daryl Campbell | 11/09/2005 | Copywriting
On your ad copy instead of text. Write the ad on a piece of paper, scan it and publish the ad on your web page. Adding a personal touch will always increase your sales. 2..

Facts about Designing Unique Internet Sales Letters (Part 2)
By: Paul M. Jerard Jr. | 24/04/2006 | Copywriting
Your headline, and the following sub-headline, will make or break your web sales copy, but let's take a closer look at the sub-headline's purpose. It can differ, depending upon the writing approach you choose; the sub-headline might be a supporting statement, a claim, or a question. Below are some examples for you to analyze and develop your own ideas for Internet sales copy.

Is the Non-Profit Niche for Copywriting All It's Cracked Up to Be?
By: Chris Marlow | 08/09/2006 | Copywriting
Landmark survey of dozens of freelance non-profit copywriters and interviews with five non-profit copywriters, including gurus Jerry Huntsinger and Mal Warwick, reveals the truth about this unique and mysterious market.

10 Tips For Better Fundraising
By: Willaim Stewart | 09/11/2006 | Advice
If, you're looking for a fundraising project for a school, sports team or construction project you will the following useful for you. Use these 10 tips to catapult you fund raising efforts and raise more funds. 1. Examine you database of supporters.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Egg donation
By: Dianna | 01-07-2008
can you donate your eggs after you have your tubes tied?

Memo vs academic
By: Supersmart | 30-06-2008
In what ways do audience, purpose, tone, and structure affect the formatting of the memo and the paper?

Are Pastor Aid Committees outlawed?
By: Angelia | 30-06-2008
Are Pastor Aid Committees outlawed?

I am looking for non-profit organizations to help ...
By: j-bug | 29-06-2008
I am looking for non-profit organizations to help with fund raising in the Gaithersburg MD area.

Can an off-duty officer follow a driver for about ...
By: Curious | 28-06-2008
Can an off-duty officer follow a driver for about a mile to there home, pull into their drive way tell them they were speeding earlier and call an on-duty officer in to do an arrest for DWI? Also, can the arresting officer legally take the license plates off the car when the person arrested still has a legal right to drive for the next seven days?

A co-worker has had emergency brain surgery & is ...
By: Roxanne | 27-06-2008
a co-worker has had emergency brain surgery & is the caregiver to her disabled mother & disabled son...what would be a good fundraiser to help with the enormous expenses she's faced with. I work in a grocery store. Thank you for any ideas you can give me...Roxanne

Q&A Powered by:
Powered by Yedda 

Latest Direct Mail Articles

Intelligent Marketing Through Mail Order Catalogs
By: Jonathan Hue | 17/07/2008
Let's face it! Getting the most out of your product is what marketing is all about. If you're not in a market, you're not making sales. If you're not making sales, you're losing valuable exposure, missing opportunities and most of all, losing revenue. Read on for more.

Use of Behavioral Targeting in Online Advertising
By: Deepak Kamboj | 17/07/2008
The behavioral targeting is quite useful in online advertising, as it is a way to reach the precise audience.

Xenon Lighting Sources Has Become Increasingly Popular
By: stjerne | 16/07/2008
Over the past few years the use of xenon light sources has become increasingly popular - especially in the home. Xenon light bulbs are being used in under cabinet fixtures, cove lighting, cabinet lighting, desk lamps, backlighting, step lights, showcase lighting, book case lighting, and picture lights.

Why Do I Need a Copywriter...?
By: Mark Pocock | 14/07/2008
What is a copywriter and why do you need one...

Cash Gifting Marketing with Postcards and Offline Methods
By: Merudh Patel | 14/07/2008
I get calls all the time form people in this program wanting to know the secret to success in cash gifting.

The Secrets to Create Your Own All Season Home Based Business
By: Felix Alexander | 13/07/2008
When you are first starting out you may have an idea or two of what you want to sell, but you might not have thought of the changes in the seasons and other important factors that can affect your sales, and ultimately the success of your Own Home Based Business. Hence, it is important to consider whether or not you can really consider your Own Home Based Business an all-season Home Based Business or not.

Using Proof in Your Marketing Material
By: Mark Pocock | 11/07/2008
Using proof in your copy will strenghten your marketing material.

9 Sales Triggers to Use in Your Sales Copy
By: Mark Pocock | 11/07/2008
Are your sales at the level you’d like? Do you want to ethically persuade more people to buy from you?

More from Alan Sharpe

In B2B Direct Mail Lead Generation, Work Backwards
By: Alan Sharpe | 23/09/2005 | Direct Mail
Direct mail package, sit down with the sales people who close the sales. Find out when and how they get prospects to sign on the line that is dotted, and work backwards from.

Eight Advantages of Fundraising Letters Over Other Methods
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
Let you have a one-on-one "meeting" with each donor. 2. Can be passed along Unlike personal visits, phone calls and special events, fundraising.

Direct Mail Catalogs & Brochures: Write Captions That Sell
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
And so that's when you sell them. My advice for writing captions is to never describe what readers can see for themselves in your photo. If your photo shows a.

Eleven Reasons Donors Stop Responding To Fundraising Letter Appeals
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
You cannot. Use these findings to retain as many of your donors as you can. 1. They forget I suppose you could call this a case of "poor institutional memory.".

Your Direct Mail Sales Letters Must Differentiate You
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
So that the stove would heat my turn-of-the- century farmhouse for the longest period possible. I had the choice of four vendors to buy my hardwood from. All were local,.

Fundraising Letters Are Easier To Write With AIDA
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
Your non-for-profit organization. All you need to remember is AIDA. AIDA is an acrostic for the four things you need to do, and the order you need to do them in, to write.

Write Effective Fundraising Letters By Being Conversational (Includes Examples & Samples
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
Few intelligent remarks about sounding conversational on paper. You know, how to write a fundraising letter that sounds like it came from the mind of a person and not an institution. I.

Your Fundraising Annual Appeal Letters Need A Villian
By: Alan Sharpe | 12/09/2005 | Direct Mail
More prone to respond to a genuine feeling of anger than to any other emotion," says Roland Kiniholm in his book, Maximum Gifts by Return Mail. To make your donors.

Article Categories






Give Feedback

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below