Better Letters in a Week: A Rule-A-Day for Better Copywriting
Published in FundRaising Sucess®
by Willis Turner
Copywriter

MONDAY:

Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he
or she will not feel the time was wasted.
– Kurt Vonnegut

This quote is No. 1 on Vonnegut’s “Eight Rules for Writing A Short Story.” For anyone familiar with his crisp and concise style, it should come as no surprise that he worked in his early years as a copywriter
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Your Future Is In The Cards: Why Lists Matter To Creative
by Willis Turner
Copywriter

There’s a powerful, woefully underused fundraising weapon that should be in every copywriter’s and art director’s arsenal.

It can help you target your creative more effectively, have a better feel for the prospects you’re talking to, and, in all likelihood, do a much better job of motivating them to make a gift.

This powerful tool is so simple I can name it for you in just two words: Data Card.
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Five Acquisition Tests: Can You Guess the Winner?
Published in FundRaising Sucess®
March, 2007
by Willis Turner
Copywriter

In theory, theory and practice are the same thing. In practice, they are not.Yogi Berra. Or Albert Einstein. Or someone else.

Sometimes when we test packages, we ’re actually testing theories.

Because direct mail fundraising is such a curious blend of art and science, we rely a lot on theories and suppositions to develop our creative strategies. The problem is that sometimes we rely on them for so long that we begin to think of them not as theories but as rules.
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Strategies to Keep Your Production Moving Smoothly
Reprinted from Dimensions
By Jay Owen
Production Manager

For those of us who have chosen to make a living in direct marketing production, we are fortunate to work in a part of the industry that is dynamic and fast paced. Sometimes, it can be too fast! Yet it’s a Production Manager’s job to deliver the vision of the creative team and meet the needs of the client on time and within budget.
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H&J Takes Three Maxi Awards

The Direct Marketing Association of Washington has awarded three Marketing Awards for Excellence and Innovation (MAXIs) to Huntsinger & Jeffer, a national Direct Marketing Agency located in Richmond, Virginia.
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We're Worrying About the Wrong Disease!
Reprinted from DM News
By Willis Turner

A deadly disease has infected the direct mail industry. It isn’t anthrax. Or smallpox. Yet if we give in to it, this disease can be as fatal to our industry as any biological or chemical threat cooked up by some terrorist maniac. The disease, of course, is fear.
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Gotta Serve Somebody: The Bob Dylan Guide to Effective Donor Communication
Reprinted from Dimensions
By Willis Turner

There used to be a computer game that you could ask any question, and the answer would always be a line from a Bob Dylan song. I don’t know that this is necessarily a good way to run your life, but when it comes to looking for more effective ways to communicate with donors and prospects, who better to turn to for inspiration than the spokesman for a generation? So, in that spirit, here are six Dylan-inspired guidelines to help you talk more effectively to those who support your vital work:
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Anatomy of a Control
Reprinted from FundRaising Sucess®
by Paul Barbagallo

Direct Mail can be a challenge, even under the best of circumstances. But despite its difficulties, industry research consistently indicates that, when it comes to funding your mission, direct mail is still the foundation of the most successful donor-contribution efforts.
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