ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries October 1984 / 471 low one of the examples in structuring new guides. A brief handout given to the writers showed con­ trasting pairs of good and bad sentences in an a t­ tem pt to illustrate a friendly, inform al w riting style. Since th at time quality has been improved by the formation of an Editorial Board. The Editorial Board provides assistance to writers and assures a uniform standard of quality in the publications. All of these changes helped to create a series of guides that are readable and useful while reinforc­ ing the image of the library as helpful. This is not to say th at the job is complete, however. Each year, as guides are considered for revision, new ways are found to im prove th eir helpfulness to readers. Those of us who w rite guides have found th at, by reading guides prepared by various staff members, we have enhanced our abilities to improve on texts w ritten in the past. W riting library guides is an art that will improve w ith practice. Library guides prepared by the University of Houston-University Park Libraries are available through the LOEX Clearinghouse. ■ ■ Fund raising by direct mail By Eileen A. Curtis Associate Director for Administration Michigan Library Consortium Some suggestions on increasing the effectiveness of your fu n d raising efforts. T he use of direct mail to raise funds has proven successful for m any organizations. L ibrarians around the country have used various forms of di­ rect mail to make patrons aw are of upcoming elec­ tions that will affect funding, to introduce new ser­ vices, and to raise additional funds. Direct mail is an approach to fund raising that must be carefully planned. A successful program is based upon many components, only one of which is the actual letter sent to a prospective donor. The use of direct mail to raise funds should be consid­ ered a part of ongoing fund-raising efforts. D ra­ matic results should not be expected immediately from a mailing, but averaged over a course of at least three years as the donor base expands. To receive a greater response to your appeal pro­ spective donors must first be made aw are of the reasons for giving to the library over other organi­ zations requesting money. D onors m ust be in ­ formed of the activities of the library and the bene­ fits that people receive before they will consider giving. Any fund raising campaign should be pre­ ceded by publicity on the organization telling why money is being raised. A donor th at is informed on the activities of the library is more inclined to give when he/she receives a request through the mail than one who is unaw are of the reasons behind the gift solicitation. The average age of a donor is declining as more discretionary income is available to younger peo­ ple. The main source of donations has been from people over the age of forty. These donors usually make larger and more frequent gifts to organiza­ tions. The library has a broad base of donors due to the diversified ages of the patrons. Donors can be segmented into groups by age, zip code area, pro­ 472 / C&RL News gram interest and/or prior giving level. You may w ant to ask your library patrons to fill out a brief questionnaire giving basic statistics such as age, m arital status, family size, reading interests, fre­ quency of visits, etc. Use this information to de­ velop th e m aterials ta rg e te d to w a rd specific groups. Once the donor group has been identified you The first two paragraphs are the most important. can design your direct mail piece. One basic piece can be developed and then adapted to fit the donor profile. The four main components of a direct mail piece are: •th e letter requesting the donation; •th e mailing envelope; • th e response card; and • a brochure about the library. The letter. The letter seeking a donation must be creative. W hen w riting the letter, keep in mind: • to whom you are writing; •w h a t needs/special interests of the donor will be met when giving to the library; •w h y the library is requesting money; •a n d specifically how the donor can help. The first two paragraphs of the letter are the most im portant. In the opening paragraph state who you are and why you are writing. The second paragraph should focus on familiarizing the donor w ith the organization. The next paragraph should give some history of the library, w hat program the funds are being so­ licited for, and specifically how they will be used. The fourth paragraph should tell the donors how they can help. Ask for a specific am ount and repeat this request several times in the letter. You may wish to give the donor a choice on the level of con­ tribution ($10-$75-$200). Libraries have tested sending two different letters to different groups of donors, one asking for a specific amount and the other w ith an option on the level of participation. Remember to record the results to determine which received the largest dollar response if you try this method. The content of any fund-raising letter should be changed as the organization grows and objectives change. The dollar am ount requested will also vary depending on the needs of the project or pro­ gram . Donors w ant to know th at their dollars aided in the completion of projects. Use examples of completed projects in your letter to illustrate how dollars donated in the past helped the library. The letter should be signed by the director, a board member, or a peer of the donor. Letters sent to business owners would receive a better response if signed by a local businessman who supports li­ brary programs. A letter sent to alumni might gen­ erate more funds if it were signed by the alumni as­ sociation president. After the signature, the donor will most likely read the postscript (P.S.) to a letter. The purpose of the letter should be briefly restated in the P.S. As a test of the effectiveness of your P.S., you may wish to offer an alternative way to donate. T abulate the responses to this option to determine if the method should be used again. The mailing envelope. The envelope th at con­ tains the request for funds is the first thing the do­ nor will see. It is necessary to make the envelope appear to be a personal letter to ensure th at it is not p art of the 10 % of bulk mail th at is throw n away unopened. The envelope should be a standard #10 business envelope. If possible, run the envelope through your library’s postage meter using the bulk rate charge. A bulk rate indicia printed on the en­ velope may be a time saver, but it may also reduce the chances of having the envelope opened. The response card. While an appeal for funds re­ lies heavily on the text of the letter, the response card provides the donor w ith the method to desig­ nate their gift. Response cards that are printed in a certificate or coupon form at aid the donors in feel­ ing that they are giving something special to the li­ brary. The return envelope. A return envelope (postage paid) is a must. W hen a donor has w ritten the check it is essential th at sending it be as simple as possible. The size of the return envelope should co­ ordinate w ith the reponse card. The brochure. A brochure giving more informa­ tion on the library is helpful, but not always neces­ sary. If you feel th at more background on the fund­ raising pro ject is re q u ire d , th e n it should be included. The brochure should highlight the ser­ vices the library performs and supplement the text of the letter. Mailing lists can be developed, borrowed, and/ or bought. Former and present donors, staff, board members, volunteers, and individuals affiliated w ith the library should be included on the mailing list. The first mailing done by a library may result in a minimum response. The prim ary purpose of an initial mailing is to build a donor mailing list base. Second and third mailings to the same list of donors may receive a greater response. Lists of 500 or fewer names can be maintained on 3x5 cards in-house. The card may also provide a place to keep a brief donor profile. Lists of over 500 names are more easily managed on a computer. This provides m ore flexibility in changing a d ­ dresses, etc. W hen mailing your appeal for funds have one piece sent directly to the library or a staff member who will let you know when it has arrived. Librari- October 1984 / 473 ans have w aited patiently to receive a response to their appeal only to find that it was lost in the mail or delivered three weeks later than they had origi­ nally anticipated. January, February, August and October have proven to be the best months to mail a request for funds. It is beneficial to check w ith other organiza­ tions in your area to make certain th at the same ta r­ geted group of people will not be receiving requests for funds at the same time. All gifts should be acknowledged w ith a signed letter thanking the donors for their support. Tele­ phone calls to donors th at have not responded have proven successful in generating more funds. The donor feels that he/she has been singled out and is receiving special attention. The phone call rein­ forces the direct mail piece and provides the donor w ith one-on-one contact. The areas noted are the basics necessary for a successful direct mail campaign. New ideas can be adapted to fit different situations and types of re­ quests for funds. You may receive a few complaints about a direct mail effort, but don’t be swayed by a few negative comments. Respond to people who have expressed concern over the mailing w ith an explanation of your purpose. Tabulate the results of your mailing effort in dollars before judging the mailing by a few negative replies. How to get ideas for direct mail materials Get on the mailing lists of other charitable orga­ nizations to obtain their mailings requesting funds. Give $5 to diversified non-profit organizations to get their response materials and future mailings. Read books on marketing to gain insights on why people spend money. Talk to professionals in the direct mail field. Ask their assistance in preparing the piece or to critique your work. Offer to exchange your materials with librarians from other states. Adapt these ideas to use for your own targeted donor group. Ask volunteers, family members, etc., to pass along requests for funds th at they have received through the mail. Ask them to comment on their reactions to the material; would they consider do­ nating, and if so why. Postage rate increases Before beginning any direct m ail effort you should contact the local post office to obtain the necessary bulk rate permits, regulations, and rates. You will also w ant to keep abreast of any rate in­ creases, as the cost of sending the letter is a major expense for a direct mail fund-raising campaign. Editor's Note: This article has been reprinted w ith permission from the Michigan Library Consorti­ u m ’s Development News. The Consortium is an in­ dependent, not-for-profit corporation form ed 10 years ago to promote resource sharing and other cost-effective projects among libraries in Michi­ gan. For more information, contact Michigan L i­ brary Consortium, 6810 S. Cedar Street, Suite 8, Lansing, M I 48910; (517) 694-4242. ■ ■ Academic library statistics collected The ACRL Ad Hoc Task Force on Library Sta­ tistics was established in the late fall of 1982 “to de­ fine the statistical needs of academic libraries; to examine w hether or how those needs are not cur­ rently being met; to suggest ways ACRL could aid academic librarians and the profession by generat­ ing and/or disseminating these statistics and the concomitant costs of each.” The Task Force addressed the above purpose by surveying agencies which now collect academic li­ brary statistics and by surveying the libraries on the ACRL 100 Library Project list. Actually 132 copies of a survey questionnaire were mailed, w ith 108 re­ turns on schedule. The survey addressed a number of im portant questions including w hat statistics were most im portant. The most significant response was that librarians w anted statistical information for the past year during the following year. Thus, the Task Force mailed out a statistics questionnaire to the ACRL 100 libraries on September 15 for return by Octo­ ber 15. C urrent plans are to have the resulting pub­ lication of 1983-84 statistics sent to the ACRL 100 libraries by early spring 1985. Additional copies will be made available at a nominal cost to other libraries. If this test proves worthwhile, we hope to do the statistical survey of all academic libraries in the fall of 1985 and produce a publication by spring 1986 for the 1984-85 statistics. The Task Force has also maintained constant communication w ith the ALA Office for Research and a representative of the Library Administration and Management Association of ALA. Any questions regarding this activity should be addressed to George M. Bailey, 2129 Villa Maria R oad, C larem ont, CA 91711; (714) 621-8000, ext.3723.—George M. Bailey, Chair, A C R L Task Force on Library Statistics. ■ ■