As an Art Director and designer for Precision, with over a decade of experience in donor-centric design, I’ve learned that successful campaigns are not just about good design, but about building deep, emotional connections with donors. At the heart of this approach is the understanding that people give because they want to make an impact, and it's my job to make that connection feel personal and meaningful.
Here are a few of the design principles I’ve learned and developed over the years that have consistently helped engage and inspire donors to act. Consider these principles for your next campaign to improve your response rates.
Scanability of the letter:
We need to first understand how readers typically interact with direct mail. A study, by Siegfried Vögel’s eye motion research (see below), shows that donors don’t always read letters from start to finish immediately. Instead, they quickly skim to get an initial impression, which is known as the “reading curve.” This initial scan helps them decide whether to engage further.
Why these principles should be considered when designing:
Capture attention quickly: Since donors scan before committing to a deeper read, you must create a layout that captures their attention immediately. Key elements, such as the headline, introductory paragraph, bolded phrases, and any images or pull quotes, need to stand out. This ensures that essential information is delivered in that brief initial scan.
Guide the reader’s eye: Certain points on the page naturally arrest the reader's eye. By placing critical information in these focal areas (e.g., subheadings, call-to-action phrases), you can strategically guide the donor’s eye to important messages without them feeling overwhelmed by large blocks of text.
Enhance engagement: Making the letter easy to scan increases the likelihood that the donor will move from skimming to reading it in full. The easier the donor can grasp the message during the initial glance, the more likely they are to engage further. This leads to better comprehension of your cause and potentially a higher response rate.
Optimising for short attention spans: In today’s fast-paced environment, people have shorter attention spans. Designing for scanability respects the reader’s time, making it more likely they’ll take action, especially if the most important parts of the letter are accessible in seconds.
Personalisation that feels genuine:
In an age where everything is automated, a personal touch can make all the difference. Whether it’s a handwritten note to highlight a certain point or a heartfelt thank you, donors need to feel that they’re more than just a number. When I design, I make sure these human elements stand out, reminding donors that their support matters on an individual level. See the below artwork for Alzheimer’s Research Australia – I’ve used handwritten highlights from the CEO to personalise and emphasise certain important messages.
Clean design, powerful message:
This may be a little controversial. It’s been well documented that the design should never be overly designed in direct mail. Despite this, I’ve tested many times with my design approach to theming the design with the story to capture the donor and draw on emotion. And it works. I’m not saying to over-design at all – but to tastefully combine images and graphic elements with thoughtful typography in a clean layout. I believe it holds the donor’s attention and curiosity to read more. But of course, you need to test for your donors.
The below example for Guide Dogs WA uses graphic elements of a soft cloud background and hand-drawn elements that tie into the story. You don’t have to always frame your images inside a Polaroid or have a full white background. Always consider your audience.
Designing for emotion:
Every piece of design in a fundraising campaign should elicit an emotional response. Whether through a powerful image, a compelling headline, or a thoughtful layout, emotion is key to engagement. In my work, I always strive to evoke feelings of empathy, compassion and hope, because these are the emotions that inspire donors to act.
Designing for readability:
When designing direct mail for fundraising, understanding the psychology behind donor engagement is crucial. Design should prioritise legibility and personalisation. This means avoiding overly small or difficult-to-read fonts; a font size of at least 12-14 points is typically best, ensuring that the copy is accessible to older donors who may struggle with vision issues. Although, I’m guilty of using size 11 in some circumstances. Personalisation can extend to hand-written fonts for salutations or key highlights, making the communication feel more intimate and less mass-produced.
Avoid using overly contrasting reversed-out text on coloured backgrounds. There are plenty of online colour compliance checks that can help you test different options.
Using powerful photos:
Sometimes it’s hard to get good images, and we don’t always get the best images from the case studies. Photos can certainly enhance storytelling and make your ask more compelling. Try to use image captions, never cut the head in a photo and when you can use a hero shot of the person (or animal). Try to ensure their eyes are looking directly down the lens of a camera to establish an emotional connection with the donor.
It's important to use image captions, noting that many donors are drawn to captions before reading the body copy. Captions should not only describe the image but connect it emotionally to the donor's contribution. A powerful image, like a smiling child or a specific program in action, should be paired with a caption that speaks directly to the donor’s impact, such as, “Thanks to supporters like you, Sarah has clean water for life.” These details humanise the appeal and guide the reader’s eye naturally through the layout, enhancing the emotional resonance of the message.
Getting the donor to open the envelope:
The envelope is one of the single most important pieces of your direct mail. If you can’t get the donor to open the envelope, then your campaign is over. Test, test, test your outer – and make sure you keep a record of their results to help inform future campaigns. Think of how you can make it stand out. You can introduce a human element by using stickers, real stamps and even wax seals. Different sizes also work but consider your postage costs as they will be impacted.
The target audience for this DM was within the city of Ballarat – so by adding the map of the town centre, the donor will straight away recognise that, giving a feeling of direct impact to their community. The full printed pink also stands out in the mailbox.
This envelope for Alzheimer’s Research Australia leverages the DM theme with a thought-provoking message: “Like detectives chasing down every promising lead…”. Using a theme that links directly to the DM’s message and call to action creates visual interest and can increase your open rates. Again, test what works for your organisation.
Being brave with design choices:
One thing I’ve learned is that playing it safe often results in forgettable designs. Don’t be afraid to push boundaries. Whether it’s using unexpected colour palettes, bold typography, or an unconventional layout, daring to be different is what makes campaigns stand out. I’ve seen firsthand how taking risks in design can lead to more engagement and stronger donor relationships.
Ignoring Brand Guidelines:
Brand guidelines are exactly that - guidelines, not rigid rules. While it’s essential to stay on brand, there’s value in pushing the creative boundaries where appropriate. Brand guidelines are often designed to ensure consistency and maintain an organisation’s identity.
However, I believe they tend to focus heavily on the charity itself, often at the expense of connecting with the donor. When communications become too self-centered, they can unintentionally alienate donors by overlooking what truly resonates with them.
To truly inspire and engage, fundraising design should balance adherence to guidelines with the flexibility to prioritise the donor’s experience. After all, it’s the donor's emotional response that drives action. By centring communication around what matters to donors — their values, motivations, and desire to make an impact — we create more meaningful and effective connections.
In many cases, following brand guidelines too strictly can risk creating communications that feel corporate or detached, ultimately hurting the cause. The key is to honour the brand while remembering that the donor's experience should come first.
Donor burnout:
It’s essential to consider the risk of donor burnout. I’ve seen it plenty of times – charities repeating the same design over and over. Quite simply, this branding-first approach will result in donors losing interest.
Donors want to feel valued and to be taken on an emotional journey through the story. Design can invoke certain feelings, whether it be positive or negative, through varied design elements, colours, and concepts. By sticking to the same look and feel every time, we risk donors switching off when we need them to stay engaged more than ever.
The font debate. Serif or san-serif:
It’s proven that serif fonts are easier to read in direct mail. Think of all the magazines and newspapers using serif fonts. But sticking to JUST serif fonts is becoming a thing of the past. We are now living in a digital world, and people are used to seeing San-serif fonts online. I’m personally happy using either, or even both in the same design when used well.
If you’re looking at your direct mail with your donors in mind, remember: it’s all about how it makes people feel. Clever design should (and can!) make donors feel like the heroes in the stories you're telling, ultimately leading to better results.
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