Direct mail clin­ic #10 – The direct response super-hack

If you’re tired of telling sto­ries from your chief exec­u­tive or director’s point of view, then you need to watch this video. Too often, the voic­es we use (and their ten­den­cy to speak pro­fes­sion­al­ly) can get in the way of our sto­ry­telling AND our fundraising.

Written by
Carolina Herrera
Added
March 24, 2025

In this clinic, John Lepp wants you to think about who is sharing your story most of the time? Who else could you choose? What different perspectives could you offer your donor?

John introduces you to some examples of these varying perspectives (you’ll even find some from campaigns featured on SOFII!):

  • Help, the railway dog of England
  • Lefty P. Marmot, Jr
  • Loraine, the rain drop
  • Ruby, the now famous hummingbird
  • oh and let's not forget Santa Claus (h’s a GREAT storyteller for your year-end campaigns!) 

All of these characters tell fundraising stories in a totally unique way. But John wants you to know this isn’t just a gimmick. The success of appeals that feature different perspectives doe also come down to cognitive bias and how we make decisions. 

So go along with John as he explores the ‘direct response super-hack’ in this quick and useful video. You’ll soon learn how to make your storytelling stand out. 

Watch AOG direct mail clinic #10 – The direct response super-hack

Click on the image to watch the video on YouTube

John Lepp (he/him) is a fundraiser, designer and donor champion with more than 20 years of experience working with charities across Canada and around the world. As partner at Agents of Good, he helps charities tell stories that inspire donors to give, both online and offline. John is a respected and coveted international speaker who has travelled the world encouraging fundraisers be more human and vulnerable with those other amazing humans we call donors. 

His latest book, Creative Deviations offers plenty of tips for how fundraisers can infuse their storytelling, fundraising and direct response with more creativity.

About the author: Carolina Herrera

Carolina Herrera

Carolina Herrera is SOFII's project manager

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