When someone gives you a moment of their time, make the most of it.
We need to talk about attention spans.
In our fast-click, endlessly scrolling world, our ability to pay attention has evolved—or perhaps devolved is a better word. For better or worse, we've learned to consume information in bite-sized chunks, making split-second decisions about what's worth our time and moving on before we even finish reading a sentence.
The content we consume has evolved (devolved?) right along with us.
And while I’d love to make an argument for more long-form, thought-provoking content, this isn’t the space for that. Neither are your fundraising materials. Your donors might be highly educated people who love thinking deeply. But that doesn’t mean they want highly educated, deeply thought solicitation.
Whether you like it or not, donors often bring a shortened attention span to the organizations they support. They're busy. They're easily distracted. And they don't have time to decipher what you're trying to say or why it matters.
Particularly in the world of direct response fundraising, organizations must adjust to this reality and learn the art of brevity, capitalizing on two opportunities to grab attention: the initial glance and the read-through.
Let’s be honest: Your donors probably stand over the recycling bin with their daily stack of mail, flipping through bills, catalogs, greeting cards. Your mail piece has maybe three seconds to convince them that it’s worthy of further examination before being tossed. This is why your outer envelope matters so much. With mere seconds to grab the reader’s attention, teasers, imagery, style, and branding are critical. Anything that inspires a few more seconds of review from your donors can reap huge benefits.
You're not trying to tell your whole story on the envelope. You're just trying to convince your donor that they should open it and read what you have to say.
If they do open your letter, congratulations!—you've cleared the first hurdle. Now, don't waste the opportunity by burying your message in walls of text.
Donors want you to get to the point. Quickly.
In my early days of direct mail fundraising, the prevailing wisdom was "longer is better"—especially in the policy and advocacy space. Letters would go on for four, six, or even eight pages, often repeating the same ideas over and over. Over the years, I began to wonder if this level of detail was necessary. Direct mail donors are often driven by emotion. They don’t want or need a dissertation on the value of the organization they support. They need a heart-driven reason to open their checkbooks.
So, I began testing the “longer is better” assumption. Time and again, shorter letters won out.
Now, let me be clear: If you have something important to say and it requires more space, use the space. Don't constrain yourself just to hit an arbitrary page count. But be honest about whether you're adding value or just adding words.
Here's the reality: most donors won't read every word of your letter. They're going to skim. So, design your letter for the skimmer.
Use bold text to highlight key phrases and important points.
Underline critical information that you don't want them to miss.
Use short paragraphs. Even one-sentence paragraphs.
Like this.
This might be contrary to what I said above, but repeat yourself. Say the most important things more than once. Your main message should appear in multiple places throughout the letter so that even the fastest skimmer catches it. Include a P.S. at the end that summarizes your fundraising offer and ask—it's often the most-read part of a letter. Make your ask clear and specific. Don't make donors hunt for what you're asking them to do.
You don't need to explain every program you run. You don't need to address every nuance of the problem. You don’t need to argue why your solution is the best one. You need to connect emotionally, ask clearly, and make it easy for them to say yes.
In brief: shorter, more focused letters aren't just about accommodating shorter attention spans. They're about respecting your donor's time. Your donors are giving you a precious gift when they open your envelope and start reading: their time. Don't make them wade through unnecessary pages to find your point. Tell them the problem, why it matters, what you need, and how they can help.
Then let them get back to their lives—hopefully after they've written you a check.
