Increase response rates of year-end appeal letter 10x!

Tom Iselin
Dec 5, 2018
4 min read

Updated: Dec 12, 2025

It's the holidays and you're buried! You need to send out an appeal letter. No problem. However, what good is it if no one responds to it. The video provides a couple of simple tips that will bring a big holiday smile if you apply them.

Increase response rates of year-end appeal letter 10x!

(Yes—Really)

If you want to dramatically increase response rates to your appeal letters, emails, or year-end campaigns, this post is for you. I’m not talking about incremental gains. I’m talking about 5X improvements using a handful of simple, proven tactics I’ve used to raise millions of dollars.

This approach works for appeal letters, email campaigns, Giving Tuesday, and year-end fundraising—and it works especially well for small and mid-sized nonprofits.

Let’s get into it.

The Simple Solution: Notify Donors First

If you want to increase response rates, notify donors before you ask.

A quick phone call or short email letting donors know they’ll soon receive a campaign appeal dramatically increases response. When donors are personally notified, they’re primed—and people don’t like ignoring people they know.

Here’s what the data and real-world experience show:

Donors who answer a notification call and feel connected to your mission have a 50%+ chance of giving
Done well, response rates can climb to 70%
By contrast, sending an appeal without notification typically yields 1–3%, maybe 5% if you’re lucky

Notification works because it makes the appeal personal, and personal requests trigger obligation, attention, and follow-through.

How to Use Notification Calls Effectively

You don’t need to call everyone. Segment your list.

Call your top 10–20% of donors
Send a short notification email to the rest
The more calls you make, the better the results

Notification calls are ideal for:

Board members
Staff
Trusted volunteers
Family members of beneficiaries

The beauty? These calls do not require an ask—just an announcement. That makes them easy and low-pressure.

What If the Donor Answers the Call?

Great. Keep it friendly, upbeat, and brief.

Let them know:

A campaign is underway
They’ll be receiving an email or letter
Why the campaign matters

Be prepared—some donors may commit on the spot. If that happens:

Direct them to your website
Take a pledge
Or pass the gift processing to your development team

What If the Donor Doesn’t Answer?

No problem.

Leaving a voicemail is almost as effective as speaking live. The notification still primes the donor and boosts response when the appeal arrives.

One Last Call at the End of the Campaign

If your top donors haven’t given near the end of the campaign (December 22–28), make one final notification call.

Let them know:

How close you are to your goal
How much their support would matter
Any matching opportunity in place

This final nudge often closes gifts that were already leaning “yes.”

Email Notifications: Keep Them Extremely Short

If you’re using email instead of phone calls, remember this rule:

Shorter emails = higher response.

A strong notification email includes:

A brief greeting
A quick thank-you
One sentence about the upcoming campaign
A compelling image (emotional, close-up)
No more than 3 sentences total

That’s it. No stories. No explanations. Just a heads-up.

Re-Sending Campaign Emails (Without Rebuilding Them)

Once your campaign begins:

Send reminder emails every 5 days
Change the subject line
Swap the photo
Adjust a few opening lines

You do not need to rewrite the entire email each time.

And one critical rule:

Immediately remove donors from all lists once they give.

No one wants to receive campaign emails after making a gift.

Personalization That Moves the Needle

If you’re sending physical appeal letters, personalization matters more than most fundraisers realize.

High-impact touches include:

Handwritten notes on the letter
A short message on the response card
Circling or writing in a suggested gift amount
Referencing something personal (kids, holidays, prior giving)

These small details significantly increase response—and almost no one does them.

The Real Secret: Announce First

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

Announce your campaign before you ask.

Whether by phone or email, notification primes donors, increases response, and makes your fundraising feel personal instead of transactional.

Key Takeaways

Notification before solicitation can increase response rates by up to 5X
Phone calls work best, but short emails are highly effective
Donors respond more when they feel personally acknowledged
Board members are ideal for making notification calls
Keep notification emails extremely short
Remove donors from lists immediately after they give
Persistence works when it’s polite, personal, and respectful

Summary

Increase response rates of year-end appeal letter 10x! . . .

If you want to raise more money this year—without burning out your team or annoying your donors—start by changing the order of your fundraising.

Notify first. Ask second.

This simple shift turns passive appeals into personal conversations, dramatically improves response rates, and builds stronger donor relationships along the way.

Try it. Track it. And then watch what happens.

You’ll be amazed.

Tom Iselin

Rated One of America’s Best Board Retreat

and Strategic Planning Facilitators

About the Author

Tom Iselin is recognized as one of America’s leading authorities on high-performance nonprofits. He has built nine sector-leading nonprofits and two software companies, written six books, sits on multiple boards, and has been rated one of America’s Best Board Retreat and Strategic Planning Facilitators. His work on nonprofit strategy, board leadership, and culture has been featured on CNN, Nightline, and in Newsweek.

Tom is the president of First Things First, a firm specializing in board retreats, strategic planning services, fundraising strategy, and executive coaching for nonprofit CEOs.

Board Retreats & Strategic Planning

If you’re looking for a board retreat facilitator or strategic planning facilitator who has been in the trenches and understands real-world nonprofit challenges, Tom can help your board gain clarity, build alignment, and create an actionable plan that improves performance and impact. His sessions propel organizations to the next level of performance and impact . . . and they're fun!

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