The "Notify First" Trick There's one move that can turn your ho-hum year-end appeal into a home run: notify first!

Before you send a single email or stuff a single envelope, reach out to donors—by phone or email—and announce your campaign is coming.

This one act can boost your response rate up to five times higher. If you actually reach a donor and they feel connected to your cause, half of them will give. Do it well, and that number can soar 70%. Incredible.

But skip the notification and rely only on a generic appeal letter or email? Expect a limp response rate of just 1–3%. Maybe 5% if you're lucky. (It's like brewing coffee without heating the water—you'll still get something brown, but nobody's drinking it.)

Listen in and Learn!