On Any Given Day

Coincidence or providence, lessons can be learned from any day’s direct-mail haul.

A piece of providence

The third white No. 10 double window, proved that sometimes direct-mail coincidence can end up doing good without even trying — because as word of the earthquake in Haiti dominated the news that night, a timeless renewal offer from a renowned international emergency first responder was in my hands.

Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders' 2010 Supporter Card offer briefly recaps the nonprofit's mission and purpose with an insert describing specifically how my support last year helped treat a widespread cholera outbreak, helped displaced victims of conflict battle a deadly meningitis outbreak and treated thousands of malnourished children.

Nowhere in the package is Haiti mentioned, but it doesn't matter. The pre-addressed reply envelope becomes a handy collection device in that moment.

When it's no fluke

The happenstance of MSF's renewal arriving on the same day as the earthquake hit aside, it's no accident that the organization is so successful in its fundraising.

In the weeks following the Jan. 12 earthquake, I received emergency solicitations for Haitian relief from a variety of nonprofits. I found much of the copy to be so vague that anyone could be saying it. For example: "Amid this devastation, destruction and heartache, [our] emergency response team works tirelessly to provide the emergency relief for the people of Haiti that is so desperately needed right now."

I reviewed several letters that read entirely like that, sadly. And while I'm sure the copy raised money in spite of itself, given the enormity of the disaster, I believe it's creatively shallow and a disservice to donors.

In sharp contrast, MSF's appeal a few weeks after the disaster is quite specific, with quality details. Like how, because three hospitals were severely damaged and had to be evacuated, it set up clinics in tents in the first 24 hours to treat crushed limbs, open fractures, head traumas and burns: "On the grounds of our damaged Trinité trauma hospital, surgery took place in an improvised operating theater in a converted shipping container."

"Within 48 hours, we had dispatched seven cargo planes containing over 125 tons of supplies, including a 100-bed inflatable field hospital, hospitalization tents, medicine and supplies …"

Then, the heartbreakingly personal, "A number of our Haitian staff and their families did not survive the devastation."

"Public parks are packed with men, women and children with nowhere to go. We are very concerned that the widespread lack of water and sanitation could lead to an outbreak of disease, causing more suffering and further overwhelming the medical situation."

The powerful descriptions capture every donor's desire to know what's needed specifically and exact- ly how gifts make a difference.

Finally, with the reminder that throughout the world there is a constant need for humanitarian medical aid, without ever making an overt ask, the package does a fully transparent job of raising undesignated funds.

And MSF/Doctors Without Borders' effort is no fluke — it's a model to learn from, even if your mission has nothing to do with disaster relief or humanitarian aid. FS

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