It's Nice to Be Validated

I can't count the times I've written a fund-raising letter and heard, "Isn't this too long? People are too busy these days to read a long letter."

I've had to address this objection so many times, I have a memorized speech. The condensed version is this: "On average, all other factors being equal, long letters raise more money than short letters."

The research on this is overwhelming and irrefutable. But it's always helpful to have another expert weigh in. Thus, it was good to see this tip in a recent article in the FundRaising Success newsletter:

"Longer letters usually work better. Logic may dictate that your donors are busy and don't have time to read a four-page letter. Although that may be true, how much of a compelling case can you make in a one-page letter? You need to tell stories, and stories take space. Keep the paragraphs short and easy-to-read. Include a P.S. Use bold type or underlining, but use them sparingly."