Simple, sensible redesign crushed their Christmas campaign

Is your fundraising starting to look a little dated? Ready for a refresh to pump life back into it?

You need to read this LinkedIn post from Mark Phillips.

In short:

A charity with a long-running and highly effective Christmas appeal programme decided to give its design a makeover…. Still Christmassy, but brighter, bolder, and more contemporary. Response rates nosedived: half the response for the same appeal.

Was it a fluke?

Not really. Things like that happen frequently. Small “improvements” can cause big losses.

It doesn’t seem reasonable. The people who made the changes no doubt anticipated the changes would improve results, not crush them.

In fundraising, old-fashioned design is usually your friend. If it looks dated, corny, tired … it just might work.

Remember who your donors are. That “dated” look is familiar, friendly — even cool — in their eyes.

Design fads that may thrill your aesthetic sense might look cold and strange to them. Also, current-looking things look like the majority of what’s in the mailbox. Old-fashioned just might pop out, like seeing an old friend across a crowded room.

If you’re tired of it, if it just seems dusty and old to you … and it’s still doing well … think twice (or more) before you bring it up to date.