Annual Appeals

When writing your digital appeal, you should keep in mind the donor experience.  Here are some questions to ask yourself as you're writing:

• Keep the donor journey in mind—why do you want them to support you?
• What type of messages are appropriate for each moment—how can donors best support your mission today?
• Tell a story that your donors will care about

Other considerations for each element of your appeal:

• Subject Line​
  • Short call to action, such as “Renew your support today”
  • How short? No more than 41 characters with spaces (approximately 7 words)
  • Example: “Support [insert name]”

• Preview text—the information that appears below the subject line in an inbox
  • Supports the subject line
  • Has 80 characters (with spaces) or less
  • Provides additional information, such as an urgent call for action
  • Example: “Create rich, immersive, experiential learning opportunities—give today!”

• Body text
  • You only have 8 seconds to convey your message
  • Use short body paragraphs and a bulleted list to communicate impact of gifts
  • Bold important keywords
  • Use one call to action button, e.g. “Give Now!”
  • Highlight one fund (unless discussed with CAS MarComm as being a strategic priority to have a maximum of three)
  • Have the most important part of the message visible without scrolling
  • Quickly & simply say what you are asking for, why, and how to give
     
• Layout and Design
  • Use images that support your ask​
  • Have a clear call to action
  • Be inclusive
  • Keep it simple
  • Design for mobile
  • Call to action (CTA) button placement
    • Highest performing appeals had the fewest words before the call to action (CTA) button
    • Lowest performing appeals had the most words before the CTA button​

Please contact the Advancement Services team anytime at CASadser@uw.edu with questions or for more information about annual appeals.