#25: John Lepp — How to use design to raise more money

Send a text

A lot of direct response fundraising advice focuses on creating effective strategies, messages and donor journeys — but we rarely talk about the design of our fundraising.

In fact, many organizations outsource the design of their fundraising to graphic designers who know a lot about how to make things look pretty, but know nothing about fundraising or how donors make decisions.

The truth is, good fundraising design is less about how something looks, and more about how something works.

To help us design fundraising materials and assets that get results, we’re talking with John Lepp from Agents of Good. 

John is a direct response marketing and design expert with over 20 years of experience working with charities across Canada and around the world. 

In our chat, we focus on how you can use design to best present and support your fundraising messages for maximum effect.

Today we’ll cover:

• [6:22] The objective of design in fundraising
• [9:43] What does a great outer envelope look like?
• [13:01] The best direct mail pack Mike has ever received
• [14:01] How donors read your letters
• [16:55] What to do and what to avoid in a letter
• [24:27] Giving donors an opportunity to share
• [28:07] What’s more important: your brand guide or personal connection?
• [32:56] What a good reply form needs
• [37:30] Always add another piece to your mail
• [40:43] John’s encouragement for nonprofit leaders

John would love to connect with you. You can find him on Twitter or on the Agents of Good website.

Please consider subscribing to, rating, or sharing the podcast on your preferred platform. You can do that by clicking here. 

To take advantage of our free resources and get your 5-minute fundraising fix, visit:

fiveminutefundraisingfix.com