And the Winners Are …

Who can’t at least imagine that fear? And who wouldn’t be persuaded to open the mailing and read on?

Enclosed in the carrier is a four-page, 8.5-inch-by-11-inch letter written in first person by George J. Salpietro, Fidelco’s executive director, that tells
the story of how he himself lost his eyesight:

“Dear Reader, Imagine yourself on your 40th birthday — you’re a successful businessman, with a daughter about to go off to college … a great life … and now, a wonderful surprise party! Then, as I began to open my birthday cards, my life collapsed — I discovered I could not read the cards.”

Salpietro continues on to tell how he was declared legally blind and how Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation helped him get a guide dog, which changed his life and enabled him to do things he never thought would be possible again. The letter discusses the guide dogs, the training that’s involved for both the dog and its human partner, and the costs of such a program. Throughout the letter are black-and-white photos of Salpietro with his guide dog.

The letter ends, saying, “The enclosed is my way of saying, ‘thank you in advance.’” What’s enclosed, attached to the reply, is a sheet of more than 50 dog-themed address labels and an assortment of stickers. The back of the sheet of address labels discusses the organization’s mission and the program in greater detail, and it shows what donation amounts can do, e.g., “$50 feeds a guide dog in training for 50 days.”

This mailing isn’t overstuffed with elements, and its bells and whistles are less than nominal. They’re non-existent. But it remains a control — and a
winner — because it continues to simply and powerfully remind prospects and donors that the unthinkable can happen … to anyone … at any time. And fear, like this mailing, is timeless.