Focus On: Personalization: Dear Mr. Sample

“Our success has been to look at the donor file as carefully as we can, and not just personalize the effort with the donor’s name and address, but to look at [their] history — how many contributions they’ve made over their lifetime, when they first became a member, their highest previous gift, their most recent gift — and to use that information, selectively, in the appeal,” says Rehm, who works with clients such as AIDS Project Los Angeles and San Francisco AIDS Foundation.