I recently visited an elderly charity supporter in their home and noticed a small card displayed above their fireplace. It was a bookmark that had come from a Red Cross mailing that simply read...

Never give up.

During our conversation, they shared that they’d been facing serious health challenges. That simple message had meant something special to them. It had become a quiet source of strength during a difficult time.

It was a powerful reminder of something we often forget in fundraising.

Giving isn’t just about what’s being given away. It’s about receiving something much more valuable in return.

In conversations with donors, again and again, we hear expressions of gratitude - not just for the opportunity to help tackle a problem they care about, but for the comfort they receive in return.

They’re grateful that charities exist. Grateful that someone is out there doing the hard work of holding communities together and offering support where it’s needed most.

And especially now, when the world feels so chaotic and the news is relentlessly bleak, many donors are looking for a sense of control. Or even just a moment of relief. Supporting a cause offers exactly that – a quiet reassurance that something good is still happening. It reminded me of that story that a mother told her upset child – when bad things happen, look for the helpers.

That’s why direct mail remains such a powerful medium. It’s not just about delivering a message that says please help. When done well, it becomes something more – a real, tactile, three-dimensional experience that speaks to the emotional needs of the donor: to feel hope, connection and agency. And sometimes, simply peace.

I’ve sat in meetings where people dismiss these kinds of enclosures with disdain. They are described as old-fashioned, a waste of money, or something we should do away with altogether.

But that view misses the point. It overlooks the emotional complexity behind why people give – and what they need in return.

That bookmark from the Red Cross isn’t a gimmick. It is a gift. A quiet message of encouragement. Arriving at just the right time, it gave that donor exactly what they needed in that moment. And it did something every charity hopes for – it placed the organisation’s values, and its name, at the heart of someone’s home.

That's why we all need to speak to donors as much as we can. Donors don’t just give us money. They also give us great fundraising advice as well.