Both are a vital part of successful relationships.

I don't know about you, but I love to receive kind words, or a link to a funny meme via text message... an unexpected gift at my doorstep... a phone call from someone I've not heard from in a while. There are many small and large ways to bring joy into my heart and a smile to my face.

Surprise and delight are also very effective in cultivating donor relationships - especially when you're using direct response.

So many of the direct mail packages and emails that your donor receives look the same and sound the same. That means: anything you can do to stand out, surprise, or delight your donor, is much more likely to have a positive impact on your relationship - and the amount of money you raise.

Here are a few ways you might think about adding a little bit of surprise, or delight into your next direct mail or email appeal:

Write a cheeky or unusual subject line

Here are a few of the email subject lines that stood out in my inbox on Giving Tuesday:

"This is it, Rachel."
"Last call!" (with a little megaphone emoji)
"You can give a belly filling bo..." (the rest was cut off on my phone, but this got my attention!)
"A Simple Thank you!" (With a yellow heart emoji.)

The ones that didn't stand out all said some version of "It's Giving Tuesday!"

Use a unique envelope teaser!

This envelope I received last week also jumped out amongst the bills and flyers. It's cute and it caught my attention.

Plus... the back had something else, which leads to my next point…

Use illustration or unique imagery.

When I turned the envelope over, this fun illustration was on the back - which added to the appeal. How could I not open this up?

My partner, John Lepp, loves to use illustration in the work he creates at Agents of Good.

Below is an example of a fun and surprising piece I worked on with John to promote a capital campaign for the Regina Humane Society. (This is just one small part of the piece.)

There are a lot of other ways to cultivate surprise and delight in your appeals:

You might include something unusual or unique in the package, or add a handwritten note to your letter, or even to the outside of your envelope. You could offer a gift or include a funny meme or GIF in your email, just to name a few.

Is there anything that has surprised or delighted you recently?

I'd love to hear from you!