Chapter 5, Additional Exercise 6: Analyzing Techniques Used in a Fund-Raising Letter

Locate a fund-raising letter from a charitable organization, such as the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, or the Special Olympics. (You might find fund-raising appeals on these organizations' websites.) Write a 500-word memo to your instructor describing the tactics used in the letter to persuade you to give money to the cause. Which tactics work well, and which do not? Do not limit your analysis to the argument made by the words themselves; consider also the design of the letter, the typography, and the type of paper used. Analyze any graphics and any other materials included in the envelope. (See Chapter 14 for a discussion of memos.)