To be taken off Judicial Watch‘s mailing list email them at info@judicialwatch.org also call them at (888) 593-8442.
I didn’t expect to be back so quickly. But Judicial Watch is acting like some thirsty guy at the club.
This mailpiece is part 2 of my last post. Read about it here.
Judicial Watch (Wiki page) (SourceWatch page) (Charity Navigator page 2 stars) Tom Fitton is in charge.
The holidays are a busy time of year for me, with lots of travel. I do not check my mailbox every day. I didn’t find this mailpiece after the New Year. They wanted me to read it a week after the big mail package from my last post. Both of these mailpieces are for the final fundraising drive of the year. Get your donations in now so that they qualify for your 2019 taxes.
The mailpiece starts off with a little piece of blue paper:
Dear Judicial Watch Member:
I want to make a special effort to reach out and make sure you received my letter last week because we really need the support of every member right now.
The sheer volume of our Deep State investigation and litigation plus our ongoing work fighting for honest elections and against illegal sanctuary policies are putting a lot of pressure on us. It is especially important now that we meet all of our current budget targets and enter 2020 in a strong financial position.
Your generosity has helped us make an enormous impact for open government and the rule of law …and I hope you can continue to support us today with another special gift.
Thank you so much!
Tom
Follow-up mailpieces are not uncommon. I have seen them before. Generally the first one is big. Think a tote bag, a calendar, Christmas cards. The second one is all “Haaay remember that flashy mail package we sent you? Please send us money.” You can’t blame them for doing this. You have to cut through the noise some how. When your core donor is getting 30+ pieces of junk mail a day, you have to stand out, and remind them to send money. The problems happen when the targeted donor has dementia, and sends a check for both mailpieces. Or if you are Judicial Watch you can flat out ask for “another special gift”
Main Letter
This entire letter is designed to rile up the reader. It wants people to get mad, and get out their check books.
Phrases like “Deep State” “Trump lynch mob” and mentioning baddies like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and James Comey, are all upsetting to the target donor.
If anyone can explain the red “COPY” in the margin let me know in the comments. I know it is an old document printing thing. You know it has been photocopied if the “COPY” is in black. Making this letter original. But I don’t know the proper words to look up why you would do this. To me it is another clue that this mailpiece was written for people over 70.
Flip over the page and they are praising the target donor with phrases like “patriots like you” and “committed members”.
I am counting on committed members like you to help with an extra contribution before December 31st.
They also slip in the target donor’s name at one point. A person with dementia will think the mailpiece is talking directly to them. They won’t think about the computer code that inserted a name in that spot for millions of other people.
Time for a P.S.
P.S. Clearly, 2019 has been another landmark year for Judicial Watch. As Congressman Nunes attests, no one can question our effectiveness and the enormous impact we’re making fighting public corruption and unlawful government secrecy. Almost daily, my colleagues and I are asked to appear in Fox News programs and other media print, television and online outlets with important developments about the history we’re making together. Stay tuned, and please let me hear from your right away.
This P.S. is OK. The message on the donation slip below is better. I like that they bring the target donor in closer into the Judicial Watch family by saying “history we’re making together”.
Note from Congressman Devin Nunes
Today we have very special guest star Congressman Devin Nunes (Wiki page). I am going to assume that Congressman Nunes authorized this use of his name and likeness for this mailpiece. Do I think he wrote this? No. Do I think that Judicial Watch wrote it and a Nunes staffer reviewed, approved it? Yes. “Corrupt cabal” is another phrase that is supposed to get you angry.
Donation slip
Urgent Year-End Member Reply
Dear Tom:
I am pround to continue to stand with you and Judicial Watch!
I have enclosed a special tax-deductible year-end gift to help Judicial Watch close its 2019 books strong and ready for all the challenges we face in 2020! My best contribution is enclosed for:
[ ]$25 [ ]$40 [ ] $ ____ Other
They have very effectively used the donation slip to drive home the main message of the mailpiece. It piles on the sense of urgency with it’s “Urgent Year-End Member Reply“. And it becomes an extra P.S., by reviewing all the high points of the main letter.
Should you donate to Judicial Watch? I would say no. Not because of their politics, or that they hang out with a congressman that likes to sue parody Twitter accounts, but because they are terrible at running a charity. Charity Navigator gives them 2 stars. From the 2 mailpieces I have written about lately, you can see how 31.7% of their budget is devoted to fundraising. It should be 25% or under.
To be taken off Judicial Watch‘s mailing list email them at info@judicialwatch.org also call them at (888) 593-8442.