Suggestions for Nonprofits That Are Considering Producing Holiday Cards

The end of the 2009 holiday card season inspired me to come up with 11 Suggestions for Nonprofits That Are Considering Producing Holiday Cards.  See if you agree with these.

1. Use good quality paper stock. Some cards (not on CardsThatGive.org) are printed on what feels like thick copy paper. 80# is the minimum. 100# is even better.

2. Put your cards on line early. Some large businesses place their orders in the late summer. Traffic is heavy in September. If your cards appear later than this, you have missed customers.

3. Essential: include your nonprofit's name and website address on the card, as well as a brief description, if the charity's purpose is not clear from the name alone. The card should also mention that the purchase of the card benefited the charity. Many buyers look for this.

4. Another important one, I think: keep greetings simple and dignified. Whimsical greetings with exclamation points, dreamy or emotional messages, puns, and other quirky sentiments can deter some buyers.

5. Make your cards easy to find on your website, and easy to order. If you ask buyers to download and print out a PDF, or call or email an individual who is not always available, you will lose sales.

6. Don't put the date on the card, even in small print on the back. You can sell -- and people can send -- cards for several seasons if they're undated.

7. Print the card greeting in a clean, easy to read, classic font. Simple is best.

8. The back of the card may contain facts about the charity, sponsor logos, acknowledgements, and other details. To reduce clutter, consider printing the information in the same font style, size, and color, with logos as small as possible.

9. Choose children's art carefully. Many organizations use these images for holiday cards; they can be charming, but the art must be well done and pleasing. Bonus points for images that are a little different. Lots of snowmen out there.

10. Choose a card image that suggests the holiday spirit.  A vase of spring flowers, a monkey, and a summer boating scene are images that have appeared on nonprofit holiday cards this year.  Holiday images usually sell better.

11. If you hope to appeal to buyers from across the country, consider whether you want to feature images of local skyscrapers, stadiums, and other icons, beloved though they may be.

Let me know if you disagree, or if you have more suggestions to add to the list.

Anne