Pre-Conference, Full Day Workshop.
A Hands-On, Intensive Dive Into Actionable Skills,
Strategies and Tactics You Can Use Immediately
Human-Centered Direct Mail: Copy, Creative & Storytelling
January 28, 2027
SFU Harbour Centre
Sign in Desk Opens 8:00 am
Workshop from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
YOUR WORKSHOP DETAILS
Two Ways to Sign Up for Workshop or with Conference
A Full Day, Hands-On Workshop of Actionable Advice
Take What You Learn and Implement Immediately
Boost Your Fundraising Team Skills & Improve Results
Do What Has Worked and Continues to Work for all Fundraisers
Just $295.00 per person
or save $100.00 per person in total by combining with full Conference Registration.
Includes continental breakfast, refreshments, luncheon & takeaway handouts.
Use this button to register one or more individuals for both Workshop & Conference
YOUR WORKSHOP DETAILS & INSTRUCTOR
You’ve got the basics down. You know what a direct mail package looks like, you’ve worked with a program — or just inherited one — and you’re ready to go deeper.
This is a hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of day. We’ll explore what makes direct mail package truly compelling: the storytelling choices, the ethical considerations, the creative decisions that turn a letter into something a donor actually wants to read — and respond to.
Rather than talking about good fundraising creative, you’ll make it. Working in small groups, you’ll build a direct mail campaign from scratch — starting with a campaign brief and a real fundraising challenge, and making decisions together at every step. You’ll choose a story and a voice, develop your key messages, write and refine copy, and put together the elements of a complete fundraising package.
Along the way, we’ll dig into questions that don’t always get enough airtime: How do we tell stories that centre people with dignity and agency? How do we write copy that treats the reader like a human being, not a transaction? And how does accessibility and inclusion shape everything from our language and typography to how we structure a package?
The content draws on the curriculum from DM 101: The Ultimate Guide to Executing a Direct Mail Campaign, the Individual Giving Collective’s evidence-based course developed by the team at Good Works.
What we’ll dig into together
Ethical storytelling — How do we choose and shape stories that respect the people at their centre? We’ll look at what it means to give storytellers agency, avoid reductive or harmful narratives, and ask better questions in the interview room.
Human-centered copy — What does it actually mean to write with a human-centered lens? We’ll explore how you can find the balance between honouring your donor, respecting your community and telling the truth about your work.
Finding the right voice — Who should tell this story, and from whose point of view? We’ll think through signatory choices, tone, and what it means to match voice to message.
The fundraising message — What’s the offer? What role does the donor play? We’ll work on developing a clear, compelling message that gives readers a meaningful reason to give.
Building the package — Outer envelope teasers, YES lines, the P.S., imagery, response devices — we’ll look at how all the pieces of a direct mail package work together, and why each one matters.
Accessible and inclusive design — Readability, contrast, typography, language, hierarchy — we’ll look at the creative choices that make communications more welcoming and more effective for everyone.
How the day works
You’ll work in small groups throughout the day, building your campaign step by step:
Short presentations and demonstrations will set up each section, but most of the day is yours — writing, deciding, getting feedback, and improving your work. You’ll develop an outer-envelope teaser, YES lines, key messaging, copy, and a creative direction, and you’ll get feedback through ethical, human-centred, and accessibility lenses.
By the end of the day, your group will have a complete creative concept for a direct mail campaign — and a practical framework you can take straight back to your own program.
Who’s this for?
This workshop is for fundraisers who already have a working knowledge of direct mail and want to sharpen their copy and creative skills.
It’s a particularly good fit if you’re relatively new to developing direct mail creative and want to build your confidence — or if you’ve recently inherited a program and want to rethink its storytelling and copy. It’s also great for anyone who works with agencies, freelancers, or internal creative teams and wants to get better at briefing, reviewing, and giving feedback.
And it’s for anyone who wants to bring a more human-centred, ethical, and accessible lens to their fundraising communications. That thread runs through everything we do.
This isn’t an introductory course — we’ll assume you know what a direct mail package is. What we’re here to do is take what you already know and apply a more thoughtful, creative, and values-driven approach to it.
What you’ll walk away with
By the end of the day, you’ll be able to make more intentional decisions about story, voice, and message. You’ll have a stronger sense of how to write and refine copy that’s conversational, compelling, and inclusive. You’ll know how to spot accessibility barriers and make smarter creative choices. And you’ll have practised giving and receiving the kind of feedback that actually makes work better.
Most importantly, you’ll leave with a complete creative campaign concept your group built together — and the confidence to keep building.
A complete creative campaign concept built collaboratively during the workshop
Stronger instincts for ethical, human-centred, and inclusive storytelling
Practical copy and creative skills you can apply right away
A better eye for accessibility in fundraising design and language
Tools for giving and getting feedback that actually makes work better
This workshop is for you if…
You’re building your direct mail creative skills and want to grow your confidence
You’ve inherited a program and want to rethink its copy and storytelling
You work with agencies or creative teams and want to brief and review more effectively
You want to bring a more ethical, inclusive, and accessible lens to your fundraising
BONUS: Each Delegate Will Receive a Special & Exclusive Handbook of Direct Mail Expertise Articles, Case Studies, Insights & More, taken from the pages of DM Magazine, Canada’s award-winning media channel which has covered all forms of direct and data-driven marketing for more than thirty years.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR: Melanie Lepper, Principal Consultant & Head of IDG, Good Works Co. Melanie helps fundraisers write direct mail that actually gets read—and acted on. With 15 years of hands-on experience across political and charitable fundraising, Melanie brings a practical, no-fluff approach to direct mail training. Since joining Good Works in 2018, Melanie has partnered with dozens of charities of all sizes, helping teams navigate flat response rates, shrinking files, and the pressure to “do more with less.” She’s tested ideas that didn’t work, learned the hard lessons, and refined what does—and she’s generous about sharing those insights so others can avoid the same costly missteps. Melanie holds a Bachelor in Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University (2008), a Certificate in Philanthropic Psychology with distinction (2024), a Certificate in Fundraising Copywriting (2024), and the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation (2022). Beyond fundraising, she lives in Ottawa with her 9-year-old twin boys and fits in running and Hyrox training between spirited debates about Fortnite and hockey rink schedules.