Another example

Read the following example of direct mail:

Dear Mrs Anybody:

Join PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTY

The war against poverty seems perpetual, but People Against Poverty are helping the poor to help themselves every day.

We can banish poverty completely if we work together to provide the underprivileged with:

Food
Clothing
Accommodation
A means of continuing to improve their lives

Poor people are just as enthusiastic about learning and developing skills as the rest of us. It’s just difficult to get started when you are desperately hungry, can’t afford clothes and have inadequate shelter or perhaps nowhere at all to live.

What we do

Our programmes in sub-Saharan Africa tackle four fundamental aspects of poverty:

Feeding
Clothing
Housing
Educating

Educating is the self-sustaining part. By educating, we mean not only teaching children, but guiding and training adults to help themselves and their families, using tools and/or technology to ensure:

Reliable food production
Home-building programmes
Setting up of small businesses, leading to . . .
Income that supports entire communities

Everyone should have the opportunity to develop their potential and increase their productive capacity.

What YOU can do

You can play your part in small ways by:

Making a one-off money gift
Sending us new or good-condition second-hand clothes
Purchasing a brick in our Buy a Brick to Beat Poverty campaign

You can play an even bigger part by:

Signing up to give a regular donation
Becoming a registered member of People Against Poverty*
Organising clothing collections in your area
Joining us as a volunteer working in Africa

*Becoming a member means you get regular updates on our programmes via email and a newsletter. You also get direct messages from some of the people we are helping, so you can see the difference you are making to their lives.

The difference YOU can make

The difference people just like you have made so far is profound. Among those supported by aid from the UK is Abdalla, from South Sudan. In Abdalla’s own (translated) words:

“MY FAMILY AND I WERE STARVING. OUR HOME, A SMALL WOODEN SHED, HAD BEEN DESTROYED BY FIRE. FOR MONTHS, WE WERE DESPERATE FOR HELP. TWO OF MY CHILDREN WERE NEAR DEATH. THEN A WORKER FROM PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTY TOLD US OF THE HELP THEY COULD PROVIDE.

WE WERE GIVEN FOOD, CLOTHING AND ACCOMMODATION. AFTER THREE WEEKS REGAINING OUR STRENGTH, WE JOINED A COMMUNITY PRODUCING A RANGE OF WOODEN PRODUCTS.

MY WIFE AND I ARE NOW FULL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE A REGULAR INCOME WHICH HAS ENABLED US HAVE OUR OWN SMALL DWELLING BUILT. OUR CHILDREN ATTEND A NEW SCHOOL WHICH IS RUN BY PROPERLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS.

THERE ARE PEOPLE TO TURN TO FOR HELP WITH ANY PROBLEM OR TASK AND WE ARE MUCH MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE. WE SEND OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO EVERYONE IN THE UK WHO HAS HELPED IN ANY WAY, LARGE OR SMALL.”

It’s so easy for you to be part of this kind of success story. Just do it now!

Fill in the form overleaf or call us now on 0321 123456 to join People Against Poverty, give money or clothing, Buy a Brick or volunteer for service in Africa.

And remember: NO GIFT IS TOO SMALL, BUT THE MORE YOU CAN DO, THE QUICKER WE BEAT POVERTY IN AFRICA.