By Steve Thomas

Excerpts from Review by Rebecca Davies

... at once a memoir, decorative coffee table book, and gossip rag. I love it. In 30 Letters, Steve Thomas exhibits thirty house and acquisition packages, delineating three decades of Canadian history. It’s astonishing the impact great direct mail can have for fundraising and advocacy goals: “We have helped put two clients out of business through the years: the Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the Canadian Coalition on Acid Rain.”

...Thomas generously displays in full colour the complete package for each, including OEs and response devices. These are some of Canada’s – the world’s – most sophisticated and famous packages..Without telling us, what seems to make these packages work is 1) identifying an enemy for prospects and donors to rail against and 2) it’s all about the outer envelope. Get it opened.

...There’s little quantitative data on the performance of each package showcased (trade secrets?), but, and this is the best part about the book and something you’re unlikely to find elsewhere in print: we get backstories on the pitches.

ISBN 978-0-98806-190-3 McThat Press 2012
228 pages Colour soft cover / 8 x 10.5 in / 900 gr