Jerry Huntsinger is Dead

August 7, 2023      Roger and Kevin

Jerry Huntsinger, 90, died peacefully early Sunday morning in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Along with scores of Agitator readers, hundreds of fans, and devotees we’ve lost a dear and precious friend.

We marked his 90th Birthday just two weeks ago with the tribute Celebrating the Wonder and Wisdom of Jerry Huntsinger .  Lots of readers weighed in with comments including Richard Viguerie who presciently expressed his fears.  We hope you will now feel free to share your memories and stories in the Comments section as part of our collective celebration of Jerry’s remarkable contribution to our community.

Biography of Jerry’s Professional Life.

Author of several classic “how to” books on fundraising and mentor to generations of young fundraisers, the New York Times summed up his skill: “Most Americans have never heard of Jerry Huntsinger, but they have probably heard from him. Mr. Huntsinger is a direct mail fundraiser, one of the best in the business.”

Jerry Huntsinger was born on July 25, 1933, in Salina, Kansas  He went on to receive an A.B. in English Literature from Greenville College in Greenville, IL. His graduate degrees include a master’s in philosophy from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY. and a master’s in mass communications from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1962, Jerry joined the staff of the then Christian Children’s Fund, now ChildFund International in Richmond, Virginia where he traveled to the Fund’s missions in Africa and employed his communications and fundraising skills to alert the public to the plight of orphans and raise funds for what became one of the nation’s largest child sponsorship programs.

In 1967, he co-founded Huntsinger & Jeffer, the Richmond, Va. advertising  and fundraising firm, an early pioneer in direct mail fundraising for nonprofit organizations. After selling his interest in that firm he became Senior Creative Consultant for Craver, Mathews, Smith & Company in Falls Church, VA.  where he worked on programs for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International, the ACLU and Common Cause.

To minimize what he called “the boredom level from my day job” he built and flew radio-controlled airplanes with his sons and grandsons and worked  with a London based producer of video games to create theme music and background sounds,  and often used his skill on the keyboard to entertain residents of senior centers and nursing homes in the Richmond area.

Over his long and active 61-year professional career he wrote fundraising letters signed by Presidents Reagan, Carter and Clinton, politicians such as Albert Gore, Nancy Pelosi, and celebrities such as Christopher Reeve, the late Frank Sinatra and Joanne Woodward, Susan Sarandon and many, many others.

He created marketing campaigns for companies and organizations as diverse as The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, American Express, Kemper Insurance, Day’s Inn, Ford’s Colony, Virginia Peanuts, Peale Center for Positive Thinking, Crestar Bank, Habitat for Humanity, The Humane Society of the United States, National Wildlife Federation, Handgun Control, Amnesty International, Environmental Defense, Father Flanagan’s Boy’s Town, the American Red Cross, Consumers Report, and dozens of others, both commercial and charities.

Often called the “Dean” of direct mail fundraising, his creative work, campaigns, and marketing innovations received awards from public relations societies, film festivals, national advertising agencies, and the Professional Achievement Award from the Non-Profit Council of the Direct Marketing Association.

Roger Remembers

Jerry would probably wonder why the lede of this remembrance ignores one of his recommended starter sentences like “It was a dark and stormy night…”. In fact, early Sunday morning when I learned of his death it was indeed exactly that emotionally.

Others will recall his advice like “get to the point”… or ”you have to pursue what some may consider crazy ideas to make progress.  And anyway, you gotta be a little crazy to be in this business”.

Jerry was anything but crazy. He was innovative, unorthodox, and iconoclastic, with a rare skill for simplification of the most complex of issues…always alert to what too many today consider ‘small or insignificant’ details like size of type fonts, teaser copy on the carrier and the importance of the message and offer on the response form.

Most of all, Jerry was generous. There are literally generations of skilled copywriters today who were taught and nurtured along the path to success. For years, after he sold his agency, he worked as Senior Creative Consultant with Craver, Mathews, Smith.   He would diligently make the 107-mile trip from his home Richmond to our offices in Falls Church, VA where I’d find him in his Ford F-150 pickup, making notes or dictating copy waiting for the office to open.

Jerry preferred dictating copy. First, asking that a client not “send me more than 30 pounds of your policy stuff” he would absorb the detail. Then, pick up the phone or his tape recorder and send off the dictation for a nearly pitch-perfect package to Deidre Price our transcription whiz in Kentucky, then do a final “polish” on the return transcription and send it to the client.  Masterful.  And most important: Conversational.  Just the way a direct mail letter should be.

[ Jerry distilled a lifetime of professional success into 87 tutorials in the fundraising treasure trove which is yours fee and online at SOFII.Org.  See Introducing the Wisdom of Jerry Huntsinger to discover this marvelous gift that you can put to work immediately. ]

I treasure each of the 52 years Jerry and I wrote together and laughed together, which we did until just last month.  I loved his “country boy” innocence masking a theological and mass communications education even as he credited some of his most brilliant recommendations and critiques to Eddie, his gardener.

In fact, Eddie was real.  And one of Eddie’s major innovations was an adaptation of the familiar and successful technique known as the “Johnson Box”, attributed to the great copywriter Frank Johnson.

Whereas the Johnson Box is used at the top of a direct mail letter, Jerry loved to employ what he called the “Eddie Box”, appearing at the end.

So, as I say goodbye to my friend, it’s appropriate to end with an Eddie Box.

Kevin Remembers

 For 15 years Jerry read the Agitator.  Most wonderfully, he contributed his critique, suggestions, deep knowledge, and boundless curiosity to help the DonorVoice team develop the Copy Optimizer and translate the sometimes-arcane language of linguistic science into practical—and as he demanded—easy to understand and easy to use tools.

I started working with Jerry when he was 83.  If I make it that far I hope to have half his boundless curiosity and openness to reconsider and reimagine.

 Jerry created more control packages in his career –many still out there in use today—than there are Power Points at a fundraising conference.  He willingly shared them and encouraged us to analyze and demonstrate how using Copy Optimizer and our behavioral science research could improve them.

 To label Jerry a “lifelong learner” is to do injustice to his insatiable curiosity and willingness to step on the status quo.  It’s not many septuagenarians who decide to compose music for video games and get paid for doing it.

 I don’t have Roger’s 52 years’ working with Jerry, but in my 7 years I never heard the phrase “back then we….” or “we tried that, and it didn’t work”, only “Let’s give it a go.”

Dear Reader—Please Remember

Please share with other readers your memories of Jerry.   Thank you.

Roger and Kevin

 

18 responses to “Jerry Huntsinger is Dead”

  1. Ken Burnett says:
    August 7, 2023 at 4:33 am

    Oh my goodness Roger. How sad!
    You asked for memories of Jerry: I remember well the elation I felt, and the sense of privilege, when Jerry confirmed his offer to donate his 87 Tutorials for SOFII to share with fundraisers everywhere (no small thanks to you too Roger, for your support during the process). I’d been begging, cajoling and cadging fundraising gurus for months for content for the then fledgling sofii.org site and this, really, was the motherlode. All the tutorials in all their glory, just needing a teensy bit of editing (figuring this task required sensitive oversight from a DM expert, I handed it with confidence to the wonderful Gwen Chapman). All we were missing now was a good photograph of the man himself. So, I contacted him by email, profusely thanked him and asked. His reply was blunt and apparently final – he didn’t like having his photo taken, it wasn’t necessary, go without. With some trepidation I persisted. A reply came by return, with a photo attached and a simple message: ‘This’ll have to do’, or something similar. Eagerly I opened the file, then recoiled in horror – it was a bandana-clad tattooed muscle-bound thug with a chainsaw, breaking down a door. ‘This is how I like to be seen’, Jerry said. ‘Run this.’ The picture wasn’t the real Jerry of course, it was his alter-ego Jean-Claude Van Damme, in full battle mode. Later we acquired a delightful, much more sedate and reassuring image of the man himself, but I still really don’t know if he was joking, or not. I’m sure Jerry mostly got his way, without ever needing to employ a chainsaw. He was a genius, and fun too. He will be missed. Ken

  2. Roger Craver says:
    August 7, 2023 at 5:12 am

    Thanks Ken. Jerry was delighted to contribute his tutorials to SOFII. As he inimitably put it when I thanked him he responded, “Beats the hell out of a tombstone.”

    Of course he was right. His joy in sharing knowledge is the best monument possible.

    Thank you Ken for making this possible.

    Roger

  3. Richard Pordes says:
    August 7, 2023 at 7:35 am

    I never knew Jerry on a personal basis, nor did I have the privilege of working with him. But I heard him speak frequently, and read many of his tutorials. In fact I still have a binder full of them which I’m sure were received well before the birth of sofii.org. He never believed in intellectual property rights and generously shared everything he produced. I will never forget the sight of Jerry and his coat of many colors. You could not miss or forget the sight of this brilliant man striding down the aisles of conference rooms nor the huge trove of brilliant ideas he bequeathed to the world. Jerry will never die but will live on in the minds and works of thousands of copywriters, fundraisers and just plain folks who want to do some good in this weird world of ours.

  4. Roger Craver says:
    August 7, 2023 at 7:59 am

    Spot on, Richard. I forgot the ‘sartorial splendor’ of Jerry’s haberdashery in the ’70s. Wow!

    My thanks for your sharing this.

    Roger

  5. erica waasdorp says:
    August 7, 2023 at 8:20 am

    So very sorry to hear this news! I talked to Jerry a few years ago when he and I were working on some copy for one of my religious clients (I had no idea he dictated his copy!)) and he mentioned his huge ‘tribe’ of family of kids, grandkids and great grandkids. He loved spending time with them. All my thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. You and we all lost a great man and great role model to so many of us in direct mail and fundraising world.

  6. Paul Bobnak says:
    August 7, 2023 at 9:15 am

    Reading direct mail that came across my desk for so many years at Who’s Mailing What!, I knew Jerry’s work when I saw it. The post here just a few weeks ago for his 90th birthday reminded me again of all he gave of himself to so many organizations over the years, and to our community as well. May we always remember his contributions, and make the world better.

  7. Richard A. Viguerie says:
    August 7, 2023 at 9:22 am

    Roger,

    How very sad. I had no idea that Jerry was dying.

    I now wish I had heaped much more highly deserved praise on him in my comments after your July 24th blog post.

    Jerry was a major reason our industry came out of the caves of the dark ages and walked upright in bright daylight. His work made a huge improvement in many, many people’s lives.

    You may not like writing about your friends deaths but take comfort in the fact that you do it so very well. You help people like me see so much good in others that it encourages us to raise our game much higher.

    Your friend and admirer,

    Richard A. Viguerie

    P.S. Today hundreds of Jerry Huntsinger’s family and friends are saddened to learn of his death, but a far sadder situation is the tens of millions (perhaps hundreds of millions) in America and far from America who never heard of Jerry Huntsinger but will now not receive much needed help.

    Dozens of direct mail control packages won’t be written, tens of millions of postal letters won’t be mailed that would have raised large sums of money to help large numbers of people be fed, clothed, and housed.

    Future potential Jerry Huntsingers won’t have the benefit and pleasure of learning from Jerry. However, he left a treasure trove of knowledge if they will just put in the time and energy to learn from the master.

    I’m sure Jerry heard words to this effect yesterday, NKJV “his Lord said to him ‘well done good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’”

  8. Ellen Cobb Church says:
    August 7, 2023 at 10:01 am

    Roger, this is a beautiful and fitting tribute to Jerry.

    I will always be grateful to you for introducing to me to Jerry all of those many, many years ago.

    J can see him now in one of our conference rooms or offices at CMS with a twinkle in his eyes, pushing everyone’s buttons. He loved it – and the better it worked the more his eyes twinkled! And the more we learned.

    I remember telling Jerry once that he mentored and taught the mentors and teachers of this industry. I consider myself one of the fortunate ones who got to learn directly from him – and to be mentored by him in fundraising, agency life, creative development, client service (though he could get away with certain things he considered “client service” that the rest of us could not), leadership and life in general.

    Jerry helped me see things differently, think differently, create differently, push boundaries and always rely on the basic tenets of successful direct mail and marketing. He did this in ways that were infuriating, hilarious, gracious, kind, masterful and with one and only one intent – to make me better at what I do. And he was that way with everyone.

    As you mentioned in your post, he drove to CMS on a regular basis and whenever we needed him – for decades. And for me he was always a phone call away – for anything. And a lot of times that “anything” was to hear a friendly voice that I knew I could count on to make me laugh (or cry), listen without interruption, provide excellent advice and ideas, assure me I was not losing my mind, accuse me of losing my mind, brainstorm with me, encourage me, and at times discourage me. And even though I did not like to admit it no matter which way the conversation went, Jerry was right.

    I hope he is soaring high today with his beloved Gwen and will I look for a star tonight that twinkles as bright as his eyes and shines his love, button-pushing and mastery on us all.

  9. Dalton P Fuqua says:
    August 7, 2023 at 10:14 am

    Tough news. Jerry taught me so much about creative and persuasive writing.

    But he also taught me how to ski! It was his last day ever at Park City, yet he still took a few hours to patiently show me the ropes. True to form, he boiled it down to three simple steps I still use today.

    I will miss him.

  10. Tim Kersten says:
    August 7, 2023 at 10:16 am

    I am very sad to hear of Jerry’s passing. I had the privilege of meeting and introducing him as a speaker at a direct marketing conference back in the early 1980s in Dallas, Texas. Unlike other conference speakers, Jerry walked into the meeting room empty handed – no slide carousels, handouts, or overheads (Google it kids: this was pre-PowerPoint and pre-internet; we wrote on typewriters). He surveyed the room of eager, aspiring fundraising copywriters, sort of shrugged, and said, “Hi everybody. So, what do you want to talk about?” There was a bit of an awkward silence. This was different! Jerry was different. He wanted a dialogue not a lecture, which as I think about it, was characteristic of the personal, you-me tone of the letters he wrote for so many of America’s charities: no pontificating self-talk; just a relaxed but compelling and ultimately persuasive conversation. Finally, someone asked a question about how to craft great – as in result-getting – direct mail letters. Off he went for an hour and 15 minutes pacing the floor, challenging the audience, sharing tips and techniques. Friendly. Open. Candid. Humble. And quirky. Jerry was quirky. I hung on every word and thought, I want to be as good a writer as he is someday. He inspired me that way. I had already devoured all of Jerry’s tutorials, most importantly his big three-ring binder, Creating Fundraising Letters and Packages. I still have that binder. I referred to it many times over the course of my writing career – to spark ideas, to refresh my memory about best practices, and to keep me from writing something stupid. In this way, Jerry Huntsinger was a major influence on my career as he was on so many others. He grounded me in principles that still work today. The nonprofit community owes him an immense debt of gratitude.

    I remember once feeling pretty excited to be asked to write a head-to-head test against Jerry for some nonprofit I’ve long forgotten. I think I beat his package by a hair, and felt rather smug about it: There, maybe I can be as good as Jerry Huntsinger, I whispered to myself. But that was a long time ago and I’m sure I’m fantasizing. None were better. Thanks Jerry. RIP.

  11. Adam Church says:
    August 7, 2023 at 10:17 am

    Early in my career I had the opportunity to learn from Jerry. He was patient, kind and fostered a love for fundraising in me that made strategizing and writing a package seem like a puzzle to be solved. The number one lesson he drove into every email exchange was that you had to “tell the story without the full story”. This is something I find true with every package I work on. He was a wealth of knowledge for the industry and I am very lucky to have learned from him. I hope he is living the best next life where he is now.

  12. Tom Ahern says:
    August 7, 2023 at 10:37 am

    You never forget your first … whatever. Sip of beer? Well, for me.

    Jerry was my first, in-depth tutor for fundraising DM. I stumbled upon and with relief subscribed to his monthly training mailings in the early 1990s. Those tutorials still hold pride of place on my office shelves, neatly collected in 3-ring binders. Jerry’s materials came pre-punched, strongly suggesting a need for subscribers to get organized.

    Annually, I offer a “back to some very basics” webinar on fundraising DM (trying to pass along what little I think I “know”).

    It’s always updated with new examples of stuff that’s worked recently, of course. But at its core is a section called “JERRY’S BASICS.” This core introduces attendees to the SOFII treasure trove (as Richard so exactly puts it). Attendees get a taste of the amazing subject matter that resides on SOFII now.

    Marie & Ken: you did well, landing the Huntsinger whale for SOFII. There was a 1996 non-fiction best-seller called HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION. It talked about how precious learning was, against many odds, preserved in cloisters between the fall of the Roman empire and the rise of modern civilization, post Dark Ages.

    SOFII has done the same with Jerry’s insanely deep body of knowledge and talent. Bravo, all. Thank you.

  13. Pamela Barden says:
    August 8, 2023 at 5:29 pm

    When I started writing fundraising copy back in 1980, I read every article I could find by Jerry Huntsinger, even if it meant a trip to the library to get a copy. I considered him my mentor even though he never really knew me. His writing was so practical and based on experience, not just a “best practice” that was never tested in the real world. In the early 1980s, he wrote an article titled “How Small Organizations Can Compete.” I devoured that and tried almost every idea he offered. When I taught a fundraising class in the 2000’s-2010’s, I used that article in one of the class sessions, only needing to add a slide about eAppeals – it was still so relevant 30 or so years later. The fundraising world had lost one of its greats. We are fortunate that he left such a legacy of materials in a field where real experience matters.

  14. Mal Warwick says:
    August 8, 2023 at 7:37 pm

    Jerry Huntsinger was, without doubt, one of the giants of our field. A long-time copywriter myself, I was in awe of his ability to dictate copy in nearly finished form, and in record time, producing hard-hitting, and effective, letters practically every time.

    I didn’t know Jerry well, but we did business together for a time when he transferred a list of his subscribers to me. He was a gentleman throughout, and I remember him fondly.

  15. Dennis Hoffman says:
    August 8, 2023 at 10:11 pm

    I was so sad to learn the news of Jerry Huntsinger’s passing. Jerry was an outstanding figure in the world of direct mail fundraising, a man whose insights and teachings have shaped the industry for decades.

    I had the privilege of not only reading Jerry’s columns and books and attending his lectures and subscribing to his workshop. I also had the privilege of spending quality time with him when we shared a client. His brilliance was matched only by his generosity, and his personality was truly one-of-a-kind.

    Jerry’s lessons weren’t just about fundraising techniques; they were about connecting with people, understanding human behavior, and building relationships that mattered. He taught me more than I can put into words, and his impact on my career has been profound.

  16. Kathy Swayze, CFRE says:
    August 9, 2023 at 1:08 am

    A true legend that paved the way! I’ve been a fan, a reader, a follower of Jerry’s for years and am no doubt a better fundraising copywriter because of it. Thank you for this wonderful tribute page. It is so nice for the folks who spend their days outside of the limelight to be remembered for their amazing contributions. Jerry’s impact will continue for many, many years to come! -Kathy

  17. Kent Huntsinger says:
    August 11, 2023 at 8:54 pm

    1967 Jerry started Huntsinger & Associates. Huntsinger & Jeffer came about in the 70s.

Ask A Behavioral Scientist

    Behavioral Science Q & A

    The Agitator Tool Box

    Ideas, applications, tools, processes, and case studies of break-through solutions in fundraising, including: