Each year, DNR Group sends out about 10 million pieces of mail from clients such as America Online, the Salvation Army or the Red Cross. But instead of machine-made memos, the recipients get personalized, handwritten notes from an army of Louisville, Ky., residents.

DNR Group President David Redmon said about 4,500 locals work as independent contractors for DNR, writing and addressing personal messages.

Many consumers view mail solicitations as junk and toss them in the trash without a second thought. But personalizing the mail gets a higher response that Redmon says is worth marketers paying triple for the service.

"We produce the highest response for any direct mail out there," he said. "We are the best producer for your dollar."

Harold Herring — who runs a marketing company in Fort Worth, Texas, that uses DNR's services — agrees.

"Most people who do regular direct mail would be ecstatic with a 2 or 4 percent return," he said. "I've never had less than 8 percent using DNR."

Redmon said the response is sometimes as high as 30 percent, and that has spun a nice return for the company. Revenue has been up 75 percent a year for three years and is moving in on $10 million.

Growth didn't come easy. Persuading clients to pay extra for handwritten mail was tough, Redmon said. He attributes the company's success to using independent contractors instead of full-time employees, which allows flexibility with work flow.

Gwyn and John Morton wrote their way to a mission trip in Belize this year, and Lee Ann Bohannon penned her way to a new range for her kitchen.

"At first, when I started, I thought my fingers were going to fall off," said Bohannon, a homemaker who has been writing for DNR for three years. "But now I'm used to it."

Redmon said 99 percent of DNR's contractors are women, many of them stay-at-home moms. He said it takes 13 to 15 hours to complete 500 pieces of mail. Writers are paid per piece and can make about $300 a month, though some have hit $600.

"Our motto is, if you need a job, you don't need us," he said. "This money might be a car payment or date money or a few pairs of new shoes."

When the writers are hired, their handwriting is scanned into a database. It doesn't have to be attractive, but it does have to be legible, Redmon said. The writers with the prettiest penmanship are "Type One," and the ones with less attractive or "manly" handwriting are "Type Three." The writers also are divided by cursive and print.

Redmon said Type One cursive writers are the most popular, but some clients need more masculine handwriting to stay authentic.

"If you get a handwritten note from Dave Redmon and it's really flowery, people think, 'Hmmm. Did Dave Redmon really write that?' "

Redmon said the company's biggest struggle has been getting clients. Typical direct mail could cost about 40 cents apiece. It costs 25 cents just to get a handwritten address from DNR, and about $1.20 for the full package.

At first, Redmon offered to pay all costs up front. If the mailing produced enough to pay what DNR billed, the company paid it and kept the rest. If it didn't, the company would pay only what the mailing returned. Redmon said he has never lost money with that approach.

The company has two known competitors: a very small Minnesota company called Aria Communications and Hallmark.