On the other hand, if you’re trying to solicit major gifts from existing donors, you can send them a more personalized letter outlining specific projects that their donation will go towards. By targeting your audience, you’re more likely to get the results you want from your direct mail campaign. These links offer tips on integrating a direct-mail campaign with online fundraising tools such as email and social media. Multi-channel campaigns have the potential to reach a wider range of potential donors. An email to 1,000 donors, assuming no cost, but a .05% response rate will produce $150 from those thousand donors.

Why is direct mail for nonprofits still relevant?

For larger nonprofits, fundraising events provide an excellent opportunity to meet with supporters in person to strengthen your relationships. Small to medium nonprofits also rely heavily on events to bring new people into their organization and to find volunteers. In-person events are now, for the most part, off the schedule.

But the reality is that direct mail fundraising campaigns can be incredibly effective at raising money for your organization—even more so than email campaigns. Measure the success of your direct mail fundraising campaign by tracking response rates, donations received, and return on investment. Use this data to refine your approach for future campaigns and ensure continuous improvement.

Donation Request Email Examples + Tips to Increase Revenue

His expertise encompasses developing and executing strategic marketing plans that drive sales and customer engagement. Kevin’s deep understanding of address verification and direct mail logistics ensures that PostGrid’s clients receive the most effective and accurate solutions. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys exploring new marketing trends, traveling, and attending industry conferences. Depending on the results, you can send them direct mail pieces to attend your event or donate funds for a certain cause. Another reason direct mail still works is that it is different.

Interested in our services?

Do you know the reason why they were attracted to your nonprofit in the first place? Finding the true answer to these questions is what we mean by understanding the community. Instead of stalling your fundraising, you must try to adapt to the altered reality. Keep on reading for useful tips to adapt your nonprofit during the pandemic. Our platform is easy-to-use, built off of decades of industry expertise, and both faster and cheaper than buying the paper, ink, and postage it would take to do this at-home. Avoid small fonts, high-level vocabulary, and distracting layouts.

Crafting an Effective Direct Mail Fundraising Campaign

This pandemic has made an impact on almost all economic sectors. Charitable organizations have also been affected 10 tips for nonprofit direct mail fundraising during covid by the effects of this pandemic. There are always going to be questions or advice needed on fundraising, direct mail, or the overall nonprofit space. Ideally, you’ll find a partner that is quick to respond and knowledgeable enough to give you useful answers. There are some things even Google can’t answer, which is where helpful experts come in. A good agency will have a set period for gathering preliminary information, brand assets, and data.

Based in Chicago, Meyer Partners is a full-service nonprofit communications agency. They strive to create an integrated storytelling approach to their clients’ marketing. They don’t want to send the same message out via email, social, phone, and direct mail. Instead, their team uses data-driven analytics to create a comprehensive communication plan that nurtures long-term relationships with donors. In recent years, electronic communication media has been used more commonly among nonprofits.

• We’re seeing them respond a lot more quickly to requests from executive leadership.
• Answering these questions will help you develop messaging and content that resonates with your audience and encourages them to take action.
• Use these templates to build your annual email plan and achieve the right balance with the content you send.
• While it might seem like an old-school approach, the tangible nature of direct mail has a unique ability to connect with donors on a personal level.
• The second factor to consider is what kind of message you want to send with your direct mail campaign.

Donor Engagement

With direct mail, donors can hold on to your message and refer back to it later. This is especially important for donor retention; if a donor doesn’t remember to give again, they can simply refer back to your original letter. Additionally, you can include other materials like brochures or packets with information about your organization and its work. For example, you might learn that a specific appeal with these graphics, this story, sent at this time of year, to this audience is wildly successful compared to your average results. You’ll want to implement that appeal—plus the lessons you learned from it—as much as possible to boost your fundraising success.

Offer hands-on, volunteer opportunities

When done right, your communications plan becomes part of how your organization works. Direct mail is one of the most effective ways to market your cause to both new and existing donors. Keep your finger on the pulse of direct mail trends and audience preferences. These trends reveal what your peers are doing and what strategies resonate most with audiences. Study these patterns, compare them against your audience’s preferences, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

• The best substitute for physical meetings and gala events is webinars.
• Your direct mail fundraising campaign doesn’t begin with the letter—it starts with the envelope.
• Because of this current Covid-19 crisis and encouraged by media horror stories, the reaction of many charities has been to immediately cut communications and furlough their fundraisers.
• Another non-profit,Intervale Center, had planned out a year in advance to drop their Mother’s Day appeal in May this year, but then wondered, if they should still do so because of the pandemic.
• When organizations combine direct mail with digital methods, response rates climb to 28%.
• To celebrate this exciting milestone, we’re holding a event.

People are more likely to give when they’re prompted to do so at a time that’s convenient for them. Make sure your offer arrives at a time when your potential donor is likely to have the time and resources to consider your request. A full-service nonprofit marketing and communications agency. Once you’ve segmented your housefile into relevant groups, you’ll be able to catch your donors’ attention with personal references and a tailored tone. For instance, longtime donors might appreciate a more friendly, intimate appeal, while donors with past volunteer involvement might appreciate a reference to their volunteer history. Direct mail fundraising is an effective strategy for any fundraising organization, including nonprofits, schools, museums, and associations.

Donors should feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. You can achieve this by facilitating donor interactions, providing exclusive access to updates and events, and encouraging donors to share their stories and experiences. Building and nurturing relationships with donors is fundamental to long-term commitment. Trust building benefits healthy personal relationships; the same principle applies to an organization’s relationship with its donors. Brand consistency, mission clarity, appreciation for donors, and more contribute to creating the loyal, engaged base of support your organization needs for longevity.

How much should I charge for a fundraising letter?

You make your solicitations and your presentations, you make those packets digital-friendly. If you’ve got that beautiful campaign brochure, now’s the time to make it an interactive slideshow. In fact, I think you can do some things with a Zoom presentation that may have been sort of awkward or inconvenient in a face-to-face meeting, right? We’re seeing pop stars performing concerts from their bedrooms. We’re seeing Fortune 500 CEOs filming commercials on their iPhones. We’re seeing content created now that is coming across as really authentic.