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Direct Mailing for Donations: Best Practices for Your Non-Profits’ Next Direct Mail Campaign

Many non-profit organizations want to add direct mail marketing into their fundraising efforts. The most successful non-profits understand that it requires investing enough time and money to achieve the best results from their campaigns. While some organizations depend solely on phone calls and emails, others have better access to other types of marketing options.

Direct mail fundraising involves a lot of calculated costs. Some organizations are hesitant about whether or not they should invest in direct mail. And if they do use direct mail letters, many often worry about if it actually works.

Good news: direct mailing does work. But there are things you need to know about it first. Here’s how to use some of the best practices to transform a direct mailing campaign into a group of informed donors.

Non-Profits Benefit from Mailing to Current Donors

The two most popular mailing markets for non-profits are to current donors and prospective new donors.  

Mailing to current donors is a great way to stay in touch and to encourage more donor participation.  

Prospecting mail gets sent to a purchased list of people who have never donated to your non-profit organization. These lists can be more challenging to see results from simply because the people on the list are often unfamiliar with your organization.

No matter the size of the non-profit, direct mailing should reach the current donor more often. In fact, mailing the list a solicitation letter at least once a year will make a big difference.

Direct Mailing Takes Practice

To have successful direct mailers, organizations should treat it as an art. Prospecting mail takes time and a lot of testing to find the perfect mailer that yields the greatest returns. One of the goals would be to show enough profit to pay for the marketing with the majority going to the actual cause. Once the current donor list is built up, the direct mail marketing efforts becomes more profitable. Sending out an inappropriate prospecting letter can waste a lot of time and money. Therefore, organizations should consider using a professional and experienced team.

Hiring an experienced direct mail consultant can help non-profits who are struggling just to break even.

Treat the Mailing List Like Gold

An organization’s target audience should be people who have already donated through the mail. Hence why current donor mailings are so successful. The direct mailer’s donor file is as good as gold when treated respectfully.

The only thing working against this is over-soliciting a mailers list. Organizations should avoid sending a direct mailer every other week, for example. Instead, they should be sending cultivation mailings, such as newsletters. These can keep a list fresh and let donors know that they are valuable.

Treating donor files with respect can welcome continued support to non-profit organizations.

Bottom Line

The most successful direct mail fundraising stems from a foundation of testing things. Non-profit organizations that continue testing, measuring and analyzing their direct mailing win. And for those seeking more guidance, our services can help!

Call us today and we can mail your letters so that you don’t have to hire a separate mailing house.

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