Even though it’s a digital world, there’s still more than enough life left in direct mail marketing.

That’s right. Direct mail marketing is not dead for nonprofit organizations. In fact, it’s still effective for fundraising and here are a few reasons why your nonprofit shouldn’t hold a direct mail funeral just yet.

Direct Mail Marketing Is Still Effective — and Here’s Why

Direct mail will always command attention. We all know that important documents are still delivered to you, right? There is something about going to the mailbox and tearing open an envelope with your name on it. Besides, we are all overwhelmed with email inboxes and are much more likely to delete an email that comes from someone we don’t know or looks the least bit like a request. Sending your donors something in the mail — all the better if it’s unique and personalized — is sure to get attention.

Donors need to hear from you from all different channels and platforms. We’ve talked here about the importance of integrated marketing campaigns with consistent messaging across different channels. Doing so is helpful because supporters may be on different channels at different times, consuming your content in different ways. Direct mail should be one such channel. Not only will direct mail reach some audience members who may miss your messaging delivered elsewhere, but it will also reinforce and validate all the messages you do send on those other platforms.

Direct mail actually may not work for your organization — wait, what? That’s right; this is an article about why direct is effective, but it will only be so if it’s tailored for today’s audiences. Don’t keep dragging out the same four-page letter in Courier font that you’ve used for the last few years (or decades!), only changing the date. If you’re going to do direct mail (and you should), do it intentionally and with purpose. Make your mail stand out by experimenting with colored papers, unique designs or photography. Segment your mailing list by demographic and/or donors, prospects, volunteers. Customize each appeal with thoughtful modifications to reach each segment effectively.

Follow-up to Direct Mail Campaigns is Key 

While direct mail is definitely an important piece of your donor development strategy, it is still a more expensive endeavor. You must shell out money for design, printing, and postage before you ever collect the first donation.

It’s terribly important, then, that you have an effective follow-up system that can track the outreach, the responses, and ultimately, the giving. Don’t allow your direct mail dollars to go to waste by failing to accurately record data that you generate with your direct mail campaign.

So, go ahead, plan your next direct mail campaign with confidence that it’s a valuable endeavor. Make sure you’ve got Donor.com’s software management suite to help you evaluate every step and track all the touch points with your audience. 

If you’d like to give Donor.com a try, sign up for a free trial!