Direct mail services for nonprofits

One of the main advantages of direct mail marketing is it’s effectiveness that allows you to stay in contact with a large group of people at relatively low cost. This low cost is largely due to nonprofits enjoying some of the lowest postage rates made available by the U.S Postal Service.

Direct mail marketing allows you to fine tune your advertising program based on the characteristics of a targeted donor list, something that is not available when using other forms of advertising. A nonprofit may send out several different types of direct mail packages to different donor lists. For example, a large donor may receive a mail piece that is a bit more expensive and contains more material and information compared to a smaller donor or non-giver, who may receive a simpler, less expensive mail piece.

Using an outside consultant that is experienced in direct mail services for nonprofit can help you maximize your donation with your existing donor list. Your current donor list is extremely valuable. Most successful non profit organizations categorize their mailing lists on many levels and keep track of donor statistics such as; last donation date, donation amount, length of membership, accumulated donation amount and much more. You can utilize different mailing frequencies for different types of donors. Be weary of “expensive” or direct mail packages that may appear to be “very expensive”; such pieces may actually cause more damage than good. Many donors are very sensitive to how their donations are being spent. You can lose donors if you create an image where most of the contributions are being spent to advertise and gain more donors versus fulfilling the mission of the nonprofit.

Direct mail for nonprofits is complex and guidance from an expert to help you create smaller mailing campaigns as a test is a wise starting point. The results of such tests must be tracked very carefully and be followed by minor adjustment to improve response rate. Repetition is absolutely necessary. Similar to any direct mail marketing campaign, there are a certain set of rules to follow in order to fully optimize your list and gain the greatest response. Here are just a few tips:

Ï All your mailers must repeat the main message, this is generally your nonprofit's mission.

Ï Use slogans if possible and try to make them relevant to your mission. This will help you to be remembered easier.

Ï Use the same logo and color scheme on all your mailers and advertising. Branding is extremely important and will gain you credibility.

Ï Use powerful images.

Ï Offer many ways for donors to contribute; for instance, web site, credit card, check or phone.