Non-Profit Uses Direct Mail & Increases Donations

Non-Profit Uses New Direct Mail Approach to Increase Donations

Challenge: A nonprofit charity needed funds to operate and provide assistance to the community, yet the Director of Development felt the odds of increasing donations in the current economic environment were against them. He wanted to improve the effectiveness of their previous donation campaign—a hand-addressed holiday card sent by a staff of volunteers.

Solution: We presented a completely new approach to meeting the charity’s need for donations. We developed a direct mail solution that included a fresh, new graphic design for direct mail letters and a new greeting card design.

The direct mail campaign targeted two distinct groups of donors: 2,000 businesses and 13,000 individuals. A personalized appeal letter, personalized donor card and return envelope were included in each mailing. The messaging of each appeal letter and card varied for each group. For businesses, the donor gift card copy was straightforward and suggested multiple gifts, including the idea of a gift list. The letter for individuals included a personalized card indicating the last gift amount donated, with suggested “move-up” amounts.

Results: Due to the personalized messaging for each group, along with the fresh design, this direct mail campaign resulted in a 30% increase in donations over the prior year.