Does Non-profit Direct Mail Still Work?

The numbers say that direct mail volume is decreasing about 2 percent per year since 2015. But… what if those numbers are decreasing because marketers are getting more strategic and building more effective address lists? Numbers don’t lie, but our interpretations of them can paint very different pictures. The truth is this: Online email and multimedia campaigns are getting lost in overstuffed in-boxes. Direct mail gets into your donors’ hands in a tangible way. They’ll handle your mail and get a good gander at your branding no matter what. 

Direct mail has a median return on investment (ROI) of 29 percent! That rate is much better than email. To be successful with direct mail though, you must plan carefully. Don’t send your mail to everyone—purchase a list from a good source. Make a complelling causal reason to donate to your non-profit to maximize results. Then, give your potential customer something they can use—either a piece of information or something tangible. Finally engage your customers’ tactical senses with a creative mailer. Make your piece unusual so that it will get opened and your message read. Read the entire article.