Explaining Direct Mail for Non Profits

How can Non Profits Increase their Engagement with Donors through Direct Mail?

Nonprofits can vary their material depending on whether they are sending the mail to regular donors or to first time recipients. Regular givers will have a pretty good idea of the programs run by the organization, so the material can explain current developments with a minimal introduction. However, donors who are being mailed for the first time can be given a fairly detailed introduction about the history and aims of the nonprofit before being introduced to the current activities of the organization. Nonprofits can also introduce their staff as part of familiarization with the readers and run small contests to increase the user engagement. The recipients should be given the option to respond to the direct mail by the method they are most comfortable with, so all online and offline modes of communication like telephone, email and social media can be provided for them to reach the organization. Of course, the organization’s name, address and logo should be clearly visible in the direct mail material.

How Can Direct Mail be used to Increase Donations to the Nonprofit?

Nonprofits should be very clear while preparing their material that the aim includes increasing donations to the organization while sending direct mail. Such an objective is useful because direct mail costs money and takes up a significant chunk of the organization’s efforts. The direct mail can include appeals for funding a cause, giveaways of toys and clothes as part of the outreach program of the nonprofit. The organization can issue a challenge type mode of fundraising where its donors announce the funds they have raised and pass on the appeal to other potential donors. One dependable method is to introduce annual subscriptions or donor membership cards for a fee, which members can pay to fund the activities of the nonprofit.

How often can nonprofits send direct mail to their donor base?

While there is no fixed frequency for non-profits to send direct mail, too frequent mailings can create fatigue among the target readers while too few mailings can lead to the donors losing touch with the organization. Nonprofits can consider sending different formats like newsletters, letters, postcards and flyers for more impact. This way, the direct mail campaign does not get monotonous.

What Sort of Design and Paper Quality should be used for Direct Mail?

While costs are a decisive factor, nonprofits should use the best paper they can afford in their direct mail. This is important because glossy, thick paper is both eye-catching and less likely to be damaged by rough handling. With regards to design, bright colors and clear text go a long way in making direct mail effective. While desktop publishing has made it easy to prepare material, often organizations can go overboard or be too subdued while making their material. A custom printing service not only provides multiple matched templates to choose from, they even mail the recipients if a mailing list is given to them for a reasonable fee. This reduces the load on the organization in mail handling and stationery.

Iti Direct Mail offers direct mail services for nonprofits, real estate agents, business organizations, insurance and mortgage companies such as mail merged letters, custom postcard printing, hand addressing, newsletters, booklets and catalogs. To read more tips on how to raise money for your non-profit organization, visit eHow.com.