Today, fundraising is a billion-dollar-a-year industry that constitutes one-seventh of the nation’s economy. For organizations looking to increase donations, one key element to improving response rates is data-driven, highly personalized, full-color printed direct mail campaigns that target donors with pinpoint precision.
Nearly seventy-five percent of donations come from individuals like us- real people. The best way to increase fundraising results is by understanding that the real value is in the “connection” born from a conversation rather than a broadcast in your direct marketing campaigns.
Pointers for Direct Mail Appeals
Here are a few things to think about when developing your campaign:
• Unquestionably, the first step to any successful direct mail campaign is a strong commitment to planning and creativity.
• No one wants to lose their individual identity in any form of communication. Because each of us has different likes and dislikes, as well as issues we feel personally drawn to; speak with your donors differently – knowing full well that different donors have a variety of needs and levels of affinity.
• Don’t just design and produce full-color direct mail appeals – focus your attention on increasing fundraising revenue from your donors. Accomplish this through cutting-edge data analysis, population segmentation, and a compelling case for support driven by the donors’ stated preferences.
• Using intelligent mail barcodes allow organizations seeking a timely connection to know when an appeal arrives at the home of a prospective donor, and turn that knowledge into meaningful increases in donor support.
• Rather than “broadcasting” a message to donors, understand that if there are two “conversations” (in person or with one of our communication tools) with a donor in the first 90 days after receiving a gift, the retention rate on those donors exceeds ninety percent!
Innovation, total project management, precise data oversight, and creative product strategies from concept to post-delivery, yield results that exponentially exceed client expectations for return on their investment.
Knowledge Empowers Success
We believe that with knowledge comes empowerment; the more you know about your donors and prospects, the more they are willing to share their preferences and opinions with you, and thus, the more you show them that they have been heard, the more successful the appeal you ultimately generate.
At CFS, the Direct to-One process manages all aspects of the strategic, creative, and production process for you. Unlike a typical marketing agency, our team is accountable for all aspects of the work we produce on your behalf — giving you total control of all your projects, every step along the way.
We are committed to raising our clients more money by engaging their constituents in productive, appealing, personalized, and dialogue-driven ways. Learn more about our Direct to One service.
About the Author:
Tim Slattery is the CEO and founder of CFS, Inc. in Norton, MA. He has over 28 years of experience and leads a dynamic group of people who successfully deliver superior and flexible marketing solutions and product support services to our world-class clients. You can contact him at [email protected] or click here to connect with him on LinkedIn.
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