Segmentation Is The Key To Your Nonprofits Direct Mail Success
Did you know that 50% – 60% of your nonprofit’s direct mail results comes from whom you are mailing to? Target audience is crucial, and segmentation is just as important. But, to determine the best target audience for your nonprofit’s direct mail, you first must determine the goal of your appeal. For Any Nonprofit Organization […]
What’s Your Monthly Giving Priority?
Last week, I was talking to a prospect about how to best set priorities when it comes to monthly giving. She wanted to know how crucial it is to only focus on monthly giving compared to other activities. They had fewer than 5,000 donors to work with. They have a small staff and a separate […]
How Older Ideas Can Be ‘New’ Again
As you’re going into the next decade, it might be a good time to take stock of some old ideas that can be new again. But how do you find those old ideas? Go back to some of your old packages and emails, and retest them. See what happens. When I worked at Reader’s Digest […]
Spread Grateful Cheer to Your Monthly Donors
Every weekend, I go through my mail from the week before. It’s also when I create a swipe file of direct mail packs and ideas I like. I scan in what I like and toss the rest. This past week, I had a bunch of holiday cards. Some recognized my ongoing monthly gifts; others did […]
It’s OK to Repeat a Message
I’m not going to write about monthly donors for a change. Instead, now is the time to get as many one-time gifts, which will help feed your monthly donor program next year. The year-end appeal season is here. The clock is ticking… The mail pile is growing… The inbox is overflowing… The question is: How […]
Asking Monthly Donors for an Extra Gift — Is It ‘Creepy’?
As it’s almost Halloween, I thought I’d discuss the “creepy” topic of asking monthly donors for an extra gift this giving season. Remember this post from a few months ago? I described the biggest reason why sustainers give monthly — it’s because they care about your mission. So knowing that, why on earth would you NOT […]
3 Case Studies That Prove That Nonprofit Direct Mail Still Works In 2019
I grew up with and in direct mail. I was fortunate to work at Reader’s Digest (RD) in Amsterdam right after college and it really shaped the rest of my career. I’ve always loved direct mail because you can measure results, but nothing beats seeing the boxes and boxes filled with responses coming back. I […]
The Nuts and Bolts of Direct Mail for Nonprofits
Before I got ‘hooked’ on monthly giving, I was already a direct mail ‘aficionado’. Why? Because direct mail works. Because people respond to it. Because you can measure what you’re doing. You can see how many fundraising messages you mail out and how many donations you receive back. But yet, so many people are no […]
8 Reasons to Start a Nonprofit Monthly Giving Program NOW
One of the key annual fundraising strategies I recommend you add (or rev up) this year is monthly giving. It’s one of the best ways I know to move the needle in improving your mid-level giving program, and to also serve as a pipeline to acquire new donors, upgrade current donors, and influence major and legacy giving. To […]
Can Monthly Giving Through Direct Withdrawals Work?
I was born and raised in the Netherlands where electronic bank payments, or direct withdrawals, were a way of life. Believe it or not, even credit cards there were required to be paid off every month, automatically, from your bank account. Things have changed there, but also here in the U.S. Now, the question, “can […]
