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Nonprofits can boost donor retention with direct mail
Nonprofits need to market themselves effectively to gain increased levels of donations and retain previous contributors. Direct mail remains a great way to ask for donations. In fact, a joint study from Australia Post and the Australian Direct Marketing Association revealed that mail is the third most influential form of marketing, according to Fundraising and Philanthropy magazine. Traditional advertising channels performed better than online marketing efforts for soliciting donations.
Katherine Morris, a donor relations coordinator at Lena Pope, an education advocacy group, wrote an article for npENGAGE on successful fundraising strategies her organization has used to attract and retain donors. Implementing new fundraising tactics has enabled Lena Pope to boost its donor retention from 29 to 43 percent over the course of five years. As of April, the organization is nearly halfway to its fundraising goal for the whole year.
What marketing strategies contributed to this success? Morris cited database accuracy as highly important. Nonprofits can benefit from address verification to ensure the quality of the contact information in their databases isn't deteriorating over time. In addition, they keep their approach to appeals fresh so they aren't using the same language each time. Donors can get bored with receiving the same message each year.
Lena Pope sends thank-you letters to each of its donors, and the organization recently created different messages for specific programs instead of a blanket letter for all contributors. Even if people don't donate right away, direct mail can leave a significant impression, and this plays a role in future giving decisions. Nonprofits looking to increase their fundraising numbers and boost donor retention rates over time should consider direct mail software. It can help charities streamline their marketing efforts.
