The oft-predicted death of direct mail fund raising is yet to occur!
Updated October 2023 – This page isn’t really a blog post, but it does have a bloggy feel in a way because it’s a shifting topic. What’s true this year might migrate next year. That said, I think the headline above is still accurate. But every nonprofit must have a broad reach direct response fundraising strategy. Younger donors want communication quickly, factually, and readily accessible digitally. I say we’re still in a “both/and world”. — Robb Hansen
Let NLI develop an effective direct response program with you. You may feel you don’t need to do mailings. Bluntly (but kindly), you’re wrong. Yes to email. But yes to direct mail, too.
Many small (and sometimes large) nonprofits suffer because they feel under resourced in fund raising communications. Even if they have a dedicated or mostly dedicated person involved in fund raising, either that individual is too focused on communications and not out meeting with donors enough, or out meeting with donors so much that the communications pieces don’t get finished!
Sound familiar? That’s where Next Level Insights fits. Think of us as the communications team in that office down the hall, producing consistent, high quality donor letters and other communications for your constituency.
How It Works
You know you need to communicate with your donors and the public. Now that you’ve determined that, you need to get busy with the rest of the work: how often, what will you write, what will it look like, who will mail it. On and on.
We can help you with all of this. Maybe you want to do some of the mailing work yourself. Maybe you want us to do everything. It’s your choice. Following is a summary of the steps in an effective direct mail program. Look it over then get in touch with us to talk about how we can work together.
Planning
Thinking ahead is important. How many times will you mail this year? Who will you mail to? What will your themes be?
Writing and Editing
Does your organization have a “voice”? If so we can try to match it. If not we’ll give you one. Once we have the information necessary we can probably craft a letter that will communicate the message you have in mind. Perhaps you want to write your letters yourself. Let us finish them off for you and deliver them in a timely manner.
Layout
Our design team will give your direct mail piece a quality, professional look. From header to response form to outbound envelope will fashion a design that will get your donors’ attention and get them to open the mailings you send.
Printing
We work with a range of printers to produce direct mail and always select the services of the right house depending upon the size of your mailings and the type of project.
Merging and Mailing
This is a critical piece. Next Level will ensure that your list is cleaned, brought up to date with the National Change of Address (NCOA) database, and properly deduplicated. This will save on costs and ensure that your mailings keep up with your supporters.
Professional Insight
As a natural outgrowth of a partnership with Next Level Insights you will receive the insights necessary to making your mailings as effective as possible. We will assist you with common questions such as:
- How long should I keep mailing to a donor who seems to have stopped giving?
- Should I segment my mailing list and send different letters to different people?
- What should I do about mailings to major donors?
- When should I consider a donor “lapsed” and what should I do about it?
- How can I integrate my direct mail with my website, email, and social media efforts?
Costs
The cost of Next Level’s services depend upon the scope of our involvement of course. However we can virtually guarantee that our services in every category will be less than what it would cost to have such expertise on your staff.