20 Direct-Marketing Ideas for Small Nonprofits, Part 1

2. Gang print
"One of the issues with smaller organizations is how expensive everything is," Temeles said. "That's why it's important to carefully plan printing. See if you can print as many mailings as you can at the same time. It helps keep the cost per donor down."

She provided two examples from clients:

• Two acquisition mailings of 25,000 pieces printed separately cost $7,198 each. When printed together, they cost $6,146 each — a savings of $2,105. That resulted in an 8.7 percent decrease in the cost per donor, from $81 to $74.
• Two appeals of 5,000 pieces cost $3,157 each printed separately. Printed together, they cost $2,461 each — a savings of $1,393. The impact was a 9.7 percent decrease in the cost to raise a dollar, from 30 cents to 27 cents.

"The more you can print at the same time, the better it is for costs and ROI," Temeles said. "If you can plan out mailings and get them together early, go for it."