5 Direct-Mail Fundraising Musts
Make sure premiums are tied to your mission
Premiums still work well in direct-mail fundraising, especially in acquisition, but the premium must be tied to your mission in order to stave off confusion and even skepticism.
“If the premium seems to have nothing to do with the work that your organization does, it might be viewed as being excessive and wasteful, which in turn can give the impression that your organization doesn’t use its funds wisely,” Battistelli Gardner said.
Test, test and test again
This should just be standard operating procedure for every fundraiser. Even if your control has gone unbeaten for years, you should always be looking for ways to top it and bring in even more dollars. Battistelli Gardner provided the following general aspects to test:
- One ask amount versus another
- Various incoming and outgoing postage types
- Different reply envelopes
- New offers
- New packages
- New outer envelopes
- Get out of your comfort zone with a new idea
One note: “If your budget is limited, test new packages to your existing donors before you try them on outside lists,” Battistelli Gardner said.
- Companies:
- Advanced Solutions International
