Direct Marketing - The Role of Print Media in Development Support Communication
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Although online communication and electronic giving have revolutionized philanthropy, print media still help in nonprofit resource development. Although your nonprofit may not be able to justify the costs of printing, direct mail, appeal letters and other forms of print communications still deliver an impressive return on investment. Moreover, print media can drive online giving, saving your nonprofit time and money in other areas. Wealthy donors aren't likely to log in to your website to drop a $25,000 donation. That's where print media establishes legitimacy and trust, introduces you to new audiences and gives your constituents something to hold on to or share with other donors.
Direct Mail
The news of direct mail's demise is greatly exaggerated. In fact, direct mail has experienced a renaissance in development communications support. A 2008 study by the Association for Fundraising Professionals found that direct mail still leads in getting donations from the world's biggest givers: older women. The survey found that older donors respond to direct mail solicitations at levels similar to what they did in 1995, proving that it hadn't gone out of fashion with the advent of online giving. Dunham+Company reported in 2010 that more than twice as many donors say they were prompted to give an online gift in response to a direct mail appeal compared to when they received an electronic appeal.
Newsletters and Updates
Your bigger donors will also keep your nonprofit at the front of their minds when they receive high-impact printed communication that keeps them updated on your work. These are especially important for foundations and major supporters and serve multiple purposes. Not only is development communication fulfilling the obligation of reporting its work to foundations, but these communications provide additional "advertising" for the foundation and put your major gift donors' names in the spotlight.
Appeals
Development support communication must create several types of appeals as part of the fundraising function. End-of-year appeals, requests for gifts as part of a temporary campaign and solicitations for major gifts from individuals are common examples. Whether they take the form of letters, reports or some other creative form of media, they increase in intensity when they are printed. For example, a large nonprofit serving homeless people around the country once mailed paper bags to potential donors. On the bags were printed a short communication about feeding the hungry and homeless at Thanksgiving.
Annual Reports
Annual reports are like love letters to your donors. They arguably represent the most important function of development support communication. Although many nonprofits are filing them online, it's important to print and mail them to your biggest supporters. Annual reports convey your organization's major activities and financial status, but most importantly they name each person and organization that has contributed to your work. Like newsletters, they shine a spotlight on your donors and provide substantiation for why they should keep on giving. Especially at the high-net-worth end of giving, annual reports are also great referral tools. Your board members and major donors use them as promotional pieces to share with others, who may also wind up giving.
Tags:
Direct Marketing, Marketing
Direct Mail
The news of direct mail's demise is greatly exaggerated. In fact, direct mail has experienced a renaissance in development communications support. A 2008 study by the Association for Fundraising Professionals found that direct mail still leads in getting donations from the world's biggest givers: older women. The survey found that older donors respond to direct mail solicitations at levels similar to what they did in 1995, proving that it hadn't gone out of fashion with the advent of online giving. Dunham+Company reported in 2010 that more than twice as many donors say they were prompted to give an online gift in response to a direct mail appeal compared to when they received an electronic appeal.
Newsletters and Updates
Your bigger donors will also keep your nonprofit at the front of their minds when they receive high-impact printed communication that keeps them updated on your work. These are especially important for foundations and major supporters and serve multiple purposes. Not only is development communication fulfilling the obligation of reporting its work to foundations, but these communications provide additional "advertising" for the foundation and put your major gift donors' names in the spotlight.
Appeals
Development support communication must create several types of appeals as part of the fundraising function. End-of-year appeals, requests for gifts as part of a temporary campaign and solicitations for major gifts from individuals are common examples. Whether they take the form of letters, reports or some other creative form of media, they increase in intensity when they are printed. For example, a large nonprofit serving homeless people around the country once mailed paper bags to potential donors. On the bags were printed a short communication about feeding the hungry and homeless at Thanksgiving.
Annual Reports
Annual reports are like love letters to your donors. They arguably represent the most important function of development support communication. Although many nonprofits are filing them online, it's important to print and mail them to your biggest supporters. Annual reports convey your organization's major activities and financial status, but most importantly they name each person and organization that has contributed to your work. Like newsletters, they shine a spotlight on your donors and provide substantiation for why they should keep on giving. Especially at the high-net-worth end of giving, annual reports are also great referral tools. Your board members and major donors use them as promotional pieces to share with others, who may also wind up giving.
