Top 5 Ways to Personalize Nonprofit Direct Mail

If I were to ask donors what would capture your attention on a fundraising mail piece, I guarantee that I will get a lot of different answers. All of us have opinions, some stronger than others on certain subjects, but those opinions are what drive each of us. 

The power of direct mail is that we can create individually personalized pieces so that Tom has an offer that interests him, and Sue has a different offer that interests her. The best part is that the pieces can look identical except for the offer message. This can help you save money while increasing your response rate.

Here are the top five personalized data options.

1. Name

The quickest and easiest way to start personalizing is to include the donor’s name. Not just in the address block, but as part of the offer. Use the donor’s first name to maintain a conversational tone. This should not be your only form of personalization on the piece, but it helps to include the first name. Ensure that it is the right name. I wouldn’t want my mail to say, “Hi Paul.”

2. Gender 

If you have an offer that appeals differently to women than to men, this can be a great way to segment your offer. In many cases women perceive things differently than men. Use that to your advantage with targeted asks. Also, verify your data on gender is correct. Sending the wrong message can anger people.

3. Past Donation History

Use what you know about each person to personalize their appeal. If they donated $500 last time, reference that when offering an upgraded donation level Also, ensure that you make logical associations between a past donation and a current offer. For example, don’t send me an offer to donate $10,000 when my last donation was $100.

4. Reminders

Sometimes smaller donations are easier for people. Consider monthly or quarterly reminders for smaller donation amounts. Be careful not to over-remind people. Sending too much direct mail can have a negative effect.

5. Location

This can be used to entice people to join their neighbors and donate also (a keep up with the Jones’ mentality). Point out that others on the block have donated and they should not miss out.

The trick to doing this correctly is the database. You need to collect information about your donors in order to send them better asks. The better the ask, the less likely it will be considered junk mail and thrown away. Do not waste your money sending direct mail to people who don’t want it. Your database is your gold mine. Treat it with the utmost care and constantly make changes to it. 

If you don’t have much information in your database, start small. Look at this list and see what you can do with the information you do have. There are profile list services out there to help you learn more about your donors. 

If you use list profile services, remember the information is more of a generalization to categorize people. Do not use the information as a fact, since it could lead you to assume incorrectly about what people like and dislike. Personalization can be the catalyst to catapult your direct mail response to the next level. 

The preceding blog was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.