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Fundraising Tuesday: P.S., QR Code, and More Money for Your Nonprofit

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In nonprofit fundraising, everything old is new again.

One of the best appeal letters I received at the end of 2023 was from Second Chances Inc., a local nonprofit that “reuses and recycles clothing, shoes, and accessories so that homeless and lower-income people feel confident and valued as they take their first steps toward brighter futures.”

Second Chances appeal letter frontSecond Chances did all the things you have to do to send out the ideal appeal letter.

  • They called my wife and me by name, not “Dear Friends.”
  • They told the story of one person in trouble.
  • They used a photo, quotes, bold and underlined text to break up the dreaded wall of text.
  • They said you many times more than they said we.

These are all classic ingredients of a fundraising appeal that works.

Something old, something new

One other thing Second Chances did right, which regular readers of this blog will recognize: they used a P.S. The postscript (along with the salutation, photos, and bold text) is one of the first things that most potential donors will read when they receive your mail.

A postscript is not an afterthought. Actually, I suggest that writing the P.S. should be one of the earliest things you do when drafting your fundraising appeal! So, it’s vital to use that highly desirable space in your letter to make it more likely that the person reading it will donate.

How do you spur donations? One way is to drive home the message that you were telling in the main body of the letter. For instance, Second Chances could have referred back to Alyssa, the person who received the bag of winter clothing, whom they tell about earlier in the letter. They could have said something like, “There is someone else just like Alyssa who is shivering in the cold right now, and you can help her. Please make your donation today!” And that would have worked.

Second Chances chose a different way to make donations more likely. They made donating easy.

Second Chances appeal letter back with QR CodeIf you look at the back of their letter, your eye will immediately get drawn to two things, the signature, and the little black box that looks a bit like a maze. Yes, that’s a QR code!

QR codes have been around since the 1990’s but were never in widespread use until the outbreak of Covid in 2020.

Suddenly, the entire world sought quick and easy ways function without physical contact. QR codes were the perfect solution. The codes are free, easy to make, and easy to maintain. Almost everyone carries a phone with QR scanning capabilities. You could dine at restaurants and bars without touching a menu that’s been touched by other people, reducing the spread of germs. You could pay for items without touching cash or pushing buttons on a card reader. (from A brief history of QR codes)

Second Chances did not add a QR code just to look trendy! I am sure they thought it was a great way to make their paper fundraising appeal more interactive. For the donor, making that gift doesn’t have to mean typing the Second Chances URL into their web browser, navigating to the Donate page, and then going to PayPal. Just pull out your phone, and the next steps are automatic.

What is your nonprofit doing to use both time-tested techniques and new technology to help your donors decide to give, on the spot? Share on X

 

Fundraising Tuesday: How to Get Donors to Respond

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At the beginning of January, you heard from me about thirteen things nonprofits should STOP doing in their fundraising appeals. When you see a good example, though, please jump right in and do the same!

My first good example for you: RESPOND, New England’s first domestic violence agency and the second oldest in the nation. Both in their Spring and End of Year appeal letters, this nonprofit did things that are guaranteed to make their donors…well…respond!

RESPOND envelope

It starts with the envelope

RESPOND did three things that, before donors even opened the envelope, made it more likely they would read their message.

  1. Used a live stamp–a cute picture of a mama elephant and her baby–not a rubber stamp.
  2. Put their name, logo, and slogan (“Working to end domestic violence”) in the reply address. I knew who was sending me the message!
  3. Hand-wrote my name and my wife’s name in the address, and spelled the names right.

Last year, did your envelopes welcome the potential donors in to read your message? This year, could you borrow these three techniques from RESPOND?

The photos catch the eye

RESPOND Inc. Spring 2023 appeal letterBack in May, the letter featured the photo of a young mother cradling a newborn infant in her arms.

It’s touching. It’s beautifully composed: your eye follows the mother’s face to the baby’s, to her flowing hair, back to her face and then to the body of the letter. And it introduces the story that’s going to be told in that letter: about raising children in a safe space.

Respond End of Year 2023 appealThe letter that came out just after Thanksgiving shows the picture of a different woman, in her middle years, hugging herself, with a sad expression, but looking directly at you, the reader.

It, too, introduces one person’s story: a woman who had left her abusive husband but now faced the possibility of being evicted and out on the street.

(Notice that RESPOND didn’t try to talk about both women and their needs in one letter. They knew that a single story is more powerful, and they chose one story, one photo, at a time.)

These photos mattered. They didn’t replace the words, but they made me, the donor, want to read the words. Did you do that for your donors?

They had me at hello

If I think about it, I’ve never really had a safe place. I’ve been on my own pretty much from the beginning. I’ve had to raise myself.

If you saw the photo of the woman with the newborn baby and read these words, how would you feel? Would your heart go out to her?

The Spring appeal started with those two elements, that photo of a woman called Nicole and this quotation in her own words. As a reader, I wanted to hear her story. As a donor, I wanted to help.

“I thought I was doing everything right.”

When Priscilla walked into the RESPOND office this fall, her hands and her voice were shaking….

The End of Year appeal began that way, and again, it gripped me. Immediately, I was in the middle of the action, with a woman in trouble. I was looking for a way to help her–and RESPOND was right there.

Does the opening of your appeal letter make your donors want to know more, and to help?

Things get worse before they get better

Nicole married young. Her husband got laid off from work when the pandemic hit. He started to hit her. “And then, Nicole discovered she was pregnant.”

Priscilla made the hard, brave decision to leave her husband. He harassed her at her new place until she got a restraining order. Then, she came down with pneumonia. She was out of work for weeks, and the medical bills started to pile up. “She was holding a 14-day Notice to Quit–the first step to eviction proceedings.”

RESPOND made it clear just how bad things can get for women like Nicole or Priscilla. That made it urgent for me, the donor, to give.

Is your nonprofit showing the dire need for help and making the donor the hero of the story?

Don’t stop there

Research shows that your donors are more likely to look at their name, the first line, the photo, and the postscript than they are to read anything else. RESPOND knew that. They used the P.S. to call the reader to action.

P.S. Thank you for supporting RESPOND this Mother’s Day! Visit respondinc.org/donate (or point your smartphone camera at the square below) to get started.

Is your nonprofit getting the last word? Can you use a P.S. to get a better response on your next appeal letter?

Fundraising Tuesday: Is Direct Mail Useful for Nonprofits? Here’s What to Know

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A guest post by Joshua Meyer of Bloomerang

As far as nonprofit marketing is concerned, it doesn’t get more classic than direct mail. Large-scale direct mail has been a staple of nonprofit communications for decades. However, with the dominance of online fundraising, you may be wondering if direct mail is still worth the investment.

16% of donors still prefer to give using direct mail, second to online donations, but still a decent portion of nonprofit supporters. This guide will explore the benefits of keeping direct mail in your fundraising strategy, along with best practices for achieving a high return on investment (ROI) via direct mail.

Benefits of Direct Mail for Nonprofits

Direct mail empowers nonprofits with the following advantages:

  • Offers a high return on investment (ROI). Direct mail has an average response rate of 5.3%, compared to 0.1% for email, 0.6% for paid search ads, and 0.2% for online display advertising.
  • Helps your nonprofit stand out. Receiving a personally addressed letter makes supporters feel more individually recognized and helps cut through the digital noise.
  • Appeals to multiple senses. People are more likely to remember information that they process using more than one sense. With direct mail, supporters can process your nonprofit’s message using their senses of vision and touch.
  • Helps connect with older audiences. Research shows older adults prefer receiving more traditional forms of communication, such as printed materials and verbal communications.

Many supporters still feel a sense of excitement at receiving a letter personally addressed with their name. Direct mail can provide a compelling look into your nonprofit’s activities and reach donors outside the busy digital environment.

Tips for Leveraging Direct Mail Effectively

Just like any marketing strategy, direct mail requires you to have a concrete plan that enables you to take a thoughtful and strategic approach. You’ll have the most success with your direct mail strategy when you incorporate the following best practices:

Alt: List of tips for leveraging direct mail effectively for nonprofits (explained in the text below)

Personalize your outreach

80% of consumers are more likely to shop from a brand that offers personalized experiences. The same is true for your nonprofit’s supporters—they appreciate personalized marketing messages that speak to their unique interests.

Personalize your direct mail by following these tips:

  • Address letters with supporters’ names.
  • Reference past interactions.
  • Have your executive director sign letters.

For example, let’s say you’re sending out invitations for your nonprofit’s annual silent auction event. Here’s an example of a letter you might send:

Dear Angela, 

Thank you for your past donation of $100 on September 15, 2023, and your participation in our Spring 5K and Fun Run. Because of your generosity and past event attendance, we wanted to personally invite you to our annual New Year’s Eve Gala and Silent Auction on December 31, 2023. Please RSVP using the link or QR code at the bottom of this page. Hope to see you there!

Best wishes,

[Your executive director’s signature]

According to Bloomerang’s donor management software guide, a powerful donor management system is your most effective tool for personalization. Use your donor management system to store donors’ personal information and implement it into your direct mail outreach.

Tell stories

Stories tend to be easier to remember and more engaging than facts alone. They help audience members build an emotional connection to your cause. Implement these tips when telling stories via direct mail:

  • Write in a skimmable format. Use short paragraphs and break up text blocks using bullet points.
  • Incorporate visuals. Images that show people’s faces tend to work best for sparking an emotional connection.
  • Spotlight key messages using bolding or underlining. Make sure donors can understand your main message with just a glance.

Highlight one main protagonist in your story, such as a community member who received support from your nonprofit or the reason a board member joined your board. This practice keeps your storytelling more focused and allows readers to feel emotionally connected to your main character.

Leverage multichannel fundraising

Fundraising research shows that marketing campaigns that used direct mail and one or more digital media elements experienced a 118% boost in response rate compared to those that used direct mail alone.

Combine direct mail outreach with digital fundraising initiatives to create cohesion across your marketing channels and offer multiple donor touchpoints. For example, include a QR code or vanity URL on your letters or postcards that sends supporters to your online donation form.

This helps keep your message top-of-mind for donors while reaching them in unique ways that don’t overwhelm them with excessive communications.

Keep your content donor-focused

Your letters should stay focused on your supporters themselves and their accomplishments, not your nonprofit. Use mostly second-person words, such as “you” and “your” instead of first-person words like “our” or “I.” This distinction shows donors that your nonprofit couldn’t complete its mission without supporters’ tireless efforts and involvement.

For example, instead of saying:

Our nonprofit just reached its 2023 fundraising goal! 

Say:

Your generous support helped raise $30,000 this year for animal welfare!

Run your copy through a communications audit tool to ensure readability and donor-centricity.

Choose metrics to assess progress

Metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) will help you assess your progress and your direct mail strategy’s effectiveness. Track metrics such as:

  • New donor acquisition rate
  • Conversion rates from direct mail (whether for donations, event signups, volunteer registrations, etc.)
  • Direct mail donor retention rate
  • Average direct mail donation amount
  • Direct mail ROI

Make sure to also track donor demographics and characteristics for donors who engage the most with your direct mail messages. You can create a new marketing persona using patterns and trends that emerge in your direct mail audience. This segmentation can help refine your direct mail marketing over time as you learn more about your target audience and design your materials to appeal to their interests.

As you craft your nonprofit’s online fundraising strategy, don’t forget about the role that direct mail can still play in your fundraising success. Direct mail can deliver the additional personal touch many supporters need to take the leap and become donors, volunteers, or advocates.

Author: Joshua Meyer

Joshua Meyer brings more than 20 years of fundraising, volunteer management, and marketing experience to his current role as the VP of Demand Generation for Bloomerang. As a member of the Bloomerang marketing team, Josh manages the organization’s growth marketing efforts. Through his previous roles at the Human Rights Campaign and OneCause, he has a passion for helping to create positive change and helping nonprofits engage new donors and achieve their fundraising goals

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