Clearly, I’m pretty caught up in all things online and have made the effort to cut down on paper. However, I came across some interesting facts that make a good case for continuing to use direct mail.
- Direct mail generated almost $8 of every $10 donated to nonprofits in 2009 (Source: Target Analytics).
- People receive more email than postal mail (Source: USPS). This can be a great opportunity to stand out on paper since there are fewer competing messages.
- 80% of consumers rely on more than one channel when making a purchasing decision. I’m sure the same thing applies to donations for nonprofits.
- You can still use it to drive people to your online channels.
- It gives you the opportunity to include a QR code. More and more people are mobile, so this can be a creative way to get your message to potential and current donors.
So don’t completely give up paper. Just think of creative ways to use both paper and online channels to talk to your donors.
