You’ve done the research. you have your perfect list of prospects. You have defined your budget and goals. Now comes the scary part.
what do you actually send?
Last week we explained the three essential best practices for direct mail fundraising: personalize, increase perceived value, and make the next step easy.
This week we’re sharing 13 direct mail examples that use these best practices with great results. Use them as inspiration for your next direct mail fundraising campaign!
13 direct mail examples that work for nonprofits
When planning a direct mail fundraising campaign for your nonprofit, the sheer number of options can be overwhelming.
but fear not! We’re going to share some of our favorite direct mail campaigns so you can take what you love and turn it into your own successful campaign.
1. make your donor the hero
In the direct mail from Operation Smile, they included not only a well-written and persuasive fundraising letter, but another letter not intended for the donor, but for the child they were going to help.
Inside the envelope were fifteen adorable stickers and a message for the child: “a new smile. a new day. a new life. I’m so happy for you! from his friend in (donor state), usa. uu.”. then the donor could sign the letter and return it along with the gift from him.
This brilliant addition showed the potential donor its impact in an emotional and immediate way. they could clearly see that they would be the hero to a child with a cleft palate.
2. take into account the context of your message
In May 2020, Bethany Health Care Center sent out a direct mail campaign. It was a simple fundraising letter, but it had tremendous results. why?
Because Bethany Healthcare Center spoke directly from the common experience of their prospects. at that time, quarantine was the norm and people felt increasingly isolated. but bethany’s health care facility’s message was honest, direct and to the point.
In the letter itself, the author admits that they thought about not submitting the fundraising application, but then they thought about the residents of Bethany Health Care Center. they follow this by explaining how the center had adjusted to coronavirus restrictions.
By knowing the moment and being aware of the context of their message, bethany health care center exceeded their goal by 296% for this campaign. When designing your own direct mail campaign, consider the social environment of your message and remember: honesty is always the best policy.
3. let your inner child out to have fun
datavail had a difficult task for them: to make database administration fun. they wanted to connect with people in their industry at trade shows, but they had to get their attention first.
for this they created a board game: datavailopoly. used all the inside knowledge and jokes a database administrator would understand.
They then sent parts of the game via direct mail, encouraging their potential customers to meet them at networking events to get their full copy of the board game.
This worked well due to two factors: 1. the initial email encouraged further contact in an interesting way, and 2. it was fun!
how can you bring fun and a sense of “insider knowledge” to your mailing list?
4. play the long game
somametrics had a client whose main problem was confusion: their product was seen as project management software, which most people already had and were unwilling to change.
After significant research on their clients’ leads, Somametrics created a white paper explaining how their client could provide solutions to their leads’ challenges. then, they followed up that direct mail piece with more educational digital materials. In the first 60 days, this campaign saw a 278% ROI on new accounts.
If it’s not clear how your nonprofit helps or how it differs from other similar organizations, play the long game: Take your prospects through an educational process before requesting funds or time. this will improve both your ROI and your human connections over time.
5. multimedia works better
hexagon wanted to impress its partners and investors with its annual report. a slide in pdf or powerpoint? no way. hexagon thought larger.
combined augmented reality with their annual report. The viewer was invited to download an ar app that allowed their phone to “activate” some aspects within the report.
The trigger would display interactive images viewed through the phone, such as pokemon go for financial information and product descriptions.
Not only does this make the annual report dry stuff more interesting, but it shows hexagon’s ability to use the latest technology for the benefit of its customers.
Remember: Every touchpoint, even those that seem set in stone, is an opportunity to engage your potential customers. If you have some dry materials in your campaign, like repetitive ads or financial information, use video or AR to make it engaging.
6. add interactivity to make it memorable
the skoda yeti can make parking difficulty a thing of the past with parking assist. however, the problem with a new feature is that you can’t just explain it. you have to make it memorable.
skoda created a postcard. on the one hand, a small skoda yeti. on the other, an equally small parking space.
Simply place the miniature Skoda Yeti on the card and the magnets will pull it to the right place. not only is it simple, but it gives the prospect a direct sense of ease associated with skoda parking assist.
This type of interactivity and tactile experience sparks word of mouth and creates a memory for your prospect. How can you use memorable interactivity in your next direct mail fundraising campaign?
7. use powerful images
Every year, the World Wildlife Federation sponsors “Earth Hour.” It is a call to companies and individuals to turn off their lights for one hour. Instead of consuming during that hour, everyone is encouraged to think of ways we can better support the environment.
Of course, getting companies to “turn off the lights” can be a challenge. To address this challenge, WWF sent a candle in a specially designed box to CEOs. the box looks like an office building from the outside, with all the lights on. when the candle is taken out, it darkens.
Not only is it visually stunning, but the candle itself acts as a physical reminder that can also be used during Earth Hour.
this campaign hits several key points as it is memorable, practical and combines most of the senses in one presented element (smell, sight and touch). the year wwf sent the candles; business participation increased by 260%. Now that’s remarkable performance for a small wing!
8. use qr codes for easy ctas
architectural design firm anderson canyon was looking to expand their business, but they didn’t want to go the traditional route. In today’s flooded marketing landscape, “traditional” means “ignored.”
Because standing out isn’t an option, it’s a requirement, we partnered with Anderson Canyon to create a multimedia direct mail for your best possible prospects. The brand’s exclusive packaging contained a personalized video and personal letter detailing how Anderson Canyon could help the potential customer and why they made the perfect match.
The best laid plans can fail if they don’t land. That’s why we’ve included a remarkably easy way to learn more about Anderson’s Canyon: QR codes. Both the video and the letter instructed the prospect to scan the code and visit the Anderson Canyon website.
When designing your campaign, make sure that taking the next step is as easy as possible with as few steps as you can manage, whether it’s a qr code that leads to your website’s fundraising page or include a postage-paid envelope that the prospect can easily return with a check.
9. tells a simple story
When designing your campaign, start by pinning down your message. it’s best to keep your story as simple as possible. if you can boil it down to a sentence, you’re on the right track.
We did this with one of our recent outreach campaigns. During a brainstorming meeting (it must have been around lunch time), one of our teammates came up with this phrase: “we go together like peanut butter and jelly.”
It was so clever and so clear that we knew it would be memorable. so we built a whole campaign around that! that campaign put us top of mind and paved the way for new customer relationships.
Who knew being known as the “peanut butter and jelly people” would have so many benefits?
10. incorporate an element of mystery
Most people can’t resist a good mystery. that’s why there are about a million murder mystery shows and movies (I don’t have the exact number, but it seems accurate).
People love to solve puzzles and become one of the few insiders who know the answer. you can use this in your direct mail campaigns, like we did with our client partner billingtree.
For your direct mail efforts, we created a puzzle box. Inside was an Amazon gift card waiting for the happy recipient, but there was a catch…literally.
the box was closed and we did not include the combination.
This item made people feel compelled to open the box, because who doesn’t love to solve a mystery? And that compulsion to open the box and see what was inside generated over 700% ROI on this campaign.
Read more about how to incorporate mystery into your marketing here.
11. use personalization and high perceived value to reach top donors
We wanted to show our appreciation to one of our partners, Sendoso. so we use customization and high perceived value to create something extraordinary.
We had your logo laser engraved on the outside of a wooden box. everything in the box screamed “quality” and that ensured we weren’t thrown in the recycling bin. inside was an elegant bottle of carefully selected wine.
sendoso enjoyed it so much that they shared it on their youtube channel in an episode of “unboxed”. You can see it here.
A little extra effort can take your direct mail from the trash can to something remarkable. use personalization and high perceived value in your campaigns, especially for high-value potential donors.
learn more about personalization and high perceived value with last week’s blog.
12. ignite word of mouth with an impossible-to-ignore treat
It can often seem impossible to spread your message by word of mouth, even on social media. if you’re trying to attract the attention of influencers, you might be inclined to pay them for sponsorships.
You don’t have to do this. Not if you grab his attention with an impossible-to-ignore gift.
Our client Frito-Lay wanted to spread word of mouth on social media about their new product, mac n’ cheetos. To help light the fire, we created a media giveaway package for key food influencers. The package included a full microwave, a package of cheeto macaroni, and an instructional video with retro vibes.
The gift was so extraordinary that influencers couldn’t help but talk about it on their profiles. 50 kits turned into 1.3 million impressions and 8,000 shares. the rumor even spawned blog articles, spreading the message to more people.
If you’re interested in spreading the word on social media, or just want to wow potential donors, send them an extraordinary gift they can’t help but talk about.
To learn more about generating word-of-mouth buzz, read our series on the topic here.
13. give thanks
Your most valuable relationships are the people who have already donated time or money to your organization, and it’s important to take the time to show your appreciation.
texas a&m raised more than $75 million to renovate its zachry engineering building into a state-of-the-art learning facility. after such wonderful contributions from their donors, they wanted to show their appreciation.
instead of just another plaque or certificate, texas a&m has partnered with uviaus to create a unique and interactive gift.
the gift included a built-in video player, loaded with a personalized thank you message from the engineering students who directly benefited from your donation, packaged in a branded keepsake box designed specifically with texas alumni in mind a&m.
This outreach campaign won awards for its innovation and excellence, but more importantly, it showed donors that their donation really mattered.