The Positive Impact of Direct Mail on Email Fundraising

The Question

Blueprint is an advocate of a multichannel approach to fundraising. This means engaging donors through multiple mediums, including direct mail, email, and social media. (We get the inherent bias of a firm that specializes in direct mail, email, and social media fundraising trying to make this argument). However, our clients frequently ask whether direct mail fundraising expands their donor base or cannibalizes other fundraising channels - such as email fundraising.

While we could (and many consultants would) just say, “trust us,” Blueprint’s slogan is “data driven fundraising,” so when we got push back from one of our larger clients about direct mail fundraising reducing the success of an email fundraising program we said, “I dunno...let’s find out!”

Here is what we learned.

What We Did
Over a six month period, Blueprint ran direct mail fundraising campaigns for multiple clients. During the same six months, we tracked our clients’ email fundraising revenue. We marked when our direct mail pieces landed, and designated the one month period after that as a ‘Mail Period’. We then analyzed email fundraising revenue of our clients both in and out of mail periods. In total, over 10,000 contributions under $500 were reviewed across five organizations with email and direct mail solicitation lists ranging between 10,000 and 100,000 subscribers.

The Possibilities
For this experiment, Blueprint was exploring three hypotheses. When someone receives a direct mail fundraising letter, were they MORE LIKELY, LESS LIKELY, or UNCHANGED in their likelihood to respond to a fundraising email. Looked at another way, did revenue from email fundraising INCREASE or DECREASE during the period that a fundraising mailer was landing in the mailboxes of current and prospective donors?

The Results
Blueprint found ...drumroll please… the timing of a direct mail letter landing corresponds to an INCREASE in overall email revenue!

During “Mail Periods”, the four weeks after a fundraising mailer was sent, email revenue increased by 28.43% for the organizations reviewed. Additionally, the number of contributions received through email grew by 22.97% AND the average donation amount received in response to an email increased by 5.53%.

While we don’t know exactly what is driving these increases in email fundraising, our hypothesis is email is a fleeting mode of communication, disappearing with the flick of a thumb and quickly falling down in the inbox. To be successful, you have to connect with the donor at the right time when they are in a place to respond. When a donor receives a direct mail letter, they often make the decision to donate and an email in their inbox facilitates that ask and makes them more likely to respond to both email and direct mail fundraising efforts.

In the end and as this research suggests, engaging your donors through multiple channels will always lead to an increase in ALL channels, not just one over the other - so says the direct mail, email, and social media fundraising consulting firm.

About Blueprint Public Affairs

Blueprint is a full-service direct mail, email, and social media fundraising consulting firm. We specialize in leveraging data to grow an organization’s grassroots donors base. If the devil is in the details, think of us as your spreadsheet angels. Interested in learning more or how Blueprint can help your organization reach your fundraising goals? Shoot us an email at matt@blueprintpublicaffairs.com.