Why direct mail can really do the job for charity fundraising
The era of digital marketing has reshaped all aspects of charity fundraising, from supporter communications to donation channels.
According to the Charity Digital Skills Report 2024, more than half (54%) of UK-based charities now see building their online and social media presence as a top priority. That’s quite a shift from the days when direct mail and long-copy print ads were the go-to option for charities’ fundraising teams.
But while digital might be at the front of their minds, with its promise of reaching a wider pool of potential donors on a cost-effective basis, there are good reasons that charities should not solely rely on it.
In its 2004 UK Giving Report, the Charities Aid Foundation states that charities received an estimated £13bn worth of donations, but from a smaller pool of donors than was the case in previous years.
It is therefore vital for charities to be able to find and engage those individuals who remain keen to support good causes. And that means the “broadcast” approach of digital donor communications won’t necessarily get the job done on its own.
For that reason - and many others, as we’ll see in this article - it’s a good time for charities to review their current fundraising marketing plans, and to reconsider the benefits of using more traditional channels. Not least direct mail, which accounts for a larger share of charity marketing budgets than door-drops and inserts.
Reconsidering the power of direct mail
From telling inspirational stories to arresting attention with a compelling ask, mail has a key role to play in fundraising strategies.
Charity direct mail statistics speak for themselves. For instance, 85% of charity mail was opened by recipients in 2023, an increase from 81% in 2019, says advertising insights organisation WARC.
Furthermore, according to marketing industry effectiveness measurement panel JICMAIL, a piece of charity direct mail garners more than two minutes of attention per item, whereas a Facebook ad gets just 1.6 seconds of attention.
In addition, on average a piece of charity mail stays in the home for 6.57 days and is read four times, according to Royal Mail’s MarketReach division.
According to those figures direct mail campaigns are well placed to drive fundraising performance. But what are the qualities that make it such a valuable component of charity campaigns?
Here are good reasons why you should reassess the power of direct mail for charity fundraising and communications:
TARGETING. Direct mail is a hugely effective way to boost acquisition, especially among specific target demographics. You can also fine-tune and tailor messages to current donors. Whatever your goal, precise targeting increases the ability to reach, engage and convert supporters.
Improving campaign efficiency
Crucially for donor acquisition drives it also improves campaign efficiency. This is vital for the charity sector after Royal Mail announced advertising and business mail prices would rise by an average of 12.1%. The more you identify and target groups with a higher propensity to respond to your ask, the more efficient your campaign strategy is. This is because you can hold back mailings you know won’t achieve strong enough engagement and response.
The foundation is not looking for a professional, polished bid, but a bid that covers the salient points: What is the project for? Who will benefit from the project? How many beneficiaries will there be?
PERSONALISATION. With the right data at your fingertips direct mail can address your recipient with information they’ll appreciate, from using their name to referencing their past contributions to your cause. Mail is a powerful way to make your supporters feel valued, and want to get and stay involved.
Variable copy and images is a prime technique: using data to understand which supporter cohorts respond well to certain creative treatments; tweaking the message based on location; and so on. MarketReach analysis found 85% of charity mail is opened, the high point for this metric during the past six years.
TANGIBILITY. Digital marketing seems to reach into all corners of our busy lives. Mail’s advantage is the offer of a tactile experience - receiving and opening the envelope - rather than clicking on an email or an online ad. This creates a strong emotional bond with recipients so they engage with and respond to your campaign.
Mail that stops potential donors in their tracks can be extremely effective. JICMAIL data states the average piece of direct mail generates 134 seconds of attention across all members of a household during a 28-day period. It’s indicative of a trend towards “digital saturation”, with some consumers starting to zone out from online communications.
Capturing attention
VISIBILITY. Email can be unreliable. A recent study found 16% of marketing messages failed to even reach the right inbox. And on average, consumers have up to 50 unread emails in their account. In contrast, direct mail has the added advantage of standing out from the digital deluge to capture attention, with creative that resonates - including personalised mailpack outers that instantly catch the eye.
CREDIBILITY. Physical mail can convey a charity’s legitimacy and professionalism. This is particularly reassuring for donors and potential supporters at a time when, according to UK Government data, trust in the third sector has dropped compared to a decade ago.
But a big majority of recipients - 87% - describe mail as “believable”, making it one of the most trusted channels. In addition, trusted “asks” that arrive in the post from a charity are popular among older audiences and prompt good response levels, in the form of donations made using a cheque, or debit or credit card details.
STORYTELLING. Charities can harness direct mail formats to reinforce their brand. Consistent visuals - including logos - and messaging help to build trust and recognition over time. Mail also has specific uses for stewardship throughout the donor journey: sending welcome packs to newly signed-up supporters; anti-attrition communications several times annually to persuade them to continue donating; and “thank you” communications to show how much you value their support.
With data on more than 30 million households available, there’s a huge number of potential donors to engage and enthuse with your charity’s stories. Reaching the right audience with the right story is powerful, particularly if you want to stir the recipient’s emotions using empathy or other positive sentiments.
LONGEVITY. Unlike sometimes fleeting digital communications direct mail has been shown to stay in the home for long periods. Recipients can keep letters and brochures for weeks, re-reading and sharing them with others.
A captivating channel
Mail is proven to be one of the most captivating channels: MarketReach data states 95% of direct mail is engaged with either by recipients or people they pass it on to. In addition, JICMAIL data released in 2024 states recipients file one in five direct mail items to read or respond to at a later date - a three-year high.
TESTING. Direct mail campaigns typically attract high response rates: an average of 9% according to DMA data, In comparison, figures from the trade body for charity email marketing campaigns show effectiveness falling steeply over time. But mail can also be used to feed insights into digital strategy via testing.
Adding a QR code to a mailpack, for instance, is a smart way to encourage interest in the digital aspects of a fundraising campaign. JICMAIL data shows a 38% conversion from website visits to online purchases prompted initially by direct mail.
RESULTS. The physical appeal and personalised nature of direct mail make it an extremely effective fundraising channel. Overall, total ROI for charities that include mail in campaigns has been found to increase by 12%. Continuous learning - an ongoing test regime, outlined in the point above - is often the best way to improve campaign outcomes.
INTEGRATION. Direct mail is a powerful component of the donation funnel but so are other channels - not least digital. Combining a mail strategy with other approaches can reap rewards, connecting points of reference for supporters in a cohesive way that increases impact during the donor journey. According to MarketReach, campaigns with mail in the mix are 43% more likely to report a revenue uplift.
Replication across all channels
But integration also means replicating your message across all of the channels you use to communicate. Too often, charities struggle to make assets look the same in mail, digital, print and other channels; leaving a confused picture and a brand that won’t be recognised wherever donors and potential supporters come into contact with it. That means your message won’t land.
For instance, charities - and non-charity brands, for that matter - don’t always seem to go to the same lengths to ensure an email is on-brand compared to the care that’s taken over a mailpack. While this can be a product of siloed offline and online teams, all channels should be given equal attention so your charity brand ‘shows up’ the same at each touchpoint.
All these benefits of using direct mail are compelling, whether your aim is to persuade potential new supporters to donate, nurture relationships with existing donors - or both.
By leveraging the many advantages of direct mail, charities can enhance fundraising efforts and increase their chances of achieving campaign success and much-needed income.
