What is charity marketing?
Charity marketing does exactly what it says on the tin: it spreads the word about your not-for-profit organisation and your goals. Ideally, it also connects with new and existing audiences to help you gain support for your cause. Here’s our inspirational guide through some effective charity fundraising ideas.
Some people think that charity fundraising and advertising is all about asking for money, but it’s a common misconception that mailers need to be full of requests for donations. While charity fundraising may be your ultimate goal, if you focus on relationship-building and storytelling, the resources you need to tackle your cause will soon flow in.
How to connect with your audience using mail
While a clear call to action is important, undoubtedly there are plenty of innovative ways to ensure non-profit mailings make their recipients feel engaged and valued.
- Sending regular charity newsletters to keep supporters in the loop
- Setting up your CRM to send automated ‘thank you’ cards when donors give money
- Including a ‘handwritten’ letter as part of a direct mailer, so your audience connects on a more personal level
- Sharing inspirational stories of people or projects you’ve helped
- Detailing the progress you’ve made towards a goal or mission
- Including photos and quotes from charity events.
Digital vs print charity marketing
Lots of our customers ask: is printed marketing worth it?
Emails, social media and other digital forms of charity fundraising and marketing achieve some cut-through but, due to the amount of information we consume online every day, they don’t often lead to as much engagement as we’d like.
Which is why, while some people think that print is past it, we beg to differ. As digital charity communications have spiralled, post has dwindled, making it more likely that your supporters will stop and take note if you send them something tangible through the door.
Typically, charity mail is kept in the home for as long as a week and 92% of mailers are engaged with, meaning that your messaging has more chance of being taken on board.
Our experienced team regularly help not-for-profit businesses to design mailers and select the right audiences to send them to, to achieve maximum engagement. Plus we can help you plan a multi-channel marketing strategy to make your messaging go even further.
How to plan a charity fundraising newsletter and a mailpack
Here are the Eight Days a Week team’s top tips for fundraising using mail marketing:
Let your data lead the way
Data-driven direct mailers are much more effective than those sent using a blanket approach. By taking time to update your customer database and analysing which supporters are most likely to respond to a particular mail campaign, you’ll not only save unnecessary printing and mailing costs, but you’ll connect directly with more contacts, leading to a higher return on your initial investment.
Pick the perfect format
As a charity, you automatically qualify for VAT exemptions…talk about budget printing and postage! And we can help you get those costs even lower. By carefully considering the size, shape and machinability of your direct mail campaign, we can use our Royal Mail and Citipost partnerships to help you enjoy further postal discounts.
Make it personal
Personalised mail is always worth the effort. If your database is up-to-date, designing mail that addresses your supporters directly undoubtedly can make all the difference between it sitting on the kitchen table for weeks or ending up in the recycling without a second look.
Personalised messaging that connects with the needs or circumstances of a particular audience group can be highly effective, too. If you’re talking to new supporters, mention it. Or if you’re thanking someone for coming to an event, make it clear you know they attended. 70% of recipients say charity mail makes them feel valued so use this opportunity to forge a strong bond.
Work on existing relationships
Stay in touch with current supporters and reach out to thank those who offer donations. By nurturing these relationships, you’ll continue to reap the rewards and inspire long-term loyalty. If one of your contacts stops being a paying member or providing a regular donation, offer them other ways to feel connected, like volunteering, sharing your messages or raising money.
Reach out to new contacts
Don’t forget to link up with new contacts, too. We can help you target prospective supporters, whether by age, life stage or location and connect with them in an innovative way to increase the likelihood of conversion. From data purchasing to door-to-door mail drops, partially addressed mail and more, let our expert team get involved to grow your supporter base.
Decide on any extras
What’s going into your mailpack? Are you just sending a letter, or do you need to put together a supporter pack for an event or campaign? Whether you’re sending out a booklet, stickers or an assortment of leaflets, posters, fundraising forms, sponsor sheets or flyers, it’s a good idea to nail down the contents before going ahead, so we can help you put together the most cost-effective package possible.
Embrace multi-channel marketing
By integrating your mailer as part of a consistent and clear multi-channel charity marketing strategy, you’ll be in an even better position to enjoy high engagement. By making sure your supporters see your campaigns across email, social media and direct mail, your message will be more likely to hit home and make an impact.
Track your engagement
Who says mail isn’t trackable? Data drives any good marketing strategy – and not just online. By putting metrics in place to guide your direct mail fundraising, you’ll be able to improve campaigns and raise response rates as you get to know your audience better. We can help you to link your mailers to specific campaign URLs to track engagement and conversation rates. Using this data, we can tailor future mailers to see your support grow and grow.
Leave it up to us to get it out there
Once your mailing list is confirmed and the design is finalised, we’ll do the hard work to get your marketing materials out there. From printing to packing to postage, we’ll cover the entire process to help your messaging land on doormats as quickly, efficiently and professionally as possible.
How to raise money for a charity using direct mail
Direct mail is an indispensable and highly effective way for charities to connect with supporters and inspire direct charity fundraising. It’s quick and cost-effective to print, easy to personalise and enjoys high engagement once it reaches its destination. From leaflets and flyers to postcards, letters and brochures, and sponsor forms for charity there are tonnes of formats to choose from, so you can tailor your charity comms exactly how you’d like.
