The document discusses strategic objectives and planning for direct mail fundraising projects, emphasizing donor engagement and financial metrics. Key areas covered include package design, messaging, integration with digital outreach, and performance metrics such as response rates and average gifts. It also highlights the importance of timing and targeted list selection to enhance fundraising efforts.

1. Fundraising Success: Direct Mail

2. Today’s Discussion Planning for your direct mail projects Package design Messaging Integration

3. Direct Marketing Strategic Objectives

4. Strategic Objectives Discussion What would you like to get out of a direct mail program for your organization? If you do direct mail now, what are some additional objectives you could pursue?

5. DM Strategic Objectives Increase current donor giving Develop new donors Recapture past donors

6. DM Strategic Objectives Fund a specific program or project Encourage fulfillment of pledges Build ongoing relationships with donors Identify donors with potential for significant individual giving

7. Financial Objectives and Metrics

8. Financial Objectives What kind of results can you expect? What will the costs be?

9. Direct Mail Planning Worksheet Prospecting Donor Total Notes Revenue: Number of Mailings Pieces/Mailing Total Pieces Mailed Estimated Response Rate Expected Responses Expected Average Gift Total Revenue Revenue Per Piece Costs: Total Pieces Mailed Paper Cost/Piece Print Cost/Piece Postage List Rental Total Variable Costs Fixed Costs Total Costs Costs Per Piece Net Income Ratios: Cost Per Dollar Raised Fundraising % Revenue

10. Planning Assumptions Typical Response Rates: Prospecting: .5%-2.5% Donor: 7%-20% Typical Avg. Gift: $10-30

11. Key Metrics Cost per Dollar Raised Average Gift Response rate Donor retention rate Lifetime Value of a Donor

12. Plan Your Mail Piece What type of package are you going to send? What lists are you going to use? What is the theme of your campaign? Is it relevant?

13. Direct Mail Project Design

14. Direct Mail Project Design Package Messaging Timing Lists

15. Package Typical package: 8.5x14 letterhead with perfed return card #10 window envelope #9 BRE or CRE

16. Items to Consider Color Pictures Size Cost

17. Other Package Elements Photos Surveys Involvement Cards

18. Premiums Advantages Higher response rate Disadvantages Cost Dependency on Premiums

19. Messaging – Tell a Story

20. Messaging cont.

21. Timing How frequently to mail? Scheduling around other fundraising Taking advantage of news stories, outside events

22. Lists Using existing donor lists Rental list selection Opportunities Criteria for list selection

23. Integration MSU survey study found that direct mail followed by email was as successful as multiple direct mail pieces DM - .315 Response rate ($10.97 per response) DM/Email – .297 Response rate ($1.31 per response) Kaplowitz, Hadlock and Levine 2004

24. Integration – How to Create follow-up emails with the same message as your DM appeal Separate landing pages on your website Announce the campaign on any social media

25. Questions?

26. Ready to Raise More Money? Contact Us. Robert Sanberg [email_address] 612-735-5540 http://ignitusinc.com www.twitter.com/ignitus Presentation available at: www.slideshare.net/ignitus