Making your direct mail pop to your supporters may seem like you’re in tunnel with no light at the end. However, our team has found that if you can apply these three core ideas to any piece of direct mail, you’ll have a pattern in place for simplifying campaigns and being concise in your message sharing.
Inform
Use your direct mail pieces to focus on educating your donors, volunteers, and members. Leading them to participate with one letter may seem simple (we want it to be!), but, remember, length, word choice, and opportunities highlighted are everything. To educate, you must paint the full picture properly, without drowning constituents completely. It’s not about the balance of too little or too much. It’s more about setting expectations for how they can know more about your nonprofit, and be encouraged by one or five pieces of direct mail.
Compel
Remember a few posts ago, we focused on the infamous call to action, different forms it takes, and how to direct donors and volunteers to participate without begging or bogging them down with requests. To compel means to call to action. Educate constituents with the exciting truth of the impact your nonprofit has, and can have, with their help. If you inspire, they will give.
Record
Don’t overlook the value of the CRM sync! Recording your direct mail send outs within each supporter record allows you to have eyes on the communication sent out and to cross reference with those that give or volunteer in response to it. Observing and recording data like this gives you the truth that you can share with constituents, foundations, and your board in the time to come.
Salesforce’s Nonprofit Success Pack adapted for your nonprofit, by DonorLynk, is what you have been looking for. A system that better measures your mailing results, email or direct, tracks activity between your team and constituents, and all around leads you to improve communication with constituents. Connect here, and begin the improvements today!
Marianna Woodruff is Director of Brand Awareness at DonorLynk, LLC. DonorLynk aims to provide nonprofits with tailored solutions that work for you, not against you.