Direct Mail for Nonprofits & Organizations

Direct mail has been used as an effective source of marketing for years, and will not be stopping any time in the near future. Even with new marketing sources targeting potential consumers like web and social media ads, direct mail has certain advantages that remain unmatched. Direct mail keeps your consumers engaged with a personal touch that is unreachable with social media ads. Direct mail with a signature creates a unique touchpoint only offered through mail promotions. So that leads to the question… is direct mail a good fit for nonprofits?

Create Personal Connections

Sending direct mail creates a space for a personal touch or tapping into connections that is not available through digital ads or marketing. Using direct mail, the “addressed to” line is a huge touch point that can easily be overlooked. When sending mail to a potential donor or member, you want to make them feel your message. When you address “to the household of” it can come across with a spam message feel. When you use titles such as Mr. & Mrs., it makes the recipient feel as if you are reaching out to them personally, from individual to individual. Additionally, if you address a mail piece to “Mr. & Mrs. blank” but it is a father and daughter living in the household, your message has the potential to be interpreted as insincere. Some of our favorite ways that nonprofits and organizations keep that personal feel is by sending event promotions, newsletters, annual reports and postcards, to keep in touch with members.

Target Donors and Members

There are many direct mail tools that allow you to purchase direct mail contacts and addresses based on demographics, interests, and more. Using a tool like this, you can pinpoint what type of consumer you are trying to reach which will increase your success rate. You can target audiences that are similar to your current donors and send your direct mail to specific households that are likely to have a certain amount of resonance to your marketing piece. In addition, we can completely customize appeals to the recipient, based on the last time they donated. This can increase donations by reminding the donors what they gave in the previous year, and encouraging them to give more.

Memorable Marketing

Unlike digital ads, direct mail is a physical piece that can be hung on the fridge or held on to. Some consumers hold on to direct mailing pieces as a reminder for an event, or to research a brand. Consider the consumer who may leave the mail piece on the counter for several days… they may not intentionally read the direct mail several times but their eyes will land on it numerous times over the course of a day. 


Additionally, you have the ability to use things like QR codes to send recipients to a custom landing page that is designed to match the messaging of the direct mail. This ensures that consumers aren't hunting for your website or opening up your website without knowing where to go. If you are sharing direct mail to generate awareness for an upcoming event or opportunity, use QR codes to send the recipient directly to where they can learn more about the opportunity. You can also use digital marketing in tandem with direct mail. If you time it properly, you will see even better results.

Special Non-Profit Discounts Make it Affordable

If you are an official non-profit organization, you can be qualified for significant discounts when you are sending direct mail to your potential consumers and current members. United States Postal Services will provide discounts for an amount less than the standard rates of mailing as long as your direct mail piece follows the guidelines of USPS. There is an application process where non-profit organizations can apply to receive a discount for direct mailing and that application can be found here. There is a select group of 10 types of businesses that may be qualified to receive the non-profit discount. 


Businesses that may qualify are: 

  1. Agricultural
  2. Educational
  3. Fraternal
  4. Labor
  5. Philanthropic
  6. Religious
  7. Scientific
  8. Veterans
  9. Qualified Political Committees
  10. State or Local Voter Registration Officials

If you qualify to receive a direct mailing discount, some of that discount may apply to your direct mail print & designer! If you are interested in learning more about the direct mail process, designing, and printing, contact us and we would be happy to help! We want to help you get on the fast track to stronger and more personal marketing.