Forget the myths and listen to Jeff Brooks: donors like direct mail.
One of the books I always go back to as a direct response fundraiser is The Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications by Jeff Brooks. Recently, I did a quick read-through of the book, and a chapter titled “Three Deadly Fundraising Myths” stood out to me. As a consultant I’ve recently found myself having to dispel the very myths he covers in the chapter.
What can be learned about the fundraising myths that Jeff Brooks lays out? Here is the SparkNotes version.
The reality behind the myths you shouldn’t fall for in your fundraising:
The myth of too much mail:
- Actually, organizations generally don’t send too much mail.
- At the time Jeff Brooks wrote his book, the average individual was receiving 3,000 pieces of unsolicited mail per year. With that volume, if an organization mails a donor twelve times per year, that is only 0.4 percent of the mail an individual receives. However, an organization cutting back on the amount of mail they send could mean thousands of dollars or more in lost revenue.
- Notable quotable: “The real issue is the relevance of the mail, not the volume . . . Relevant mail is welcomed. It fits into the donor’s world. It’s about her. It talks about issues she's concerned with. It is relational, real, and makes her feel empowered and connected.”
The myth of the rested donor:
- Donors shouldn’t be rested after they made a gift due to “the rigors of giving.”
- The most likely time a donor will make a gift is after they just gave.
- Notable quotable: “Can you think of any healthy human relationship that improves with no communication? Donors that don’t hear from an organization for months after they have given are far less likely to ever give again.”
The myth of the Killer Complaints:
- An organization shouldn’t stop mailing because people are complaining.
- Anything that is sent to a large group of people is likely to garner some complaints. The more successful the program, the more likely there will be complaints; when you build a strong case for a gift there is real emotion involved. The best thing to do is to have a way of addressing complaints.
- Notable quotable: “That’s not to say you should ignore complainers. After all they care enough to communicate with you. They’re giving a chance for you to serve them better and turn negative feeling into positive experiences.”
What is the underlying connection of these three myths? They promote the idea that “fundraising hurts donors” and that donors don’t like mail. To the contrary: time and time again in my career I’ve seen that direct mail is a great way to help build connections and relationships. Mail is a way to show a donor that an organization cares enough to invest in their relationship and wants to communicate with them where they are, in their mailbox.
If nonprofit leaders view fundraising as a bad experience, especially mail, it probably will be for the donor too. So, if it feels annoying to market to donors, that generally means it is time to step back and look at the copy, the creative, and the schedule, and determine if the intention is truly to serve donors or if biases, like the myths laid out by Jeff Brooks, are getting in the way.