Address Labels Are So Last Century

Since October 2008 I have collected 51 pieces of direct mail fundraising solicitations. Seven of them (14%) have included address labels. One of them was from my alma mater, Indiana University, but the rest were from organizations I don’t have a relationship with and the labels generally don’t have an obvious relationship with the mission. What’s worse, they don’t bother to say why I should send money. Usually they just send the labels and a reply form. (See the example from the American Heart Association below.)

There is a commonly held belief that if you send someone something they will feel obligated to reciprocate and your response rate will go up. However, I think that in today’s economy you need more. If you send me something I didn’t ask for and don’t want and you don’t even try to make an emotional connection with me, I don’t feel compelled to send you money. Even if I do send a small amount on impulse, I’m not likely to be a loyal donor. As a group, nonprofits have a dismal track record in retaining donors. More than once I’ve seen my meager donation used up with a series of expensive mailers sending me more and more stuff I don’t want.

Specifically address labels and cards. I used to use the labels for bills but then I switched to online bill paying. I don’t send cards or letters to friends except at Christmas time. I do send ecards. I’m a big fan of Hallmark’s ecards and I send them for friend’s birthdays or just pick-me-ups. If a nonprofit with a mission I care about offered me an ecard, I might pay for that. I would be highly likely to use it for free and perhaps one of my friends would donate. I’ve never been offered an ecard. Perhaps it’s because these organizations seeking money from me don’t have my email address. Well, if they sent me a direct mail piece telling me about their ecards, I just might give it to them.

A quick Google search turned up three sources for ecards ranging from $500 to $5,000 and up. I cannot endorse any of them, but include them here to illustrate that they’re not hard to find:

IncentiveXT

Thoworlds

Convio

I’m not saying ecards are a panacea. The point is that many organizations are relying on outdated tactics that show a lack of understanding of the needs of their audience. It’s time to start thinking creatively about what people want now.