COVID 19 and Direct Mail Fundraising
Revenue from Direct Mail to Continue
What an insane week. One minute we are shuttering our direct mail production, caught up in the closing of all businesses and the next we find mailing services listed as an essential service in Ontario. The situation these days is so fluid. The unexpected is the new expectation.
What is assured though, is that direct mail in the hands of donors moves them to action. As fundraisers, you are wondering how this new situation will change the cadence and tenor of your donor communications. It’s reassuring to know that the fundraising stalwart, direct mail, will continue to perform, as it has in other market downturns and crises. Blackbaud reports again last year that fewer than 9% of donations are given online, reminding us that digital communications to donors need to work in an ecosystem of multiple other channels.
We are overloading the digital circuits at home these days but the ritual of retrieving the mail is a “real” break from the screens. Revenue for annual campaigns still depends heavily upon donors interacting with the power of physical, printed content, its lasting presence and its proven ability to drive them to act in support of your organization.
Canada Post is listed as an essential service, and businesses supporting the creation of mail are included in this, so you can expect that your important donation channel will remain open during these challenging times.
Stay healthy,
Steve Falk
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