When (Direct Mail & Large Format) Print Makes Perfect
They say print is dead. The Post Office is obsolete. Even Dunder Mifflin is on life support. These proclamations seem right. They feel right, but let’s address the elephant in the room: direct mail (to name just one metric) outperforms digital channels by 160%.
It turns out, even in our screen-saturated world, physical marketing isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving. Whether it’s direct mail or large format printing in offices or event spaces, print collateral remains your go-to, number one, as-sure-as-the-sun-rises choice to make a big impact.
Let’s dive into two nonprofit organizations that leverage print to achieve their missions.
Canine Companions
Canine Companions has used direct mail to help place over 8,000 service dogs with people in need. First, we have everyone’s favorite – doggies! Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy… Apologies, I tend to get carried away when dogs are involved.
Direct Mail – The Secret Weapon for Community Building and Donor Engagement
The Challenge: Rising Above the Noise
Remember sorting through your mail yesterday? Neither do we. But Canine Companions has mastered the art of creating mail that not only gets opened but gets results. Here’s how they did it:
The Canine Companions Success Story
The lay of the land:
- In the attention economy it’s harder than ever to convince anyone that they should focus their eyeballs on your message for more than a goldfish’s attention span. What’s more, the competitive nonprofit landscape makes the job that much harder.
- One-time donations are great, but what really keeps Canine Companions thriving is sustainable donor relationships. Your message needs to resonate.
- You think your email inbox is bombarded? O.K. it is. But if you’re like me, my IRL mailbox is out of control. Again attention is in short supply.
- Nonprofits have limited financial resources. Most have to use direct appeals to fundraise the capital they need for their very existence. It’s the eternal nonprofit dance.
What the Good Stuff Looks Like:
1. Strategic Personalization
- Implementation Strategies:
Use CRM software to segment donors by giving history, location, and interests.Incorporate handwritten notes or a facsimile for a personal touch. I mean, for those big donors, pull out the best ink pen you got. Don’t underestimate the positive effects of making someone feel special. - Examples:
A letter starting with “Hey John! I hope the recent storm in Urbana didn’t affect your livestock. I just wanted to thank you for your $100 donation last year. It helped place three service dogs with veterans…” resonates more than generic greetings.Tailored and specific calls-to-action like “Support our San Diego campaign” for regional relevance.
2. Testing & Innovation
- Implementation Strategies:
Conduct A/B tests on different mail designs or messages. Experiment with unique formats (e.g., oversized postcards or interactive fold-outs). - Examples:
Testing a shorter, easily digestible postcard versus a detailed letter to see which elicits higher follow-up donations.
3. Long-Term Vision
- Implementation Strategies:
Success attracts success. Partner with reliable vendors to ensure consistency. Plan baby plan. Establish yearly calendars for campaigns with clear milestones. - Example:
A 20-year relationship with a print vendor who understands your nonprofit’s mission and who knows you personally, is more likely to catch the fact that you misspelled Thank You and accidentally used Comic Sans.
City Year San José/Silicon Valley
City Year San José/Silicon Valley works with teachers and community partners to prepare students for academic and professional success. More than 40,000 City Year alumnae now work in a wide range of professions, including education, business, law and public policy.
The Challenge: Blank Walls to Bold Vision
It’s essential that nonprofits use large format signage and design to provide not only a welcoming vibe to their space, but also to inspire while remaining authentic and true to their missions.
Large Format Environmental Design – Transforming Spaces, Inspiring People
When City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley moved into a new office space, the walls were bland and impersonal. But they didn’t just see walls—they saw a blank canvas, an opportunity. Their transformation offers a masterclass in space design with large format printing:
Key Success Factors:
1. Smart Vendor Selection
- Implementation Strategies:
Request referrals from other nonprofits with successful environmental designs. Know what you like (and need). Do your Instagram scrolling, ahem, research. Interview vendors to assess their understanding of your mission and budget constraints–perhaps the two most important factors in back-office nonprofit spending. - Examples:
You might partner with a vendor who offers flexible payment terms aligned with City Year’s fiscal cycle. Or you attend a fundraiser at an arts organization and are enthralled with how their space looks and feels. You get the name and number of the vendor, et vóila!
2. Be Who You Are
- Implementation Strategies:
Authenticity means so much in the nonprofit space. Name recognition depends on consistent branding but weaving in local landmarks and stories can strike just the right note. Use graphics to create an immersive narrative. Stories take you places. They set the scene and unroll the plotline. But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes our eyes understand the story even before our brain does. - Examples:
Feature walls with large graphics of City Year volunteers in action, paired with inspiring quotes from students and alumnae. Apply window decals showcasing the nonprofit’s impact statistics, visible to the public. Some folks are moved by emotion. Others just want to be shown the money. Impact stats have become more and more critical in positioning a nonprofit as a leader in their field. And donors want to know what the ROI of their investment.
3. Space Optimization
- Implementation Strategies:
Install wayfinding signs to improve the visitor experience. You’d be surprised at how much feeling lost, well, makes you feel lost. If a potential donor on a site visit feels lost, they will walk away sensing that your org doesn’t know how to lead … and doesn’t know where they’re going in the future. Not a good look. Design meeting rooms and workspaces with elements that reinforce team values. Go beyond inspirational posters. If I see another poster of a sunset telling me to Live, Laugh, Love, I promise you I will tear it from the wall and throw it out the window. - Examples:
Create a welcome wall showcasing the org’s team values alongside a timeline of growth and key impact markers that link those values to the org’s larger mission. And please, please, please add signage that clearly but unobtrusively leads visitors where they need to go.
Bonus Round: Print Marketing 2.0
Never rest on your laurels, whatever that means. Never best, always better. Eh, that’s kind of discouraging. Don’t let me design inspirational posters! The point is, there is always room for tinkering and leveling up. Let’s take a look.
Direct Mail Magic
1. Personalization Plus
- Donor-specific impact statements – Everyone loves recognition, especially when their being recognized for their altruism and generosity.
- Regional customization – The last direct donor appeal letter I opened described a scene on a subway car… I live in Montana.
- Previous giving acknowledgment – Did I mention that everyone loves recognition?
- Custom response mechanisms (e.g., QR codes leading to personalized donation pages). We do live in the 21st century after all. Infuse your print with a little bit of tech.
2. Timing is Everything
- Seasonal campaign alignment (e.g., “Give Thanks” in November). Scare people in October.
- Fiscal year coordination to maximize end-of-year giving. Whether it’s the holiday season or the upcoming tax season (charitable giving is tax deductible!), people give big at the end of the year. In fact, 30% of giving in the U.S. happens in December. At 10% of that comes on the last three days of the year. Nothing like waiting for the last minute, huh?
- Strategic follow-up sequences (e.g., sending a thank-you card two weeks post-donation). Take a page out of the email marketing handbook. Or did email marketing pick up on direct mail strategy? Hmm. Probably the latter. Either way, don’t be bashful. People need reminders.
Environmental Design Excellence
1. Space Transformation Can Transform Hearts and Minds
- Messaging: You need to walk the line between promoting your mission and impact and promoting the org itself. Nonprofit staff and donors can sniff out a corporate-ish self-promoting vibe a mile away. Make sure all your signage reflects this delicate balance. Stay on message and be authentic.
- Branding: Ideally, your entire brand–the color palette, the logo, the taglines–are true to your mission and are an authentic representation of what you do. When that’s the case, you can use brand signifiers consistently in signage across all installations. People will not only connect with your work, they’ll also be able to namedrop your nonprofit among other leaders in the space.
2. Operationalizing Effectiveness and Efficiency
- Budgets Matter: A lot. It’s not all rainbows and showponies, obviously. So maximize what you have. Reuse materials. Repurpose one piece of collateral for a different application. Prioritize signage for high-traffic areas in the work environment and for offsite events that bring you the best ROI.
- Managing the Mayhem: This work takes a taskmaster to keep the trains running on time. Whether coordinating a large office space reboot or making sure the conference booth backdrop arrives to the right venue, without a master project manager you will be cast as the lead role in your very own #$%@-show.
The Bottom Line: Lessons from Two Nonprofit Champs
Both Canine Companions and City Year show us that print marketing isn’t just about paper and ink—it’s about connecting to hearts and minds and promoting long-term relationships. Whether you’re crafting a direct mail piece that turns donors into lifelong supporters or designing a space that inspires your team and visitors alike, success comes from understanding these fundamental truths:
1. Partnership Matters
- Find vendors who understand nonprofit needs
- Build long-term relationships
- Value creativity and flexibility
- Focus on shared success
2. Innovation Works
- Test new approaches
- Measure what matters
- Scale what works
- Learn from challenges
3. Impact Drives Everything
- Tell compelling stories
- Show measurable results
- Create emotional connections
- Build sustainable systems
Ready to transform your nonprofit’s print marketing strategy? Remember: Every blank wall is Van Gogh standing before a canvas, and every mailbox is a receptacle for mail … and the birthplace of a life-long donor relationship. The key is embracing both the art and science of bringing your mission to life.
And Do It All Over Again
Was it Socrates who said, “An unexamined life is not worth living”? Wow. A little intense, huh? Sounds like Socrates could’ve laid off the wine. But the sentiment can be applied to event marketing. Without tracking critical metrics and analyzing the outcomes of your efforts you won’t have the information available to make the next event even more successful.
Parting tip: After your impressive presentation to leadership, reconvene your small team to begin strategic planning while the event is still fresh on your mind. Begin to brainstorm about implementing some of your recommendations and the feedback from the larger team. Explore new tools (lead capture, CRMs, etc.), compare notes with the rest of your team. Identify each team members’ favorite booth and the most innovative swag. Plug all the insights into your planning doc and know that you’re ready to rock for the next event. And lastly, finally …. It’s time to celebrate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is donor engagement?
Donor engagement is the process of building and maintaining relationships with donors to a nonprofit organization. The goal is to create loyal donors who are more likely to continue supporting the organization over time.
What are A/B Tests?
A/B testing is a method for comparing two versions of a webpage or app to determine which performs better. It’s also known as split testing or bucket testing.
What is CRM Software?
CRM software, which stands for “Customer Relationship Management” software, is a technology that helps businesses (in this case nonprofits) manage and track all interactions with their current and potential customers (in this case donors), allowing them to store data, analyze interactions, and streamline communication to improve relationships and ultimately boost fundraising results.
What is a Dunder Mifflin?
Dunder Mifflin is a fictional paper company featured in the American television masterpiece “The Office“; it’s essentially a wholesale supplier of paper and office supplies, with the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch serving as the primary setting for the show.