Political Fundraising Direct Mail works for all the reasons direct mail works… higher engagement, higher conversions, targeted lists, no Spam and Ad Blockers, etc. The question is what kind of Fundraising Direct Mail is the most effective? On one hand, you have the envelope + self-addressed stamped return envelope (S.A.S.E.) for the return check and on the other hand you have the 21st century postcard equipped with a QR code for no-fuss digital donations.
Those options boil down to two glaring numbers…
87% vs 13%
GROUP 1 = the 87% of American Voters Who Prefer Donating Digitally vs Writing Checks (as of 2018)
The 87% represents American Voters born after 1945 (Baby Boomers and beyond), according to the Pew Research Center. According to BLACKBAUD INSTITUTE, Baby Boomers (born 1945-1964) “remain the most generous generation, and the number of Boomers saying they give is increasing.”
BLACKBAUD goes on to report that Generation X (born 1965-1980) “is on deck…and there are way more Gen X-ers than you think.”
What’s more is both prefer to donate digitally, according to this researcher as well as this researcher.
They donate the most and they both like donating digitally. In 2021, there was a 19% three-year increase in overall charitable giving documented in the Blackbaud Institute’s Charitable Giving Report. In stark contrast, online charitable giving saw a whopping 42% increase over the same period. More than double!
What does all this mean?
*GROUP 1 SOLUTION = Direct Mail Postcard + QR code to maximize donations (and ROI).
This solution plays to this group’s strong preference towards donating digitally. With smartphones in abundance, scanning a QR to donate is almost frighteningly easy. Not only will this more cost-effective direct mail piece give you a much greater ROI, but total conversions (donations) will assuredly increase. The best thing you can do is to make it easy to donate. And that’s exactly what this solution offers… ease of donations.
GROUP 2 = the 13% of American Voters Prefer to Write Checks for Donations
The Greatest Generation (born 1901-1927) and Silent Generation (1928-1945) equate to only 13% of American Voters, according to the same Pew Research Center cited previously. It is important to note this number was reported in 2018, so that percentage will continue going to decrease.
*GROUP 2 SOLUTION = Envelope + Letter + S.A.S.E.
Although decreasing, this group is still sizable enough that it should not be ignored. Sending them the envelope + letter + S.A.S.E. (self-addressed stamped envelope) is the right choice.
AND FURTHERMORE, EVEN MILLENNIALS RESPOND FAVORABLY TO DIRECT MAIL
As we covered in Direct Mail is Flourishing, even tech-centric Millennials have favorable opinions of direct mail. And in election season, every voter’s mailbox regularly receives it. It’s about the only thing voters agree on… they will be receiving political direct mail. There are no ad-blockers, spam laws, or Do Not Call lists to stop the inevitable deluge. And most of it will throw in an urgency to Donate.
Traditional outreach and fundraising mailers will include a return envelope and letter stuffed into a larger envelope. They cost more in materials, labor, and even postage (depending on weight) compared to the efficiency of the self-mailer postcard. The efficiencies and costs of each product are clear, we have mailed millions of each.
Reliance on the “insert your donation check” return envelope is shrinking, all while direct mail grows, especially in the case of outreach and fundraising. It has become difficult to justify the extra cost while a postcard can equip a simple donation URL and QR code. Even the Baby Boomers, the generation for donation, know how to scan a QR code. If they wanted to order off a menu in 2020, they had to learn.
THE SIMPLE MATH
<13% represents the amount of people that prefer to write checks than donate online. Send them the mailer + return envelope.
>87% represents the amount of people that prefer to donate online. Additionally, that’s the number that comprises those that are inclined to donate the most. To them send the more efficient and lower cost, higher-redemption, self-mailer laminated postcard and gain the greatest ROI possible.
THE SIMPLE INGREDIENTS FOR A GREAT ROI FOR FUNDRAISING DIRECT MAIL
A self-mailer postcard doesn’t fuss with an “open rate.” Its effectiveness and popularity reign supreme and in the case of the laminated self-mailer postcard, its repeatable ROI goes through the roof. Equip it with a QR and URL for simple donations and there is the winning recipe. Easy donations, easy results to track, greater redemptions and ROI.