How to Transition Your Mail-Only Donors Online
Does your nonprofit have a long list of donors that are postal mail, ie., direct mail, only? As in, you may have their phone number and physical address, but you don’t have their email address?
This is common situation for nonprofits who have been around for a while and have built robust direct mail campaigns. And hey, that’s a great way to capture donations that has proven successful for many organizations over the last few decades! There’s no reason to give up your direct mail campaigns if they’re working for you (especially since some older donors aren’t very active in the online space).
At the same time, many nonprofits who find themselves in this situation are looking for ways to capture their direct mail only donors’ online information. There are many good reasons for them to want to do this, and today we’ll look at a simple process for transitioning those donors online.
Why Transition Your Donors Online
Sending a direct mail campaign, while potentially effective, is also costly and requires substantial effort. Creating the mailer, getting it printed and properly addressed, organizing postage, and finally, working with a company to do all that for you. Whew! It can be a lot. It’s also a lot of paper, which some nonprofits are growing increasingly uncomfortable sending out, knowing that it will eventually end up in the trash or recycling bin.
There are a few benefits to transitioning your donors online:
Your marketing costs go down. Imagine designing and sending out an email through a service like Mail Chimp or Constant Contact rather than jumping through the hoops of sending out a direct mail campaign. Those services typically cost anywhere from free to $80/month, depending on how many emails you send out each month and how many people are on your mailing list. Even if you simply replace one or two of your direct mail campaigns with emails, you’ll see a reduction in cost.
You find a new way to connect with your donors. These days, most people carry a smartphone with them everywhere they go: At home, to work, to the grocery store, out to dinner… And since these devices are equipped with email, it means that you have a quick and easy way to connect with your donors wherever they are, whatever they are doing.
It’s easier! Sending email marketing and keeping donor bases organized is simply easier when it’s digital. No more sifting through piles of paperwork and manually updating printed-out databases. When everything is online, you can easily and quickly track donors in your CRM, update donor lists, and send out marketing materials.
More and more people are living their lives online. Check out this statistic:
“Digital reference library DataReportal in January released its annual Global Overview Report, revealing internet users ages 16 to 64 spend an average six hours, 40 minutes daily surfing the web on any device. That’s about 47 hours a week and 101 days a year.” Fortune Well
When you can meet donors where they are (i.e., online), you have a better shot at capturing their attention, interest, and ultimately, their donations.
How to Transition Your Direct Mail-Only Donors to Online Donors with TapKat Sweepstakes
TapKat sweepstakes are a great way to transition your direct mail-only donors to online donors, and get them used to making contributions to your organization via their smartphone, tablet, or computer. Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Set up a TapKat Sweepstakes
Choose a great prize that you know your donor base will love, build out your sweepstakes site, and launch! The whole process can be quick and relatively easy. If you need support, check out the plethora of guides we provide on the blog. Sweepstakes are a very exciting way for donors to get involved in your fundraising efforts, and you will find that they naturally reactivate lapsed donors, engage current donors, and attract new donors.
Step 2: Create a Postcard and Send to Your Direct Mail-Only Donors
Next, put together a postcard that will go out to your direct mail-only donors. Consider sending this to all your donors if you have their mailing addresses.
The postcard should include the following:
Beautiful images of your prize,
Text inviting them to donate,
A QR code directing them to your TapKat sweepstakes site.
These days, most people are familiar with the concept of a QR code. It is a black and white square which, when you focus your phone camera on it, will open a link to a webpage. Every promo code you create for your TapKat sweepstakes will also have a corresponding QR code, which you can download and easily include on your postcard mailing.
When you go through these steps, your direct mail-only donors will receive the marketing postcard in their mailbox. They will scan the QR code with a smart device, be directed to your TapKat sweepstakes site, and have the opportunity to make a donation. Once they do, you will have captured their email address in your system — and now you can send them updates via email.
TapKat Sweepstakes Makes Fundraising Fun for Donors
Donors love the opportunity to enter for a prize they really love that could potentially even be life-changing. Ready to get started with your TapKat sweepstakes? Apply for an account today to get started.
