You’ve often heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder.” In direct response, that’s definitely true. And as direct response trends have roller-coastered over the last few years (and aren't showing signs of letting up), now is a great time to work smarter.

Over the last year in particular, many organizations have seen similar trends: response rates and average gifts falling, but with regular solicitation, the number of annual gifts rising. If your donors are really engaged in your work, this nets a higher annual return—but one that takes some creative thinking to realize. Here are some ideas to get you started . . .

Check Your Direct Mail and Digital Fundraising Strategy

The precursor to any change in your mail plan should be a strategy review—that way you’re making a data-driven decision, rather than one based on whims or assumptions. At least once a year, take a look at your integrated fundraising calendar and strategy, then make adjustments as needed. Is there a segment of your donor base that could use a little extra TLC? Maybe they should be receiving a special mailing. Is one outreach strategy working especially well? Find ways to apply that strategy elsewhere. Are there secondary touchpoints you can add, like emails, text messaging, or paid advertising? Get creative with new fundraising methods.

Or, consider adding an additional mailing to your strategy. These days, it can take an extra fundraising campaign or two to stay on track with historical revenue trends.

Test Before You Invest

Are you thinking of deploying something new in the mail? Testing via mailing can be high risk—it requires a significant up-front investment in something you’re not sure will pay off. Before sending experimental letters to the printer, test your new messaging digitally!

Develop a few versions of the message and design you want to test and run them as paid social media ads, then track which ones gain the most traction. This means of assessing donor response is significantly cheaper than mail and can help you refine your new mailings before they arrive in donors’ mailboxes.

For example: If a school has several fundraising angles, each based on a different student’s story, these ads could tell school fundraisers which story resonates the most. This could also help determine, perhaps, whether their audience responds better to male or female (or younger or older) students, or whether their donors are most interested in the arts, or sports, or scholarships.

After this kind of analysis, you conclude that one of your fundraising angles is the most promising, try it out with one segment of your donors and gauge their response. By doing this before you send it out to every current and potential donor, you mitigate some of the risk that your new messaging’s return on investment will be measly.

Hone In on Your Donor Segmentation

If your m.o. is to send a mass mailing to everyone who’s made you a gift in the last three years, you’re probably missing the mark with many givers. So, now’s a great time to take a look at whom you’re mailing—and whether it’s working. Do a deep dive into your donor segments, then adjust according to your findings. Here are some examples:

• Do donors with a highest gift of $25 or less stop responding if it’s been a year since their last gift? Consider including them in fewer mailings.

• Are you sending your quarterly newsletter to every donor from the last four years? That’s not a bad idea—newsletters can be a great way to stay in touch with longer-lapsed donors. But maybe it’s time to trim that list for a couple of newsletters.
• Take a look at your $1 donors. You’ll likely find that it isn’t profitable to mail them every time you send a solicitation. If you’re set on sending them something, pick a few—a few—key mailings to include them in throughout the year.

In Conclusion

You can look at fluctuating fundraising trends two ways: either they’re frightening and push you to batten down the hatches until things improve, or they’re an opportunity for growth. When others are pulling back, will you lean in to your program and find ways to work smarter to keep your donor base engaged in your mission? Again, it’s not about brute force. Working harder can only do so much to inspire generosity—truly smart strategizing, testing, and segmenting are far more likely to pay off.

For more information on direct mail marketing during choppy economic and philanthropic times, check out this webinar recording from our partners at the Center for Civil Society: