Is direct mail dying, or should we just kill it?

You hear it all the time: Direct mail fundraising is dying: HOORAY!

Read a recent example at the Sea Change Strategies blog: Direct Mail Isn't Dying -- But Sometimes I Wish It Would.

Starting with the belief that direct mail is "inauthentic," the post goes on to throw out some strong accusations about the way direct mail is, including:

• Direct mail fundraisers spend much more time thinking about the color or size of the envelope than they do the content.
• A huge proportion of direct mail includes mailing labels or other crap to make you feel guilty.
• It's a little bit cheesy and dishonest.
• The patois of direct mail is loaded with hyperbole and stilted language.

Every one of these is true. Sometimes.

Not always.

There's amazing, empowering, authentic stuff happening in snail-mail every day. Millions of pieces of it. And it's working. It's working a lot better than the crappy stuff.

It's a near-fatal error in your thinking when your starting point is direct mail is crappy and I wish it would go away. Think that way, and you'll make dumb decisions right and left.

If you want to make smart decisions, you must be medium-agnostic and look at facts, not your opinions, about the media. Like these ...

Facts:

• Direct mail response rates have been slowly and steadily dropping for several years now. Until last year, a general increase in average gift more than made up for the lower volume, leading to net growth every year. In 2008, many mailers got hit be dropping response and average gift.
• Email fundraising has been growing by double digits every year for several years.
• Still, direct-mail revenue dwarfs online revenue, and it will for years to come.

NON-facts:

• Direct mail by nature is cheesy.
• Online marketing by nature is noble.

For sure, the facts tell us things are changing. And we'd better get on board with that change.

There are no facts telling us that any medium should be rejected or embraced because of its moral standards or its style.

Technorati Tags: fundraising, nptech

Comments

[Katrina Hill]

I found this link today on the Osocio website of a direct mailing piece that UNICEF sent out: http://osocio.org/message/turn_soldiers_back_into_children/

I think a direct mailing piece like this could have an incredible impact.

[Kirkwooddirect]

Your topic is really interesting but I can't support your view totally.Noow a days Direct mail services company that provides effective end-to-end direct mail services including data, printing, lettershop, fulfillment, and presort mail services.

[Holly Ross]

Jeff - I just love the term medium-agnostic and am going to spread it as far and wide as I can. First, it cracks me up. Second - it's what we need to be. the On and Offline debate is not about "either/or." It's not right or wrong. Good fundraising is good fundraising, no matter the medium. We have to know what medium is right for what situation, but there are no absolutes.

[Melinda Lewis]

Great points--key is viewing the direct mail, or the online solicitation, as the vehicle, while focusing on the message to be delivered. A cheesy or offensive or just uninspired appeal, delivered via the flashiest new media, is in no way superior to a direct mail piece, which can certainly be compelling if well designed. I enjoy your blog!

[Ed]

There is good direct mail and there is crap direct mail.

There is good digital marketing and there is crap digital marketing.

The only difference is that direct mail raises hundreds of millions of pounds more than digital marketing.

But if a few fundraisers want to stop doing direct mail because 'they don't like it', fine - that reduces the competition and makes my job easier.

I just pity the charities those guys work for.

[John B.]

Shhh...Jeff you've given the game away. Your four points on why much Direct Mail is so bad is spot on. It makes good Direct Mail stand head and sholders above the rest. But don't tell anyone, I'd rather compete with crap DM than everyone else is turning out.

There is one more dot point I would ad. Lack of self reflection. When good DM goes bad most fundraisers blame the donors (excuses like donor fatigue), or external circumstances ("there was a big emergency appeal last month - everyone gave to that" or "the economic conditions mean people don't give as much to charity") rather than take a look at their DM piece with a critical eye and decide "Well maybe it was just a little bit crap. What can we do better next time"

[twitter.com/laurie_pringle]

I am 42 years old. I am a pretty generous donor and have been for several years.

I have never responded to a direct mail solicitation in my life. I don't know anyone who has responded to direct mail in their lives.

Clearly direct mail is alive and will continue to generate revenue for many years to come. However, like the demographic that responds to snail mail... DM will die and if charities haven't figured out how to fundraise well without it, they will die too.

[Mark Brooks]

Finally! Someone has correctly said what needs to be said. I love social media but at this moment it is in its infancy and ultimately we do not know what it will bring. To abandon what has worked, direct mail, because some are stupidly doing things the way they always have is, well stupid. Just this summer I responded to a direct mail approach giving a $100 a month for three months to a ministry that I normally give once a year to. The reason why we gave was how well done the appeal was. If direct mail worked for me a social media early adapter I think it will work for others. This post needs to be passed along!

[Blase Ciabaton]

Great article! I think that too many nonprofit boards just look at what costs less, not which medium can have the greatest impact on the organization and the bottom line. I recently listed to a great podcast interview of Mal Warwick that supports this info as well: http://bit.ly/XaLgu

[Connie Oswald Stofko]

There may be a day when snail mail is reserved only for packages, while text is sent only electronically. Right now, though, there is still an audience for fundraising appeal letters sent through the US Post Office. I think it's like television and computers. People are spending time on You Tube and watching shows on their computers, but there are still people watching TV. And while some TV ads may be cheesy and nonauthentic, some are effective. I agree that fundraising professionals need to decide what medium works for them, then use it well.