Direct Mail: Not a Dying Fund-Raising Method

June 18, 2008

Direct Mail: Not a Dying Fund-Raising Method

Some fund-raising experts have long predicted that mail solicitations will give way to online appeals and other types of charitable requests.

But not anytime soon: A new survey has found that the share of baby boomers who give in response to direct mail is about the same as their parents’ generation.

The generation of donors matters less in determining whether people respond to direct mail than whether they have the time and money to respond, the researchers concluded. However, they admitted that, looking ahead, Generation X and younger donors may not be as responsive to mailings.

“Direct mail seems to be a lifecycle phenomenon, it’s more efficacious with older donors,” said Mark Mellman, a Washington pollster who conducted the survey with Charles Pruitt, a marketing consultant.

The researchers also compared how willing people are to make gifts are to direct-mail solicitations, e-mail appeals, telemarketing, and banner ads on Web sites. Telemarketing and Web ads were found to be much less effective.

— Elizabeth Schwinn

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Direct Mail: Not a Dying Fund-Raising Method