If you’ve been fundraising and communicating with your donors the last couple of months, you’ve probably been doing most of it electronically. 

Electronic communication is good, but communicating by mail is better. Start thinking about communicating by mail again. If not now, sometime soon. Especially if donors contributed since the COVID-19 outbreak. They deserve to receive something nice in the mail.

Now you might say – “But mail is too expensive. So is printing something. We have a small staff. We’re just now going back to the office.” I understand all that. I know direct mail can be expensive and putting together a mailing takes more time, but it’s an investment that can help you raise more money.

One way to mail that shouldn’t cost too much is using postcards. First, you can probably do them in house. Also, if you do it well, it’s a quick, easy way to capture your donor’s attention right away. Creating a postcard will be less expensive than creating a four-page newsletter. In the best of times, donors don’t want to be overwhelmed with a lot of information.

People never get nearly as much mail as they do email. Direct mail is a proven way to communicate and engage. I’m starting to see more mail now, even from nonprofits.

Donors are more likely to see something that comes in the mail. Mail is more personal and people need connection right now.

If landscaping and roofing companies can send postcards, so can you. Here are a couple of ways you can use postcards.

Thank your donors

A few months ago when I was encouraging you to keep fundraising, which you should be doing, I gave you a pass on thanking your donors by mail. 

If and when it’s feasible for you to mail, you can send your donors a thank you postcard. Find an engaging photo and pour on the gratitude. If you ran an emergency campaign, thank your donors for contributing to that. Show how your donors’ gifts are helping you make a difference for the people/community you serve right now. 

You could also send your donors a thank you postcard because they’re great and you couldn’t do your work without them.

Add a handwritten personal note, too. Of course, you can also send handwritten thank you cards, but a postcard may be a little easier right now. I would opt for a thank you postcard over the usual boring form letter.

The world doesn’t feel like a very nice place right now. Use this as an opportunity to show kindness, and keep doing that as much as possible.

Share an update

A postcard can be a good way to share an update with your donors. You could make an infographic to give them a quick glance at some of your progress. Some organizations use oversize postcards for their annual report. I’m not suggesting you do your 2019 annual report this way if you haven’t done one yet. Right now, I would send something that’s relevant to what you’ve been doing over the last couple of months.

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Other ways to use postcards

You can also use a postcard for fundraising. While not as effective as a direct mail package (letter, reply envelope,etc.), it can be used as a heads up for a campaign or a reminder. If you’re worried about mailing costs, I would use a direct mail package for fundraising. And if you haven’t sent a fundraising appeal by mail in the last few months, you could be missing out.

Christmas In Your Mailbox

You can use a postcard for a Save the Date for an event. It’s likely you won’t be holding in-person events for a while, but a Save the Date postcard could draw more people to your virtual event.

What to keep in mind

Your postcard needs to capture your donor’s attention right away. It needs to be visual and not include a lot of text. The text you do include needs to be engaging, conversational, and donor-centered. Examples could include Thank You, Because of you, or Look what you helped us do.

Yes, communicating by mail costs more, but it can pay off if you create something more personal that your donors will see. Whether you’re saying thank you, sharing an update, or a combination of both, connect with your donors by sending them a postcard.

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