Direct Mail Fundraising - How Donor Acquisition Mailings Differ from Donor Renewal Mailings

Your job as a direct mail fundraiser is to make new
friends every year and keep them for as long as possible.
And to do that you need two kinds of letter, acquisition
and renewal. Understand the differences between
these two letters and you'll improve your
results.

PURPOSE

Acquisition mailings are designed to persuade non-donors to mail you their first gift. They aim to acquire
donors. Renewal mailings are designed to encourage
past donors to give again. Their aim is to renew, or re-solicit, existing donors.

AUDIENCE

Acquisition mailings are mailed to strangers.

Renewal mailings are mailed to friends.

COST

Acquisition mailings tend to be inexpensive, costing
anywhere from $0.50 to $1.00 a piece.

Renewal mailings tend to be more expensive, costing
anywhere from $0.75 to $7.00 a piece.

PERSONALIZATION

Acquisition mailings, to keep costs down, tend to be
one-size fits-all. They rarely involve any
personalization beyond the salutation.

Renewal mailings tend to be more involved, and may
include personalized salutations, personalized ask
strings based on the donor's previous giving levels
and personalization in the body of the letter.

SEGMENTATION

Acquisition mailings are usually mailed to everyone
on a prospect list.

Renewal mailings are usually segmented so that
each donor segment in a house list (monthly donors,
major donors, lapsed donors, first-time donors) gets
a different package.

PREMIUMS

Acquisition mailings often include premiums
(personalized note pads, return address labels,
greeting cards).

Renewal mailings rely less on premiums.

FREQUENCY

Acquisition mailings are mailed only a few times a
year (somewhere between one and four times a year).

Renewal mailings are mailed around six times a year
and as often as 12 times a year.

RESPONSE RATES

Acquisition mailings tend to generate acceptable
response rates of between 0.5% and 2.5%.

Renewal mailings tend to generate acceptable
response rates of between 6% and 12%, sometimes
as high as 20%.

NET-EFFECTIVENESS

Acquisition mailings usually lose money (but gain
donors).

Renewal mailings almost always generate a net
return.

About the author
Alan Sharpe publishes Direct Mail Fundraising Today, the free, weekly email newsletter that helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors. Alan is the author of Breakthrough Fundraising Letters and 25 handbooks on direct mail fundraising. Alan is also a speaker and workshop leader who delivers public seminars and teleseminars on direct mail fundraising. Sign up for Alan's newsletter at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com

© 2007 Alan Sharpe. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Sharpe