In an increasingly crowded digital environment—with email, social media, and messaging apps vying for our attention—direct mail has a unique ability to capture our attention. But not all direct mail campaigns are created equal. When you combine direct mail and donor segmentation, you can significantly increase your fundraising return on investment. Let’s walk through how.
What Is Direct Mail, and Does It Still Work for Fundraising?
Direct mail is a form of marketing that involves sending a physical piece of promotional material via the U.S. Postal Service or another courier service to a home or business.
According to research on direct mail in 2025:
- More than 70% of consumers engage with the mail they receive.
- 59% of consumers enjoy mail because they can keep an interesting piece and refer to it later (up 4% from 2024).
- Nearly 40% of consumers report that receiving both a mail piece and a digital ad increases brand awareness and overall consideration of the brand.
- Visiting a website continues to be the most common action consumers take after receiving a relevant piece of direct mail.
In short, the research shows that direct mail still works, including for nonprofit fundraising. The key is combining:
- An effective fundraising pitch.
- Segmentation for donor messaging.
- Multi-channel outreach to complement your direct mail.
Because direct mail can offer such a huge return on investment, we strongly recommend that all nonprofits integrate direct mail and donor segmentation strategies into their annual fundraising plans.
What Is Segmentation?
Segmentation allows you to separate your contact list into several groups based on donor/subscriber differences.
You can segment based on gender preference, location, donation amount, loyalty, and much more. Segments allow you to create personalized and compelling direct mail for your supporters.
Common Segmentation Categories for Direct Mail
Common direct mail segments that nonprofits use include:
- Current Donors
- Lapsed Donors
- Capital Donors
- Pledge Donors
- First Time Donors
- Volunteers
- Event Attendees
- Lifetime Donors
- Planned Givers
- Major Donors
- Monthly Donors
- Members
- Acquisitions (purchased/rented)
- Organization Specific – (pet owner, foster families for pets, veterans, military personnel, etc.)
The good news is that, once you’ve segmented your donor list, customizing your print and digital appeals gets a lot easier.
If you’re just getting started with direct mail and donor segmentation, we have two useful on-demand trainings available: Direct Mail Campaigns 101 and Customizing Direct Mail Appeals.
Samples of Direct Mail Segmentation and Customization
Let’s walk through exactly how to customize your direct mail appeal by donor segment.
A well-crafted fundraising appeal should include the following nine sections:
- Header/Salutation
- State the Purpose
- Share the Story
- Clarify the Need
- Invitation to Engage
- Power of the Contribution
- Status Update
- Final Call to Action
- Closing
Five of these sections are ideal for customizing your messaging by segment.
1) Use segmentation in your header/salutation
In the header/salutation you can create greetings specific to each segment:
- Specific:Dear Mr., Mrs., Pastor, Missions Chair, Outreach Director, First Name, Last Name, etc.
- General:Manager, Friend, Brothers/Sisters in Christ, Member, Volunteer, Foster Family, Healthcare Provider, etc.
2) Use the “story” part of your appeal for segmentation
When you share the story in your appeal, you will craft a personalized message that encourages readers to identify with your mission and the people you serve.
You may:
- Invite them to “Imagine” a particular situation and/or “Walk in the shoes of your clients.”
- Share a specific success story that would resonate with each segment individually. If you have three segments you may have three different stories.
- Tie the story into the greater need with phrases like “Every day “people like ____ come through the doors of [name of org] seeking assistance, help, support, resources, hope, a new beginning, a brighter future, a warm bed, etc.
3) Customize your invitation to engage
In your invitation to engage, you will craft a specific call to action (CTA) for each donor segment.
You may have a very different CTA for first-time donors than you would for major donors or volunteers that you are hoping to transition to a first-time financial gift.
For example:
- We invite you to “become part of the solution, partner with us to do x, transform lives, save a life, etc.
- We need your help to….
- It’s a big job to take care of our community’s neighbors, and we need YOUR help.
4) Use segment-specific language to talk about donors’ impact
In the power of contribution section of your appeal, you will break down small to large donation amounts and focus on the specific impact the donor will have if they respond positively to your request.
This section should be customized to the segment as well. If you are targeting first-time donors, their initial gift range should be less than the appeal targeted at major donors.
If you are looking to secure monthly donors, you would share how the monthly gift amounts would create impact and those giving levels will be specific to your monthly giving campaign goals. For example, your contribution of $25:
- has the power to
- allows our ministry to
- enables a child to
- empowers a woman to
5) Customize your direct mail appeal closing by segment
In your closing, you have a final opportunity to speak specifically to a segment. Though if you add a P.S. or P.S.S. you may have another opportunity there, too.
Even small language shifts can help you customize your closing by segment:
- Warm Regards, Kind Regards, etc.
- Sincerely, With Appreciation,
- Peace and Grace
- Your partners in ministry
- Thanks for all you do as a [insert description such as volunteer, monthly donor, ambassador for a program/project, etc.]
Augmenting Your Direct Mail Appeal: Beyond Segmentation
While each direct mail piece gets more time and attention from your donors than online content, that doesn’t mean you should ignore digital outreach. In fact, combining the two can increase your fundraising even more.
Strategies to augment your print appeal success include:
- Get a story in the local paper or an interview on a local news channel or radio station a week or two before your mail drops, so you are foremost in folks’ minds.
- Schedule an e-newsletter/article/e-blast with a story/message similar to your direct mail appeal a week or so AFTER the direct mail drops, so you catch folks who may not have opened their mail, who forgot to write that check, or didn’t have time to read it all initially. Be sure to have a donate now button on the email—and to customize your email by donor segment!
- Update your website to have content associated with your appeal (could be on the main page, a new page, the donate now page, etc.) so visitors can learn more when they come to your site.
- Use social media channels on which you are active to share your impact goals, fundraising goals, and success stories. You can use the same language as in your direct mail and email appeals, mixing things up with different graphics, sounds, and video elements.
The more integrated your appeal strategy is, the greater the likelihood you will get a high return on your investment.
