What’s Old is New Again: The Case for Printed Fundraising Communications

How we send and receive information has changed drastically over the past decade, from email newsletters to social media posts and even mobile messaging apps like Snapchat. It’s hard to keep up with all the new ways to communicate with our alumni/ae, students, and donors.?

Despite these newer methods’ ability to reach large audiences in real-time, many marketers are looking back to print materials to help their causes reach more people and create more impactful relationships with their donors.?

Before the digital revolution, organizations and academic institutions promoted their development efforts through printed materials directed to a targetted list of prospects. Publications such as annual reports, newsletters, alumni magazines, and other print media provided information about what was happening on campus. As potential donors increasingly shifted to web-based communications in recent years, many higher education fundraising professionals lost touch with printed communications vehicles.?

As email has rapidly emerged as the primary mode of communication, inboxes have become inundated with messages that require constant weeding and deletion. Important information is constantly battling irrelevant emails and SPAM. In recent years, some institutions have begun experimenting with new ways to communicate more broadly across multiple channels; however, many others have continued to rely on email campaigns as the primary means of outreach.?

Research conducted in the 1990s found that 95% of people who received mail from a university would at least open it, but only 50% opened an electronic message from the same institution. Recipients now have the tools to quickly unsubscribe to messaging that may appear irrelevant and annoying. Each new email has an increased chance of being deleted due to the sheer volume and frequency of email messages we now receive daily. Potential donors often feel besieged by messages and understandably overwhelmed by the wealth of content vying for their attention.

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(left) I designed a 6-panel, square piece for Andover Newton Theological School measuring 8.5" x 8.5". Even though a square mailer requires additional postage, we decided that the unusual format would grab attention, offsetting the extra cost. In terms of design, the piece is crisp, clean, and easy to read.

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Please consider your own experience. You receive a unique ‘snail-mailed’ piece that piques your interest. If you are like most recipients, you are more likely to act immediately, or at the very least, place the correspondence in a convenient place for future consideration. Moreover, in an age where people can access information anytime on any device, certain qualities are associated with printed materials, such as tactile interaction and permanence, which digital platforms lack.?

Yes, printing and postage are additional expenses that email campaigns have negated. However, research has shown that these costs are often quickly absorbed by a print campaign that effectively meets the targeted audience and initiates their positive response. A printed piece can last for years in a recipient’s office or home; and will never be accidentally deleted from someone’s virtual inbox.?

Please consider the advances in printing technology. Digital printing and state-of-the-art printing presses have reduced commercial printing costs. Likewise, carefully maintained and targeted database management ensures that printed pieces land in the appropriate mailboxes.

When planning your next fundraising campaign, you must consider partnering your email messaging with at least one printed component. Channeling Mark Twain, “The reports of the death of printed pieces are greatly exaggerated.”