If you work in fundraising, you know that “snail mail” is so much more than a relic from the past.
Mail has heft, cuts through electronic clutter, and reaches household decision-makers. Research by the United States Postal Service found that 56% of consumers say receiving mail is a "real pleasure" and 67% feel it's more personal than the Internet.
Plus, it’s a moneymaker. Online donations generate more revenue — about $1.00 for every $0.78 from direct mail, but both channels are growing (direct mail up 3%, online up 2%). The missed opportunity: most organizations run them separately. When channels operate as silos, they create competing messages. Integrated strategically, they multiply results.
Here’s how to knock down those silos this Giving Season.
1. QR codes for instant mobile giving
In 2024, 91% of Americans owned a smartphone, and QR code scanning has become second nature — from restaurant menus to event entry. So it makes sense to include them on your mailers.
A QR code eliminates the friction of typing URLs on mobile devices. Donors scan and land directly on a mobile-optimized donation page. For returning donors, you can prepopulate information fields and surface recurring gift options. Even donors who scan but don't convert provide valuable behavioral data.
Best practices:
- Test placement across multiple locations on the mail piece
- Include clear calls to action ("Scan to give now")
- Size codes at minimum 1" x 1" for reliable scanning
- Test functionality on both iOS and Android before printing
- Link directly to donation pages, not homepages
The experience after the scan also matters. Be sure to offer mobile-optimized checkout with digital wallet support (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo), pre-populated fields for known donors, and streamlined forms designed to reduce abandonment.
2. 'PURLs' to provide tracking & custom experiences
A PURL (personalized URL) creates a unique web address for each donor. The value proposition is dual: donors land on pages that welcome them by name, acknowledge past giving, and prepopulate form fields. Your organization gains granular tracking of who visited versus who converted, enabling precise attribution and targeted follow-up to engaged non-donors.
Combined benefits:
- Higher conversion through reduced friction
- A/B testing capability at the individual level
- Stewardship opportunities that reference specific touchpoints
- Suppression lists for those who already responded
For maximum reach, print both a personalized QR code linking to the PURL and the typed URL itself.
3. Coordinated emails to follow up without nagging
Email is another tool to seamlessly integrate your direct mail and online fundraising. Sending a follow-up email after the direct mail can reinforce the message in the mailer while simultaneously presenting another path for the donor to make a gift. It's even more effective if you can link to the same donation page as the QR code.
The email should directly reference the letter while adding new content such as a video. The timing is key. An ideal schedule would look something like this:
- Day 1-2: Mail arrives
- Day 3-5: Send first email
- Day 7-10: Send a reminder email only to those who haven't responded
- Day 14: Final email (again, with responders suppressed) with urgency
To do this most effectively, you'll need to have real-time CRM integration so you can suppress sending to those who have responded to the mail piece. You can also use UTM codes to track how the campaign performed.
4. SMS nudges for immediate response
Another way to create a multichannel fundraising campaign is as simple as sending a related text, with a link to a mobile donation page, a few days after your mailer drops.
Ideally, it should be a simple message such as "Hi Maria! Your letter is on the way. Prefer to give online? Click here: [link]"
It provides donors with a reminder of the mail piece (and covers you if the mail is lost or delayed). It can be especially effective with younger donors or urgent campaigns.
Best practices for SMS integration:
- Only text donors who have opted in
- Include clear opt-out instructions
- Test links on mobile devices before sending
- Send during daytime hours (10am-7pm local time)
- Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
For optimal results, ensure your donation platform supports URL parameters that can prepopulate donor information when they click through from SMS, reducing friction in the mobile giving experience.
5. Digital remarketing for reinforcing your message
Upload your mail list to advertising platforms to run coordinated ads while mail is in transit or recently delivered. This creates multiple touchpoints within a compressed timeframe, reinforcing your message across channels.
Platform selection by audience:
- Facebook/Instagram: Consumer donors, broad demographics
- LinkedIn: Corporate donors, professional audiences, major gift prospects
- Google Display: Maximum reach across websites
The strategy works at modest budget levels ($500-$2,000 per campaign). Upload your mailing list as a custom audience, then run ads with messaging that mirrors your mail piece creative and copy.
Timing sequence:
- Launch ads 2-3 days before mail drop
- Continue 5-7 days post-delivery
- Coordinate ad creative to reference the physical mail ("You should be receiving our letter...")
Track performance by creating separate campaigns for mail recipients versus cold audiences. This allows you to measure the lift from integration and optimize budget allocation between standalone digital and coordinated campaigns.
The integration payoff
Direct mail and digital fundraising work better together than apart. Start with one integration tactic, measure results, then scale what works.
Read next: 70 Giving Tuesday subject lines to drive donations in 2025