The eight-page, full-color newsletter the Nashville Rescue Mission sends out each month is a big part of the homeless shelter’s efforts to encourage donors to give again.
Each edition includes a letter from the Christian group’s president, along with other features, such as volunteer profiles, stories about people served by the organization, and messages of support from community figures, like the members of a music group, an author, or the mayor. The back page often lists items the nonprofit needs or information about an upcoming event.
Between 41,000 and 70,000 donors receive the mailing each month. They are chosen by the organization’s direct-mail company based on how much and how regularly they give.
The newsletter has been successful in terms of both fundraising and donor retention. In 2013, the response card included with the newsletter brought in about 20 percent of the $10-million the group raised. Nearly three-quarters of the people who gave to the rescue mission in 2012 donated again the following year. The group attributes the high retention rate in large part to the newsletter’s focus on donors.
“There aren’t any really hard asks in the newsletter,” says Michelle Brinson, the organization’s communications and media manager. “It’s very, very, very focused on how the donor helped.”
Storytelling is key, says Ms. Brinson, who notes she’s always collecting ideas from the organization’s staff and volunteers. In the past she has written all of the content, but a colleague who manages digital content is becoming more involved.
It takes about three or four months from initial planning until a given issue of the newsletter lands in supporters’ mailboxes. Ms. Brinson works with three other people on her communications staff: the project manager, the digital content manager, and the graphic design manager. Outside of Ms. Brinson and the communication team, about six other staff members help with editing and proofreading.
Once the content is ready, the group sends the files to a local printer, which handles printing and mailing based on a list provided each month by the charity’s direct-mail company. Folded in with each donor’s copy is a customized response card that suggests giving amounts that are higher than the person’s past contributions.
Content from the newsletter is also adapted for the website and other online platforms, often with a call to action and a “donate here” or “volunteer” button. Although staff are currently unable to tie online giving to specific newsletters, they are seeing more and more of their donors shift to giving that way, says Ms. Brinson.
“We are hoping to move to a new platform in a few months that will help us better track that shift,” she says.
Annual donor retention rate for the organization: 73 percent
Monthly revenue: The average is around $150,000, but revenue ranges from around $50,000 in the summer to around $300,000 for the December newsletter, which tends to be most successful.
Range of response rates for newsletters over the course of a year: 2.5 percent to 7 percent
Average gift: $65 to $80
Number mailed: 41,000 to 70,000 each month
Cost: $235,000 for the entire year for printing and mailing. That breaks down to an average of $15,000 to $23,000 each month, depending on the time of year.
