You have got your fundraiser lined up. Your group is ready. Now comes the question nobody warned you about: how do you actually reach people? While understanding the basics of fundraising is essential, the specific channel you choose is what drives your ROI.
Do you send a fundraising mailing, a real, physical letter in an envelope, or do you fire off a quick email to everyone in your contacts?
It sounds like a small decision. It is not. The channel you choose affects whether people open your message, whether they feel compelled to respond, and ultimately, how much your group raises. This guide breaks down exactly when a fundraising letter outperforms email, when email is the smarter move, and what the data actually says about each.
Fundraising Mailing vs. Email: What the Numbers Say
Before diving into tactics, here is the honest comparison most people never see:
| Fundraising Mailing (Direct Mail) | Fundraiser Email | |
| Average response rate | 0.5% – 2% (good campaigns) | 0.01% (unsolicited) |
| Cost per outreach | Higher (postage, printing) | Near zero |
| Permission required | No | Yes (ideally) |
| Time to deliver | 2–5 days | Instant |
| Inbox competition | Low (physical mail is rarer now) | Very high |
| Best for | High-value donors, cold prospects, personal appeals | Warm contacts, fast follow-ups, or groups using digital tools for managing your fundraiser |
| Donor retention tool | Strong, physical mail builds relationship | Moderate, easy to ignore or unsubscribe |
The response rate gap is significant. Direct mail fundraising letters get responses at a rate roughly 10 times higher than digital channels, including email. That does not make email useless. It makes choosing the whole game.
When a Fundraising Mailing (Direct Mail Letter) Is the Right Call
1. When You Need a Real Response
If your fundraiser lives or dies on people actually replying, a physical fundraising mailing is your strongest tool. Research from marketing expert Mark Satterfield confirms that direct mail response rates run between 0.5% and 2% for good campaigns, versus 0.01% for unsolicited email. Beyond the stats, physical mail is simply harder to ignore. A letter sitting on a kitchen counter gets seen multiple times. An email gets buried under 47 others by Tuesday morning.
There is also a psychological component. Receiving a physical piece of mail signals effort. If you handwrote even part of the note, it signals real effort. This personal touch is one of the most effective ways to build long-term donor relationships that last beyond a single season.
2. When You Do not Have Email Permission
Here is a boundary most fundraising groups miss: you can not legally or ethically email just anyone. You need their explicit permission to be on your list. Direct mail has no such restriction. As marketing consultant Kern Lewis has pointed out, a direct mail letter is one of the only ways to personally reach a prospect who does not yet know you, no opt-in required.
This makes fundraising mailings especially valuable when you are expanding your reach beyond your existing warm contacts to neighbors, community members, or local businesses.
3. When the Recipient Is Worth the Investment
Postage and printing cost money. Email does not. So when should you spend on a physical letter? When the person on the receiving end is a strong likely donor, a generous family member, a loyal neighbor, a long-time supporter of your cause. For these people, a thoughtfully written letter (especially a handwritten one) communicates that you value them enough to make the effort. Many will save it. Some will respond more generously because of it.
4. As a Re-Engagement Tool for Unresponsive Contacts
Have you emailed someone twice and called once with no response? A fundraising mailing might be the touch that finally gets through. Their inbox is overwhelmed. Their voicemail is full. But a letter in the mailbox is something different, it creates a moment of undivided attention that digital channels rarely deliver. In your letter, acknowledge the gap: mention you have been hoping to connect and wanted to reach out a different way. This signals persistence and care, not automation.
When a Fundraiser Email Is the Right Call
1. When Speed Matters
Time-sensitive campaigns, a deadline, a matching gift window, a last push before your fundraiser closes, belong in email. You can write it, send it, and have it in someone’s inbox within minutes. No trips to the post office, no waiting on delivery.
2. When You are Working with Zero Budget
Email is free. If your group is keeping overhead tight (which is smart fundraising practice), email lets you reach your entire warm contact list at no cost. Even if only a fraction respond, the ROI is strong by default.
3. When Your Fundraiser Happens Online
If donors need to click a link to buy a product, especially when using our Friends & Family online program, email wins, hands down. Embedding a direct link removes every step of friction between your message and a completed transaction. You can include a URL in a physical letter, but a clickable button converts far better.
4. When You Want Fast, Measurable Feedback
Email gives you data quickly: open rates, click rates, conversions. If you are testing messaging or running a time-sensitive campaign, email lets you see what’s working (and pivot) in real time. Physical mail has a slower feedback loop, weeks can pass before responses trickle in.
How to Write a Direct Mail Fundraising Letter (5-Step Guide)
If you have decided a fundraising mailing is the right move, here is how to write one that actually gets a response.
Step 1: Open with the person, not your group
Do not lead with “Our organization was founded in…” Lead with them. Address the letter by name. Reference something specific, the last time they supported you, their connection to the cause, their community. People give to people, not to organizations.
Step 2: State your ask clearly and early
Do not bury what you need on page two. Within the first few sentences, your reader should know: who you are, why you are writing, and what you’re asking for. Ambiguity kills response rates.
Step 3: Make the impact concrete
“Your support helps our group” is forgettable. “Your contribution helps 24 scouts attend summer camp this year” is not. Connect the dollar or action to a specific, tangible outcome. The more real you make it, the more compelling it is.
Step 4: Make responding easy
Include a reply envelope if possible. Write a clear URL if you want them to go online. If you want them to call, give the number. Remove every possible obstacle between reading your letter and taking action.
Step 5: Add a P.S., always
Studies on direct mail consistently show the P.S. is one of the most-read parts of any letter. Use it to restate your ask and your deadline in one sentence. It works.
The Smartest Strategy
The groups that raise the most do not pick one channel and abandon the other. They sequence them.
A proven combination: send a fundraising mailing first to your highest-value prospects, follow up with an email to your broader warm list, and use a second physical letter for anyone who didn’t respond to either. Each touch reinforces the last. Each channel reaches people the other misses.
If you are running a product fundraiser, like a holiday wreath or garland sale, this multi-channel approach is especially effective. The physical letter builds a personal relationship. The email provides the easy purchase link. Together, they cover both the emotional and the transactional sides of the ask.
Ready to Run Your Fundraiser?
Whether you are leading a scout troop, a sports team, or a school group, the outreach channel is just one piece of the puzzle. The other piece is having a product worth promoting, something people actually want to buy.
Evergreen Industries has run product fundraising programs for thousands of groups across the country, with proven materials, flexible options, and a program built to make your fundraiser as easy as possible to run.
Start Your Fundraiser with Evergreen
Looking for more fundraising resources? Read our guides on how to write a fundraising letter and email marketing best practices for nonprofit fundraising.
Frequently Asked Questions
What advantage does a physical fundraiser letter have over email?
The biggest advantages are response rate and reach. Physical letters get responses at roughly 10x the rate of unsolicited emails, and they can be sent to people you do not yet have an email relationship with. They also tend to create a stronger emotional impression, the effort of sending a real letter signals genuine care in a way a mass email simply can not.
Is fundraising mailing still worth it in 2026?
Yes, arguably more than ever. Because so much outreach has moved to digital, physical mail now stands out more than it did ten years ago. Donors of all ages are statistically more likely to respond to direct mail than any digital channel.
How long should a fundraising letter be?
Long enough to tell your story, short enough to keep attention. For most community fundraising groups, one page is ideal. For nonprofit campaigns with complex stories or high-dollar tasks, longer letters (even 4–6 pages) can outperform shorter ones, as long as they are scannable, with bold key points, white space, and a clear P.S.
Can I use a template for my fundraising mailing?
Yes, and you should, a template gives you structure so you do not miss key elements. Just personalize it. Generic letters that read like form mail get treated like form mail.
