{"id":115154,"date":"2024-07-26T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomerang2dev.wpengine.com\/?p=115154"},"modified":"2025-10-02T09:31:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T13:31:12","slug":"ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/","title":{"rendered":"What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our\u00a0Ask An Expert<\/a>\u00a0series features real questions answered by\u00a0Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach<\/a>, also known as Charity Clairity.\u00a0<\/strong>Today\u2019s question comes from a nonprofit employee who wants insight into what role direct mail plays in fundraising in a digital world:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Dear Charity Clairity,<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m wondering what role direct mail plays in our digitally-dominant world<\/a>? My boss wants me to schedule fewer hard copy mailings, and rely more on less expensive email and social media. But I wonder if in the long run the ROI is better for direct mail than digital? Is there any research on open, conversion and retention rates for the different mediums? I did stop donor acquisition mailings a few years back because returns were so low. But, now I\u2019m wondering if I was being pound-wise and penny-foolish.<\/i><\/p>\n

— Direct and Digitally Dumbfounded<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dear Direct and Digitally Dumbfounded,<\/i><\/p>\n

Great questions!<\/p>\n

As media options continue to multiply, choosing the best channels becomes more and more fraught. And, as with most things, there\u2019s no one right answer.<\/p>\n

The truth is that reaching people today is more challenging \u2013 and more expensive \u2013 than it was 40 years ago when I began in fundraising. That being said, it was expensive even then!<\/p>\n

You have to spend money to make money<\/h2>\n

For donor acquisition<\/a>, direct mail returns of 2% were considered good then. And it cost $1.25 to raise $1.00. The real money came with repeat giving as measured by donor lifetime value<\/a>. Still, the acquisition effort was essential because without it there would be no lifetime value whatsoever.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s still the case, even though direct mail acquisition guru Tom Ahern<\/a> notes today 1% is cause for a party! John Lepp<\/a> says anything between 0.25 and 1% is reasonable today. It\u2019s not a lot, but it\u2019s definitely more than nothing.<\/p>\n

And what about other acquisition channels? Email, social media, text, advertising, events\u2026 the choices go on and on. You\u2019ll want to try some of these, and your choice will depend on the channels you know your constituents frequent. Nothing will come from nothing. You should know, however, a recent NonProfitPro<\/a><\/em> article found results disappointing:<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest advantages of direct mail is that it yields a much higher response rate compared to other channels. Despite all the hype, the\u00a0<\/i>average response rate of online and social media channels<\/i><\/a>\u00a0is disappointingly low. The average email response rate is around 0.1%, the average response rate of paid search is 0.6%, and 0.2% for online display marketing.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You also have to spend money to keep money<\/h2>\n

Think about it this way: If it\u2019s your own money, perhaps you hire an investment advisor to make sure you don\u2019t lose any value and also grow value over time. What if you were to consider your organization\u2019s house list (any donors who\u2019ve given to you in the past) your \u201cdonor investment advisor?\u201d<\/p>\n

Effectively, your list can advise you regarding who already cares about you. Used wisely, it can suggest those to whom you may wish to pay some special attention (e.g., first-time donors; monthly donors; upgrading donors; lapsed donors; major donors; event attendees, etc.). One way to do so is by sending them hard copy mail. In fact, per guru John Lepp, if you send direct mail to this house donor list you\u2019ll get a response rate of 10 to 20% for your direct mailing.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at some of the advantages of direct mail<\/h2>\n

It has a longer lifespan<\/h3>\n

A GLW Media study<\/a> shows direct mail has an average lifespan of\u00a017 days\u00a0while email only lasts an average of 2 seconds. Often, multiple people in a household will see the direct mail piece lying around on a counter or kitchen table.<\/p>\n

TIP:<\/b> Include a QR code on your mail piece to help people take action more conveniently.<\/b> Further personalize your communication through follow-up emails that serve as reminders to folks to take another look at your mailed piece.<\/p>\n

It has a higher and faster response rate<\/h3>\n

A Direct Marketing Association report<\/a> found 4.4% of people respond to direct mail while only 0.12% respond to emails. Hubspot<\/a> found direct mail also speeds up the purchase timeframe. On average, any purchase decision (nonprofit donations, too!) takes longer than a week and over a third take more than a month. However, with direct mail, 73% of purchase decisions take only 1+ day.<\/p>\n

TIP: <\/b>Use one or more of these strategies to maximize the chance your letter will get opened<\/b><\/a>. <\/b>Also take the opportunity to personalize your mailing inside with personal, handwritten notes<\/a>. It will ensure more folks pay attention to what you\u2019ve written.<\/p>\n

It offers a tangible, personal, memorable connection<\/h3>\n

A\u00a0United States Postal Service study<\/a> found 71% of Gen X and older consumers find mail to be more personal than online communications. They’re excited when they receive mail from you! Even 72% of Gen Z said they\u2019d be disappointed to no longer receive mail.<\/p>\n

TIP:<\/b> Integrate direct mail with digital campaigns<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to create a synergistic effect that increases engagement.<\/b> SG360’s research<\/a> reveals integrated campaigns capture 39% more attention than digital-only initiatives. Moreover, these multifaceted campaigns<\/a> provoke a 5% increase in emotional intensity, leading to a more memorable and impactful experience.<\/p>\n

Bottom line<\/h2>\n

Different reports and studies yield slightly different numbers, but everything points to the fact that direct mail is more than alive and well and still plays an important role in donor acquisition, retention, and upgrades. And when it comes to building personal relationships, it generally outperforms the alternatives.<\/p>\n

Alas, it costs more money than it used to and it takes more work. There\u2019s simply no way around this reality.<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s time to dispel the notion you can be successful on the cheap. The best course forward is to simply budget more for both donor acquisition and retention, and put in place written strategic plans to help you accomplish your fundraising goals in the most effective way possible.<\/p>\n

Be dumbfounded no more!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Charity Clairity (Please use a pseudonym if you prefer to be anonymous when you\u00a0submit your own question<\/a>, like “Direct and Digitally Dumbfounded” did.)<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n

How do you use direct mail in your fundraising? Let us know in the comments.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our\u00a0Ask An Expert\u00a0series features real questions answered by\u00a0Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach, also known as Charity Clairity.\u00a0Today\u2019s question comes from a nonprofit employee who wants insight into what role direct mail plays in fundraising in a digital world:\u00a0\u00a0 Dear Charity Clairity, I\u2019m wondering what role direct mail plays in our digitally-dominant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":141685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"cause":[],"article_author":[],"webinar_host":[],"topic":[393,80,205],"class_list":["post-115154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-ask-an-expert","topic-direct-mail","topic-engage"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This question comes from a nonprofit employee who wants insight into what role direct mail plays in fundraising in a digital world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This question comes from a nonprofit employee who wants insight into what role direct mail plays in fundraising in a digital world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bloomerang\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloomerangtech\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-26T14:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T13:31:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1042\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire Axelrad\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CharityClairity\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bloomerangtech\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire Axelrad\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Claire Axelrad\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ab1b773459a2a4d53264fc80f7df61cf\"},\"headline\":\"What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-26T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T13:31:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1043,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-26T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T13:31:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"This question comes from a nonprofit employee who wants insight into what role direct mail plays in fundraising in a digital world.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg\",\"width\":2250,\"height\":1042,\"caption\":\"Ask An Expert\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Bloomerang\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Bloomerang\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/Bloomerang-Logo_Horizontal_RGB_Color.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/Bloomerang-Logo_Horizontal_RGB_Color.png\",\"width\":1361,\"height\":240,\"caption\":\"Bloomerang\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bloomerangtech\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/bloomerangtech\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/bloomerangtech\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/2675499\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/bloomerangco\"],\"description\":\"Bloomerang is more than a fundraising platform, it is a total Giving Platform, an all-in-one fundraising solution with nonprofit CRM, online giving, peer-to-peer campaigns, auctions, and volunteer tools. Bloomerang synchronizes donor data across these nonprofit tools and empowers fundraisers to raise more.\",\"email\":\"info@bloomerang.com\",\"telephone\":\"1-866-332-2999\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"501\",\"maxValue\":\"1000\"},\"address\":{\"@type\":\"PostalAddress\",\"streetAddress\":\"9120 Otis Avenue\",\"addressLocality\":\"Indianapolis\",\"addressRegion\":\"IN\",\"postalCode\":\"46216\",\"addressCountry\":\"US\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ab1b773459a2a4d53264fc80f7df61cf\",\"name\":\"Claire Axelrad\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/Claire-Axelrad_avatar_1517952685-96x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/Claire-Axelrad_avatar_1517952685-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/Claire-Axelrad_avatar_1517952685-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Claire Axelrad\"},\"description\":\"Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, will inspire you through her philosophy of philanthropy, not fundraising. After a 30-year development career which earned her the AFP \u201cOutstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year\u201d award, Claire left the trenches to begin her coaching\\\/teaching practice. Clairification School has been called \u201cthe best bargain in fundraising!\u201d Claire is also featured expert and Chief Fundraising Coach for Bloomerang, She\u2019ll be your guide, so you can be your donor\u2019s guide on their philanthropic journey. A member of the California State Bar and graduate of Princeton University, Claire currently resides in San Francisco California. If you like craft fairs, baseball games, art openings, vocal and guitar, and political conversation, you\u2019ll like to hang out with Claire.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/claireaxelrad\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/CharityClairity\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bloomerang.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/claire-axelrad\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?","description":"This question comes from a nonprofit employee who wants insight into what role direct mail plays in fundraising in a digital world.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?","og_description":"This question comes from a nonprofit employee who wants insight into what role direct mail plays in fundraising in a digital world.","og_url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/","og_site_name":"Bloomerang","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloomerangtech","article_published_time":"2024-07-26T14:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-02T13:31:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2250,"height":1042,"url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Claire Axelrad","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CharityClairity","twitter_site":"@bloomerangtech","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Claire Axelrad","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/"},"author":{"name":"Claire Axelrad","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ab1b773459a2a4d53264fc80f7df61cf"},"headline":"What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?","datePublished":"2024-07-26T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-02T13:31:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/"},"wordCount":1043,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/","url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/","name":"What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg","datePublished":"2024-07-26T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-02T13:31:12+00:00","description":"This question comes from a nonprofit employee who wants insight into what role direct mail plays in fundraising in a digital world.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/ask-an-expert-what-role-does-direct-mail-play-in-fundraising-in-a-digital-world\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ask_an_expert_blog.jpg","width":2250,"height":1042,"caption":"Ask An Expert"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/","name":"Bloomerang","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#organization","name":"Bloomerang","url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Bloomerang-Logo_Horizontal_RGB_Color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Bloomerang-Logo_Horizontal_RGB_Color.png","width":1361,"height":240,"caption":"Bloomerang"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloomerangtech","https:\/\/x.com\/bloomerangtech","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bloomerangtech\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/2675499","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/bloomerangco"],"description":"Bloomerang is more than a fundraising platform, it is a total Giving Platform, an all-in-one fundraising solution with nonprofit CRM, online giving, peer-to-peer campaigns, auctions, and volunteer tools. Bloomerang synchronizes donor data across these nonprofit tools and empowers fundraisers to raise more.","email":"info@bloomerang.com","telephone":"1-866-332-2999","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"501","maxValue":"1000"},"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"9120 Otis Avenue","addressLocality":"Indianapolis","addressRegion":"IN","postalCode":"46216","addressCountry":"US"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ab1b773459a2a4d53264fc80f7df61cf","name":"Claire Axelrad","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Claire-Axelrad_avatar_1517952685-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Claire-Axelrad_avatar_1517952685-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Claire-Axelrad_avatar_1517952685-96x96.jpg","caption":"Claire Axelrad"},"description":"Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, will inspire you through her philosophy of philanthropy, not fundraising. After a 30-year development career which earned her the AFP \u201cOutstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year\u201d award, Claire left the trenches to begin her coaching\/teaching practice. Clairification School has been called \u201cthe best bargain in fundraising!\u201d Claire is also featured expert and Chief Fundraising Coach for Bloomerang, She\u2019ll be your guide, so you can be your donor\u2019s guide on their philanthropic journey. A member of the California State Bar and graduate of Princeton University, Claire currently resides in San Francisco California. If you like craft fairs, baseball games, art openings, vocal and guitar, and political conversation, you\u2019ll like to hang out with Claire.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/claireaxelrad","https:\/\/x.com\/CharityClairity"],"url":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/author\/claire-axelrad\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115154"},{"taxonomy":"cause","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cause?post=115154"},{"taxonomy":"article_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_author?post=115154"},{"taxonomy":"webinar_host","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/webinar_host?post=115154"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=115154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}