For decades, fundraising programs have been built around channels.
There was a direct mail program, an email program, a digital program, and maybe a texting program. Each had its own budget, goals, strategy, and metrics. Success was often measured by how each individual channel performed in isolation.
The problem is that donors don’t think that way.
A donor doesn’t wake up and decide they’re a “direct mail donor” or an “email donor.” They interact with organizations through multiple touchpoints. They may receive a fundraising letter one day, see a digital advertisement that evening, open an email the next morning, and eventually make a gift online. To them, it’s all part of a single relationship.
In fact, with Maverick’s multi-channel approach, they’ll do every one of those things.
Because those channels aren’t competing against one another nearly as much as people think. They’re working together.
A direct mail package can create awareness and credibility. Digital advertising can reinforce the message and keep it top of mind. Email can provide additional context and urgency. A text message can help move someone across the finish line.
When viewed independently, each touchpoint may appear to play a small role. When viewed collectively, they create a donor experience that is far more powerful than any individual channel could deliver on its own.
That’s why the strongest fundraising programs aren’t mail-first, digital-first, or email-first. They’re audience-first.
That shift in thinking has become increasingly important as donors move seamlessly between online and offline environments. A supporter may discover an organization through social media, receive a letter a week later, read several emails over the next month, and ultimately make a gift through a mobile device. Trying to attribute that decision to a single channel misses the bigger picture.
No single touchpoint closed the gift. The relationship did.
The organizations seeing the strongest results today understand this. They aren’t asking which channel should win. They’re focused on creating coordinated experiences that help donors move from awareness to action.
