Who gets a high value pack? Three questions to ask to help maximise returns

What’s the best way to decide which donors should receive a high value pack in a direct mail appeal? It’s an extra investment, so we need to be careful that the expense is justified. Here’s a few tips to make sure you are getting the best bang for your organisation’s buck. 

A quick note: having a great story to tell is obviously critical and something we’re not taking into account in this little article. 

1. How effective is your high value pack to begin with? 

If you’re going to invest extra money in additional content, then of course you want to know what you get for it. If you aren’t already in the habit of designing A/B tests to measure the results from sending more expensive mail, now is the time to start. 

We recommend these tests be run on a regular basis and with statistically matched groups, one receiving the standard pack and the other receiving the high value pack. Metrics to consider include total raised, net return, average gift amount and response rate. If you’re sending high value packs in your next appeal and haven’t done a recent A/B Test, now is the time to do so. Here is an example of a recent experiment we ran with Greenpeace

2. Who is the most likely to give a larger gift right now?

Using AI-driven tools like Dataro’s donor scoring, it’s possible to calculate how likely each donor is to give a larger gift in an appeal. For instance, Dataro often provides predictions for how likely donors are to give >$500 in a direct mail appeal. 

These predictions are generated by looking at every example of a gift above $500 in the past and finding similar patterns in your existing donor data. These donors might come from any part of your database, so instead of simply selecting donors from the same ‘segment’, consider directing your high-value packs to the donors with the highest probability of giving a larger gift. 

3. Who might convert into your mid-level program in the next year?

A third strategy involves looking at improving connections with potential future mid-level givers. At Dataro, we define ‘mid-level’ as giving between $500 – $5,000 in a 12 month period, although you may have another metric (e.g. $1,000 – $10,000 or perhaps more).

Dataro’s mid-level predictions aim to find supporters from amongst your existing database who have a higher probability of giving in the mid-level category in the next 12 months. Of course, it is important to your mid-level program that you build connections with these donors and sending them a high-value pack is one channel you might choose to use to deepen the relationship.

Find out how Greenpeace used AI-powered donors scores to raise more funds to fight for the environment.