Nonprofit donors prefer to receive fundraising solicitations through print ads, direct mail and newsletters rather than by e-mail, telephone or in person, according to a study released yesterday by direct response agency Grizzard, Atlanta.
The study, conducted in March by Campbell Research, surveyed 300 donors by telephone. Respondents had made donations to the Salvation Army, American Red Cross and rescue mission clients of Grizzard. Half of the sample consisted of members of the national no-call registry.
Of people on the DNC list, 51 percent said magazine and newspaper print ads were their most preferred nonprofit solicitation type, 45 percent named direct mail and 39 percent said newsletters. Just 11 percent preferred solicitations via e-mails at home, while 9 percent chose in person, 2 percent said e-mails at work and 1 percent said telephone calls.
Those not on the DNC list gave similar responses, with 40 percent choosing magazine and newspaper print ads as most preferred, 37 percent naming direct mail and 29 percent saying newsletters. Ten percent preferred e-mails at home, 11 percent said in person, 4 percent said e-mails to work and 7 percent said telephone calls.
When asked whether they would join a national do-not-e-mail list, almost 80 percent of those on the DNC list said “yes,” as did 70 percent of those not on the list.
Though most respondents said they preferred not to be called or e-mailed, they characterized a local or national emergency as the most appropriate time to receive solicitation calls or e-mails. Of those on the DNC list, 77 percent said local emergency and 65 percent cited national emergency, while 67 percent of those not on the DNC list cited local emergency and 63 percent said national emergency. At the bottom of the list was a routine need for funds, with 12 percent of DNC members saying it was OK versus 19 percent of those not on the DNC list.
For the full results, go to http://nonprofit.grizzard.com/dnc_study.cfm.
