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How to create a direct mail campaign with Mailings
How to create a direct mail campaign with Mailings

Create end-to-end direct mail campaigns and letters of acknowledgment to engage your current supporters and connect with potential donors!

Alyssa avatar
Written by Alyssa
Updated over a week ago

Mailings are a great way to connect with donors, and you can now create direct mail campaigns without leaving your Givebutter dashboard. Add custom branding, merge fields/dynamic variables, QR codes, and more.

You can choose to have mailings printed and fulfilled by Givebutter for a small fee per mailpiece (no trip to the post office!) or fulfill them yourself by printing and mailing them manually. Looking for inspiration? Check out some ideas and best practices! →

Self-service mailings ✉️

Automated mailings 🚀

Packaging + Fulfillment

  • Print PDF files yourself

  • Package mailings and independently calculate and purchase postage

  • Givebutter prints, packages, and sends your mailings via USPS First Class

  • Includes tracking, metrics, and scheduling options

Customization

Cannot personalize or exclude specific recipients/mailings.

Allows you to personalize or exclude specific recipients.

Pricing

Free – no cost involved! Print and fulfill mailings yourself.

Priced at $2.95 per mailing (number of recipients), or $1.95 per mailing for Givebutter Plus subscribers.

Limitations

  • Cannot insert a trackable QR code within the editor

  • No integrated tracking or metrics

  • Cannot edit margins or page size

Givebutter Plus subscribers automatically get a discounted direct mail rate and pay only $1.95 per mailing. Learn more about Givebutter Plus! →

Creating mailings ➕

  • In your dashboard, click Engage, then select Mailings under the Engage header.

  • To create a mailing, click New mailing in the upper right corner of the page.

  • You'll be asked if you want to manually print and mail these or use Givebutter's all-in-one fulfillment option (for a small flat fee per mailing).

self service vs automated

Details ⚙️

  • Letter name – Enter a name for internal documentation purposes. This is not posted on the letter.

  • Return address – Select a saved return address or add a new one. This will be printed on your envelope, and used as the return address for any undeliverable mail. Return addresses are limited to 40 characters.

  • Generate a letter for – Options include:

    • All contacts (default) – One letter per household and individual contacts not attached to a household

    • Individual contacts only – One letter per contact, regardless of household

    • Households only – One letter per household

  • Select whether or not you would like to exclude contacts with missing merge fields. This only applies to the specific merge fields you use in your letter.

  • Click Next in the upper right corner to proceed.

Compose ✍️

Your mailing will be automatically populated with the following information:

  • Account name – Set under Account > About > Organization Profile

  • Return address – Set under Mailings > Details

  • Logo – Set under Account > About > Branding > Email Logo

Mailings are limited to six (single-sided) pages of color printing. We recommend creating a well-written letter making a strong case for supporting your organization. It's best to keep donor communications concise when possible.

The mailings editor is formatted similarly to the Engage email editor. Across the top of the composer, you'll see several formatting options. You can also insert full-color images (use CMYK for best results), as well as graphics via our direct integration with Canva. If you need to exit at any time, our auto-save feature will save your progress.

Please note that page breaks will not appear in the editor, but will appear in the preview for a mailing that has not been personalized. To view page breaks for personalized mailings, you'll need to download individual previews from the Personalize step.

Inserting a trackable QR code

With paid fulfillment mailings, you can also include unique, trackable QR codes that link directly to your campaign page! These allow you to precisely monitor donation conversion and engagement (per recipient).

qr code
  • Select the campaign you'd like the QR code to point to, or enter a custom URL

  • Select code and background colors to suit your brand

  • Select whether or not you would like codes to be trackable

  • Insert the QR code in your mailing

QR code scans and donation metrics will be tracked in your Givebutter dashboard. Please note that this option is not available for self-service (free) mailings.

Full list of composer options

  • Insert

    • QR Code

    • Image

    • Canva

    • Link

    • Table

    • Special character

    • Emojis

    • Horizontal line

    • Page break (for multi-page mailings)

    • Date/time (multiple formats)

  • Format

    • Bold

    • Italic

    • Underline

    • Strikethrough

    • Superscript

    • Subscript

    • Formats (Headings, Inline, Blocks, Align)

    • Blocks

    • Fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Times New Roman)

    • Align

    • Line height

    • Text color

    • Background color

  • Tools

    • Wordcount

    • Shortcuts menu

  • Insert Emojis

  • Insert image

  • Insert Canva

  • Insert link

  • Insert QR code

  • Page break

Merge tags 🧩

No one likes receiving generic mail! Personalize mailings to suit your donors using our extensive list of merge tags (also known as dynamic variables). Merge tags will display in your letter using the format {{merge.tag}}, and they are automatically filled out for each contact using their saved information.

Merge tags also support fallback values (defaults) that populate if merge tag data doesn't exist. To set fallback values, go to Engage > Settings > Merge Fields, and click Add new default.

merge tags

Example use cases include:

  • Adding a donor's name and contact information to customize a greeting

  • Adding a total donation amount to create a custom end-of-year appreciation note

  • Adding a last donation date to thank a donor for their most recent gift

Full list of merge tag options

  • Primary details

    • Prefix

    • First name

    • Middle name

    • Last name

    • Suffix

    • Full name (automatically concatenates prefix, first, last, and suffix)

    • Gender

    • Company

    • Title

    • Birthday

  • Contact details

    • Email address

    • Phone number

    • Address

      • Full Address

      • Address Line 1

      • Address Line 2

      • City

      • State

      • Zipcode

      • Country

  • Social accounts

    • Website

    • Facebook

    • LinkedIn

    • Twitter

  • Donation information

    • Last donation amount

    • Last donation date

    • Largest donation amount

    • Largest donation date

    • Total donations this year

    • Total donations last year

Page settings 📄

For self-service (free) mailings, you can choose from various paper sizes under Page Settings. Paper size options include:

  • Letter (8.5 x 11" – the default)

  • Half letter (5.5 x 8.5")

  • Legal (8.5 x 14")

  • A4 (210 x 297mm)

You can also set margins for the paper format. The default margins are set at 1" on each side of the page. Click Update to apply any changes. You cannot currently select envelope or label sizes. These will default to #10 envelopes and Avery 5160 labels.

You cannot customize the page size or margins for mailings fulfilled by Givebutter. These will be printed on 8.5 x 11" paper.

Envelope ✉️

For mailings sent out by Givebutter, a sample windowed envelope will appear on this page. You can preview the return address as entered in the Details step.

envelope example

Mailing addresses (and return addresses) are limited to 40 characters so they can fit in the windowed envelope.

Recipients 👪

Choose who you would like to include on your recipient list for this mailing. By default, all your contacts will be included. To narrow it down to a more specific group of people, use custom filters to target specific donors or pre-built segments. A few example filtering options include:

  • Campaigns – Donors who donated to a specific campaign.

  • Contact > Total Contributions – Filter by donors who have donated over a specific amount to your organization.

  • Transactions > Date – Donors who submitted a donation within a specific timeframe.

Full list of contact filter options

  • Presets: A selection of preset options, including one-time donors

  • Campaigns: Donors who have given to a specific campaign

  • Contact: Donors who have given a certain amount, recurring donors, contacts since a certain date, or by tags

  • Team Member: Team Members on campaigns based on how much they've raised, the date they registered, or the number of supporters

  • Transactions: Donors who have a Transaction meeting the criteria set, ie. credited to a specific Team Member, over a certain amount, or by date

  • Tickets: Ticket holders of a specific ticket type, status (ie. checked in), or by number of tickets purchased

  • Recurring Plan: Donors with recurring plans by start date, amount, frequency (ie. monthly donors), or payment method

  • DonorSearch: Criteria set by DonorSearch such as rating or annual gift likelihood

  • Custom Fields: Filtering options will vary based on the type of contact custom field.

    • Text fields: Includes or excludes

    • Number fields: Greater than, less than, or equal to

    • Date fields: Includes or excludes date selection

    • Toggle fields: yes or no

    • Option fields: All, Any, or None of available options

These are cumulative filters, so you can select multiple criteria. Contact tags are a great way to designate a specific group of donors.

Personalize ✏️

With paid mailings fulfilled by Givebutter, you can personalize mailings for specific recipients or exclude individuals (to address duplicates or otherwise remove recipients).

  • To exclude a specific recipient from this mailing, click Exclude recipient in the upper right corner.

exclude recipient
  • To personalize a specific mailing for a recipient, select the recipient from the All list on the left and edit the copy as you like. This will only edit the text for this recipient.

personalize example

Be sure to hit Save in the upper right corner after personalizing mailings. Personalized mailings do not automatically save!

save changes

If recipients are excluded or personalized mailings are created, these can be easily accessed in the left sidebar section.

excluded and personalized

Please note that you cannot exclude individual recipients or personalize specific mailings with the free self-service option.

Confirming a paid order 📫

For automated mailings fulfilled by Givebutter, you can choose whether you'd like the order processed immediately or scheduled for a later date. Estimated delivery dates and the total cost of the order will be displayed. All paid orders are sent via USPS First Class (typically delivered in 1-5 business days). At this time, mailings do not include a guaranteed delivery date or the ability to expedite delivery speed.

Approving a proof

  • Download a proof: Click the Download preview button below the confirmation window to download a PDF proof to your computer.

  • View a proof: Review a preview in the PDF viewer on this page.

  • Physical proof: You can mail yourself a physical proof (1 per campaign).

You must approve a proof and agree to the terms before submitting your order.

When you purchase your order, a secure Stripe checkout window will appear where you can enter payment information to complete your order. You cannot use donated funds or an account balance to pay for your mailings – this must be done via checkout.

Tracking + conversion 🤖

Once a paid order has been confirmed, you'll be able to see your order under the name you set in the first step. Click on the order to see your order status.

  • Received – Order has been received for processing by Givebutter

  • In production – Letters are being printed and stamped

  • Mailed – Letters have been sent via USPS

  • Out for delivery – Letters have started being delivered

Mailings sent out by Givebutter also automatically track various metrics, making it easier for your organization to evaluate the impact of your direct mail campaign.

  • Delivered – Percentage of successful deliveries to recipients

  • Rerouted – Percentage of rerouted mailings

  • Returned to sender – Percentage of mailings returned to sender

  • Unique QR code scans – Number of scans completed by unique recipients

  • Revenue generated – Overall revenue generated by your direct mail campaign

  • Conversion rate – Overall conversion rate of your direct mail campaign

To see who scanned the QR code and donated as a result, scroll to the Recipients section below your tracking information. Here, you can see the specific mailings that resulted in a donation, including when the QR code was scanned.

recipient tracking

Downloading free mailings 💾

  • Review your details, ensure everything looks correct, and click Generate Letters in the upper right corner.

  • A confirmation window will appear with a summary of the files to be generated.

generate letters confirmation
  • Click Confirm when you're ready to generate the files. You'll be taken to a confirmation page. At the top of the page, a banner will indicate the status of your files. It may take a few minutes to generate your files.

  • Once your mailings have finished generating, you'll see a banner confirming that your files are done being created. You'll also get an email notification that files are ready to download.

  • Under the Downloads heading, click Download next to each file.

    • Letters – The generated Letters, labels, and envelopes, in PDF format. You'll print these out to physically mail them.

    • Contacts – A CSV (spreadsheet) including all contacts a Letter was generated for. You'll need this file to print or write addresses and arrange postage.

Only two items (Letters and Contacts) will be displayed here – this is as expected. Mailings and envelopes are located inside the Letters download.

Printing your files 🖨️

  • Once you click Download next to the Letters line item, a ZIP file will download to your computer. Expand this ZIP file (double-click on it), and you will see three folders: Envelopes, Labels, and Letters.

  • Print your files on the correct paper size for each file.

    • Letters – Page size selected by you (8-1/2 x 11" is the default)

    • Envelopes – #10 envelopes (4-1/8 x 9-1/2")

    • Labels – Avery 5160 labels (1 x 2-5/8")

Ideas + best practices ⭐

Want to create mailings but not sure where to start? Here are some ideas!

When you're creating mailings, keep the following best practices in mind:

FAQ 🤔

Can I send myself a proof of an automated (paid) mailing?

Yes! You can send yourself a free proof of your mailing on the Confirm page. Click the Mail proof button, and you'll be sent a sample of this mailing. This is limited to one per campaign, and is limited to five total (per account) per month. Proofs take roughly one week to arrive.

Are mailings printed in color? Should I use RGB or CMYK images?

Automated (paid) mailings are printed in color. Self-service (free) mailings are exported from Givebutter in color, and you can then print them in your desired color mode. Use CMYK images for best results. RBG images will be converted to CMYK for printing, which can slightly distort colors.

Does the system verify addresses with USPS before shipping? What if a paid fulfillment mailing is undeliverable?

Mailings do not currently leverage NCOA processing, but we do validate that all addresses are mailable. If a mailing sent and fulfilled by Givebutter cannot be delivered, it'll be marked as undeliverable and sent back to the return address you set when designing your mailing. These stats will also be tracked in your dashboard.

Can I send out mailings to donor addresses collected via Signup Form Widgets?
No, because Signup Forms do not currently collect mailing address information.

Can I send international mailings?

All paid mailings fulfilled by Givebutter must be sent within the United States (domestic). This includes US territories and possessions such as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. To send mailings internationally, you must manually print and send them yourself using the self-fulfillment option.

Can I use donated funds to pay for mailings?

No, you cannot use donations or funds in your Givebutter account to pay for mailings. When you confirm your order, a secure Stripe checkout window will appear where you can enter payment information.

My QR code is missing from an automated mailing that I duplicated.

This is normal – if you duplicate a paid fulfillment mailing that included a trackable QR code, the content of the letter will be duplicated, but the QR code will be removed. This is a feature to prevent you from sending out mailings that link to old campaigns. All you need to do is insert a new trackable QR code in your most recent mailing.

Is there an option to include self-addressed return envelopes with paid mailings?

It isn't currently possible to add self-addressed or postage-paid return envelopes to automated mailings. We recommend instead including instructions in your letter (address, payable to) for donors who wish to send checks. You can also include a scannable QR code to solicit online donations. If you want to include a return envelope, you must manually print and send mailings yourself using the self-fulfillment option.

Are mailings added to a contact profile's activity feed?

Yes! Paid fulfillment mailings will add a record to each recipient's activity feed when an order is placed, and free (print yourself) mailings are added to a recipient's activity feed after the mailing is generated, and manually marked as sent from the mailings dashboard.

mailings

What kind of paper are automated (paid) mailings printed on? What kind of envelopes are used?

Mailings are printed on 60lb (90gsm) uncoated white paper. Mailings are tri-folded and sent in windowed envelopes, including interior security tint for privacy. There currently isn’t an option to customize the paper stock or envelope options.

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