Charities and nonprofit groups are using Informed Delivery to expand their fundraising capabilities.
The free feature allows users to digitally preview their incoming mail and manage their packages from computers, tablets and other mobile devices.
The Informed Delivery email digest and dashboard displays “grayscale” images of recipients’ incoming mail. Nonprofits conducting direct mail campaigns can replace this shot with a color image, as well as a “ride-along image” that is hyperlinked to their website.
“Using Informed Delivery gives nonprofits a way to reach potential donors who may not open a mailing, but will click on a link,” said Carrie Bornitz, the Postal Service’s Informed Delivery program manager.
Nonprofits and charities account for more than 10 percent of all Informed Delivery campaigns.
One of those nonprofits is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has conducted more than 150 Informed Delivery campaigns.
“Using Informed Delivery is something that we decided to do because it gives a free impression for many of their donors,” said Peter Schoewe, vice president at Mal Warwick Donordigital, a Berkeley, CA-based marketing agency that oversees PETA’s campaigns.
“It is nice that when you do the enhanced mailing, you get right at the top of the email and there’s the capability to allow an additional design piece going directly into the donor’s email.”
PETA’s Informed Delivery emails have a higher open rate than other emails, Schoewe said, adding that many of his firm’s other clients also have positive experiences using the feature.
“We’ve done [Informed Delivery campaigns] for a number of different organizations,” he said. “Most of them have just loved it. … They love seeing their campaign featured in the email.”