Mailings addressed to you

What it costs and what it raises


Getting someone to give for the first time through the mail costs money.

The mailings have to be put together, printed and posted – and your name and address is often 'rented' from commercial suppliers. Charities try to ‘target’ their mailings so that they reach the people that are most likely to want to give to them, but even so, with the majority of ‘recruitment’ mailings only a few people in every hundred will respond


As is the case with most types of fundraising, the benefit to the charity of your gift comes through only over time – they have to invest money to attract new givers, but they know that on average those people, once recruited, are likely to keep giving for some years. The initial investment is therefore very worthwhile.

An increasing proportion of this now comes in the form of regular payments made through banks – standing orders and direct debits. As a rough guide, recruiting a new supporter will cost a charity money. Most charities will get back between 50 and 70p for every £1 spent on this activity in the first instance.

By contrast, an appeal to existing supporters will often generate between £3 and £4 for every £1 invested.