When Donors Move from Online Donations to Direct- Mail Giving

Is your charity’s online fund raising in the hands of “techies” or seasoned fund raisers?

That question started a lively discussion question on The Agitator, a blog run by two fund-raising consultants.

It was all sparked by a recent study showing that donors who initially give online often make subsequent gifts through direct mail campaigns.

Roger Craver, one of the conosultants, blogged about the results, prompting a reader put forth the theory that this donor “migration” from online to in-the-mail is a result of far better donor cultivation at the hands of seasoned direct-mail fund raisers. Mr. Belford distilled it this way: Direct-mail fund raisers know how to raise money; online “fund raising” is left to techies who don’t.

Other readers came up with conclusions of their own. One saw this migration as normal and no cause for concern, while another doubted its existence. In a second post: on this topic, Tom Belford, co-author of the Agitator, focused on a reader who said that online fund raising is underfinanced by charities and often over-worked, and if donors migrate to direct-mail giving its because they want a “deeper” relationship with the charity.

What do you think? Let us know your experiences in getting online donors to give in other ways?