How TrueSense Optimized Direct Mail Acquisition for Food Bank Clients

Challenge

Direct mail acquisition response rates have declined while acquisition costs have risen. For donor acquisition to remain a viable and sustainable channel, it’s critical that the cost to acquire is recovered within a window of 18 to 24 months.

Solution

TrueSense Marketing leveraged analytics and predictive modeling through our cooperative database partners to identify and remove potential donors who were predicted to give less than $5. This eliminated unnecessary costs tied to prospects who were unlikely to deliver long-term value.

Results

This strategy resulted in more precise list targeting and a healthier acquisition investment for our food bank clients. On average, we suppressed approximately 15% of acquisition volume across our food bank portfolio. This yielded immediate savings on production, paper, and postage without sacrificing meaningful donor value.

The composition of newly acquired donors shifted dramatically. Year over year, the percentage of donors giving a first gift between $10 and $14 — that is, those unlikely to recover their cost of acquisition in 18 to 24 months — dropped from 17% to 5%. Meanwhile, the share of donors giving between $15 and $19 — that is, those likely to be net positive in 18 to 24 months — rose from 6% to 16%.