Industry
Handwritten mail for charities and not-for-profits
Fundraising is the one sector that never stopped using direct mail, which means donors can spot a fundraising pack from the letterbox. It also means the sector has the clearest view of what a lifted response rate is actually worth.
Thanking is underrated
Most fundraising budgets go on the ask. The list of people who already gave gets a templated receipt and a printed acknowledgement, and then another ask four months later.
A handwritten thank-you costs a few dollars and lands on a list of people who have already demonstrated, with their own money, that they care about what you do. It is the cheapest retention instrument available to a charity, and the one most reliably skipped when budgets tighten.
It also makes the next ask a different conversation. A donor who was properly thanked in March reads the September appeal as correspondence from an organisation that noticed them.
Lists worth writing to, in order
- Donors who gave a significant gift and were thanked by template.
- First-time donors, in the fortnight after their first gift.
- Lapsed donors of two to three years, with no ask attached.
- Regular givers, on the anniversary of when they started.
- Appeal envelopes — handwritten outside, printed contents.
Postage is where the money is
For a charity mailing, postage is frequently the largest line in the budget, and Australia Post has a specific pricing structure for endorsed organisations that materially changes the sums.
Charity Mail offers lower prices for fundraising or promotional mailings of 300 items or more, to income tax exempt charities and DGR-endorsed organisations, with a choice between Priority and a cheaper Regular timetable. Bulk mail discounts start from 300 letters generally, and Promo Post from 4,000 barcoded letters. Details and current rates are on the Australia Post bulk mail pages.
One consequence worth planning around: qualifying for the cheapest rates usually requires barcoding and a machine-readable address block, which sits awkwardly with a fully handwritten envelope. It is a genuine trade-off, and it is worth costing both ways before you commit. A full breakdown of Australian direct mail costs.
Typical costs
An 80-word handwritten thank-you in a handwritten envelope. Envelope alone is $0.92 a piece if the contents are printed.
| Quantity | Per piece | Campaign total | Volume tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | $3.45 | $1,138 | 250+ pieces |
| 1,000 | $2.96 | $3,258 | 1,000+ pieces |
| 5,000 | $2.66 | $14,653 | 5,000+ pieces |
| 20,000 | $2.61 | $57,490 | 10,000+ pieces |
Indicative only, including GST, 80 words per piece, with a handwritten envelope, excluding postage. Full pricing and calculator.
Questions from fundraisers
Is Charity Mail cheaper than ordinary postage?
Yes, for organisations that qualify. Australia Post offers Charity Mail pricing to income tax exempt charities and organisations endorsed as deductible gift recipients, for fundraising or promotional mailings of 300 items or more, with a choice of Priority or a lower-cost Regular timetable. Whether your organisation qualifies is a question for Australia Post, and it is worth resolving before you cost a campaign.
Should the thank-you be handwritten or the ask?
Thank-you first, every time. It is the cheaper list, the response is more reliable, and it changes the next ask more than any amount of copywriting will. Charities that get thanking right rarely need to work as hard on asking.
Can volunteers’ signatures go on the letters?
Yes, with their written consent. A letter signed by a service user, a volunteer or a board member reads very differently from one signed by the fundraising department.
Does handwriting look wasteful to donors?
It is a fair concern and worth thinking about rather than dismissing. Handwriting a mass acquisition appeal to 50,000 cold prospects can read as extravagant. Handwriting a thank-you to 400 people who each gave a meaningful amount reads as respect. The difference is whether the recipient can see why they specifically received it.
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Start with last year's major donors
Everyone who gave above your major-gift threshold and got a templated receipt. Tell us the number and we will price a proper thank-you.