From Data to Donors: How Nonprofits Use Julep to Build Smarter Fundraising Mailings
When a nonprofit launches a fundraising campaign, sending out a mailing isn’t just about printing letters. It’s about making meaningful connections. At Julep, we understand that behind every successful appeal is smart data management. That means maintaining clean, accurate, and segmented donor information that helps your organization raise more while spending less.
Whether you’re a growing nonprofit building your donor base or a national organization scaling up for a major campaign, Julep streamlines the entire direct mail process from donor data hygiene to final list pulls. Below is the process that Julep’s experts use to help turn data into dollars for mission-driven organizations like yours.
Step 1: Start with Strong Donor Data
Every effective mailing starts with the right dataset. If your nonprofit has run previous fundraising campaigns, you probably have donor data that includes names, addresses, and contribution histories. If you're just getting started, you can build a list through event sign-ups, volunteer forms, or by renting prospecting lists to reach new supporters. Either way, having accurate and organized data is the foundation of your fundraising success.
Step 2: Clean, Standardize & Validate
Before sending a single envelope, ensure your donor data is in top shape. We recommend all nonprofit organizations follow these steps:
De-duplication: Remove duplicates to prevent sending multiple mailings to the same supporter.
NCOA Updates: Match your list against the National Change of Address (NCOA) registry, so your mail gets to the right place.
Standardization: Ensure addresses, names, and formats follow consistent guidelines, which reduces errors and simplifies list management.
Maintaining clean, current records not only saves money on printing and postage, but also it helps you stay connected with your supporters and ensures compliance.
Step 3: Grow Your List the Smart Way
To expand your reach, you can rent or append prospecting lists. These lists allow you to connect with potential donors who align with your mission but haven’t contributed yet. When merging lists, we recommend running a merge-purge process to eliminate duplicate records, ensuring no one receives the same message twice.
You can also have lists appended to enrich your existing data. This adds missing emails, phone numbers, or demographic insights that support multi-channel outreach efforts.
Step 4: Segment for Strategy
Effective fundraising mailings are never one-size-fits-all. Julep can help you segment your donor data based on factors like:
Giving history (first-time vs. recurring)
Gift size (e.g., under $50, $50–$200, $200+)
Recency of donation
Engagement level
Once organized, each segment should be assigned a mail code, allowing for targeted messaging that speaks directly to a donor’s level of support. This kind of smart segmentation increases response rates and strengthens donor relationships.
Step 5: Suppress and Flag as Needed
Next, identify donor records you may want to exclude from a mailing, such as deceased individuals, people who’ve opted out, or addresses in certain geographic areas. Suppressing these records improves list quality and avoids unnecessary expenses.
Step 6: Target Your Audience
Once your list is cleaned up and segmented, select specific donor segments you want to target and those you wish to suppress. You might send a year-end appeal to major donors or a re-engagement letter to lapsed supporters. Whatever your strategy, precise targeting helps you deliver it with precision.
Step 7: Final Pulls, Zero Errors
Once segments and suppressions are finalized, your team should pull the final list. Make sure each donor only appears once, even if they fall into multiple segments, by prioritizing mail codes. The result? A clean, optimized mailing list ready for production.
Step 8: Close the Loop with Up-to-Date Data
After your mailing goes out, track responses through caging and data entry services. These services collect, open, record, and track your mail as it comes it, so that your data is accurate from the beginning. Keep your donor database updated with new contributions and flag any newly acquired supporters. This keeps your data fresh and ready for the next campaign.
We also recommend seeding your list with decoy addresses to monitor delivery and guard against unauthorized use, an added layer of data protection.
Bonus: Smarter Tools Powered by AI
Julep is constantly evolving to meet the needs of modern nonprofits. Our platform leverages AI and machine learning to enhance data accuracy and efficiency. These tools can:
Flag duplicates, even when names or addresses differ slightly
Standardize entries in real time
Note donors who need to be thanked or acknowledged
This technology reduces the manual lift on your team and keeps your data sharp as you grow.
Why It Matters
Clean, segmented, and strategic data allows your nonprofit to raise more money with fewer resources. By combining thoughtful data hygiene practices with powerful segmentation and targeting tools, Julep ensures that every mailing counts.
Whether you're planning your first appeal or scaling up for your biggest campaign yet, Julep is here to help you connect with the right donors at the right time and with the right message.