Connected Fundraising: Why CTV, Text, Digital, and Direct Mail Work Better Together

Connected Fundraising Insights: Why CTV, Text, Digital, and Direct Mail Work Better Together

Fundraising is no longer a single-channel game. Whether it’s a major gift, a $25 monthly donor, or someone giving for the first time because of a text message they saw while watching Hulu—the most successful campaigns are hitting multiple touchpoints, multiple times.

That’s not just theory. That’s where the data is pointing.

Here’s how each fundraising channel is performing today—and how, when you put them in sync, you unlock a kind of lift you can’t get from any single tactic alone.

CTV: Connected TV is fundraising’s new frontier

📈 87% of U.S. households now use a CTV device.
🧠 2x better ad recall compared to linear TV.
🫰 Nonprofits using CTV ads saw up to 4x lift in brand engagement when paired with email or display.

What it means: CTV isn’t just an awareness play anymore. It’s a performance channel—especially when you’re geo-targeting based on donor ZIP codes or retargeting site visitors. The key is pairing it with a follow-up—like display ads, direct mail, or text—to convert attention into action.

Text-to-Give: The most urgent, most direct

📲 98% open rate.
💬 90% of messages read within 3 minutes.
💵 Conversion rates 2–4x higher when used in Giving Tuesday and disaster relief campaigns.

What it means: Text is your pressure valve for moments of urgency. But it works best when it’s not the only touchpoint. Try this play: someone sees your CTV spot → gets retargeted on social or display → receives a text → completes their gift. That’s how you turn quick impressions into meaningful action.

Digital Media: Display, social, search—still rising

💡 Donors exposed to both direct mail and digital ads are 28% more likely to give.
🔍 Branded search traffic surges after every campaign launch (and conversion costs drop).
💳 GivingMD clients see 3x higher ROAS when digital is part of a coordinated plan.

What it means: No single digital placement is magic. But together—retargeting, paid search, lookalike social audiences—they become a web that catches the right donors at the right time. Especially powerful when digital is timed to reinforce a direct mail drop or major broadcast appeal.

Direct Mail: Still king of lifetime value

💌 73% of donors say mail feels more personal than digital channels.
🏡 House file donors acquired via direct mail are 50% more likely to give again within 12 months.
💰 Drives the highest average gift size among first-time donors.

What it means: Direct mail still matters. But its real power shows up when it’s working in harmony with your digital and CTV. Mail can plant the seed—CTV and text can water it.

The Playbook: Make every channel lift the others

Too often, fundraising teams run channels in silos: digital on one calendar, mail on another, CTV as a one-off. But when you bring them into sync, your message sticks.

At givingMD, we call it orchestrated giving. It’s not about doing more—it’s about connecting the dots:

✅ Mail lands → 3 days later: targeted social and display appear
✅ Donor gives via site → receives a thank-you via SMS
✅ CTV ad runs → mobile and email follow-ups mirror the appeal
✅ One voice across every channel = more giving, more often

One More Stat: 3.5x better retention when donors are reached through 3+ channels

A rising tide lifts all ships—and fundraising is no different.

When your CTV strategy is talking to your digital media plan, when your text program is reinforcing your direct mail, when your email knows what the donor just saw on YouTube—that’s when the real lift begins.

Want help building a coordinated strategy that actually converts?

Talk with us about bringing each of these channels together to increase performance across your donor file. We were there to help innovate direct mail personalization. We were there when digital began to drive fundraising forward and when it was king during COVID-19. And now, we're on the bleeding edge of CTV.