A Rising Tide: How Integrated Media Unlocks Fundraising Growth

The days of choosing one channel and riding it to the finish line are over.

Today’s donors don’t behave in silos, and neither should you. When nonprofits weave together media strategies—rather than stack them side-by-side—the tide doesn’t just rise. It lifts everything. Response rates, value per donor, lifetime value, brand familiarity… all of it.

This isn’t just a philosophy. It’s math. It’s digital moneyball, as we call it. And in today’s attention-fragmented, media-drenched culture, the nonprofits winning big aren’t doing more of the same—they’re syncing the pieces that once operated alone.

Let’s break it down.

Donors Don’t Think in Channels. So Why Are We Still Planning That Way?

According to Pew Research, 97% of Americans now own a cellphone, and 85% use smartphones to consume everything from text to video.

Meanwhile, Giving USA reports that individual giving still accounts for the lion’s share of charitable donations—clocking in at over $374 billion last year. But here’s the tension: the pathways to reach those donors have become wildly diverse.

The 2024 M+R Benchmarks study showed that:

Multichannel donors (those who received both digital and mail) gave 3x more than single-channel donors.
Fundraising email open rates increased 13%, while SMS click-throughs were 6.3%—higher than most social platforms.
Connected TV (CTV) saw a 22% lift in recall for donation-related messages when paired with email or display.

It’s not about replacing one tactic with another—it’s about stacking them strategically.

Think of it this way: Do you really dedicate your time on the couch to a specific digital medium? If you’re reading a book, is the television off and music off? On your phone, how often are you in an email, but then get a text that reminds you of something, causing you to go to social media, then online to a site that you saw posted, and then….maybe you get back to your email?

In a span of 30 minutes, you’ll “use” 3-4 devices, visit a few websites, be on social for 5 minutes at a time, pick that book back up, only to be interrupted again by a text or another push notification.

The Media Mix Multiplier

Think of each fundraising channel like a single oar on a rowboat. Use only one, and you’ll spin in circles. But pull them in unison, and you move forward with purpose and speed.

Direct Mail still drives action, especially with boomers and older Gen X. In fact, USPS Mail Moments research shows 71% of people read or scan direct mail daily.
Text Messaging boasts immediacy—perfect for timely calls to action or campaign deadlines.
CTV and Digital Media increase reach with younger, tech-savvy donors—especially when remarketing ties them to a landing page or donation form.
Email delivers storytelling and stewardship with high ROI, while voice outreach (when used sparingly) adds a human touch few channels can replicate.

Together, they create a fundraising flywheel.

It’s Not Just About “More Fundraising Channels”

Integration isn’t just about media spend. It’s about cohesion—making sure the same campaign message lives across screens, mailboxes, inboxes, and even phones in a way that compounds. That doesn’t mean cloning your message everywhere. It means refracting it. Each channel playing a unique, intentional role within a larger narrative.

Example:
A donor receives a CTV spot about your food program > follows up via a branded email appeal > receives a postcard 3 days later > gets a reminder text the day before the match deadline. That’s not clutter—that’s choreography.

Build a Tidal Strategy, Not a Patchwork One

The tide that lifts all ships? It doesn’t just “show up.” It’s engineered—through smart segmentation, unified creative direction, and performance-informed timing.

Here’s how to start:

Audit your channels – What’s working, which channels have the highest abandonment, and what’s being underutilized?
Map donor journeys – How does a $50 donor typically hear from you? What’s the follow-up journey?
Invest in cross-channel identity – Email address, phone, postal, device ID… the more connected the record, the more seamless your storytelling. The givingMD team specializes in connecting your donors’ data together in their record, allowing you to get a more complete view of their preferences, behaviors and long-term value to your organization.
Test true integration – Try a campaign that intentionally combines 3+ touchpoints (e.g., CTV, email, and text) and track cohort response vs. siloed messages.

Donors are swiping between screens, switching apps, filtering mail, and ignoring irrelevant pitches. The only way to rise above it is to rise together—with a unified voice across media. Because when strategy syncs, a rising tide doesn’t just lift one ship. It lifts them all. We can help build that strategy.