What’s Really in a Donor’s Mailbox?

We spend a lot of time talking about direct mail strategy, but far less time looking at how it actually shows up in donors’ lives. Michelle’s Mailbox was created to close that gap.

Each month, the series examines nonprofit direct mail as donors experience it in the real world: what arrives, what stacks up, what blends together, and what truly stands out.

The December 2025 issue launches the series with a deep dive into actual nonprofit mail collected from real households. This isn’t about judging individual packages. It’s about understanding the environment our mail lives in.

New premium issues will be released monthly around the 15th.

This month, Michelle’s Mailbox highlights:

• A cost-effective renewal/lapsed package designed to collect valuable donor insights.
• A lapsed effort built around donor history and giving trends.
• A Thanksgiving appeal featuring personalized vouchers.
• A smaller-format notecard with a lot of heart.
• An oversized notecard that delivers big impact.

Bonus Spotlight: Magnet premiums – simple, tactile gifts that drive engagement.

In October, Michelle hosted Let’s Get Direct: Scary Good Ideas from Michelle’s Mailbox, featuring a selection of nonprofit direct mail packages she collected over the past year. If you’d like to watch the webinar or download the slide deck, you can access both using the link above. And as always, feel free to share the link with colleagues who may enjoy this type of content.

If you’ve ever wondered what donors really see when they open their mailboxes, this series is for you.

Sign up for Michelle’s Mailbox: