National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, supporting millions of Americans affected by mental illness. For 35 years, the organization has maintained a nationwide helpline and referral network, connecting people living with mental illness, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public with local resources along with NAMI programs. 

Through an alliance of more than 600 local affiliates and 49 state organizations, NAMI works within communities to increase mental health awareness and education. NAMI advocates for federal and state resources and programs to support stronger mental health communities. 

NAMI envisions a world where all people affected by mental illness live healthy, fulfilling lives supported by a community that cares. 

The Situation

NAMI partnered with Allegiance Group + Pursuant (AGP) to assess the long-term health of their donor base and develop new strategies to drive stronger results for their direct response program. They had a large, active donor file, yet the file was shrinking year after year. Our detailed assessment showed that while they were growing their donor base steadily, they were not acquiring new donors or reactivating lapsed donors at a fast enough clip to drive year-over-year growth. 

Their acquisition strategy targeted higher average gifts to recoup acquisition costs more quickly. As a result, they had a lower number of new donors. The average gift was in the low fifty-dollar range and response was 0.3-0.4% — a reasonable rate, considering the goal of recouping acquisition investment in the short term. 

A key ingredient in addressing these challenges was the strong, collaborative partnership between NAMI and AGP. Built on a foundation of radical candor and mutual trust, the teams operated in lockstep — bridging Marketing, Communications, and Development with a unified, silo-free approach. NAMI’s culture of innovation and willingness to test, learn, and “fail forward” allowed for bold strategic pivots, all guided by a data-driven mindset and a shared commitment to long-term results. With full leadership alignment — including critical buy-in from the CEO and CFO—the partnership was primed to deliver sustainable impact. 

The Work

We took a holistic approach to acquisition and retention, recognizing that to drive sustainable file growth, we’d need to create a strong acquisition package with a list strategy to increase the number of new donors, while also enhancing donor experiences that would support their retention. This strategic shift would lead to second gift conversion because new prospects would stay engaged, building their connection to the organization and respond at higher rates. New stewardship efforts would work cohesively to keep those prospects engaged and create opportunities to expand giving.

In a typical direct mail program, new donor retention averages about 30%. So, 70% are one-time donors. Increasing the number of donors and stewarding them toward a second gift enhances the likelihood that they will grow into a multi-gift donor.

We then aligned donor experience with the revamped strategy.

We incorporated community into digital pieces, creating donor experiences that facilitate wellness and conversational check-ins fostering sharing and a sense of community.

List Strategy and Segmentation

Rather than maximizing gift amounts, we sought to optimize response rates.

• Collaborated with a list broker to lower the threshold gift from low $50s to low $20s. This significantly increased the number of donors.
• Looked at the source of deeper lapsed donors and updated their participation in co-ops. These qualified lapsed names responded better.

Creative

We developed a set of materials that were used uniformly across the mailing.

• Redesigned mailer, replacing templated 6×9” package and set of address labels with a more contemporary look and added foil to increase perceived value. This elevated the premium and garnered more attention.
• Refreshed carrier envelope, replacing the standard envelope with one leveraging color and added a teaser line to pique curiosity to open the package.
• Updated gift array, enticing new donors with a lower threshold of $20 rather than $25 to receive an appreciation gift for donating.

Retention and Stewardship

NAMI also sought our counsel on retention, a critical part of year-over-year growth. We developed a series to deepen engagement with donors.

Welcome kit for all new direct mail donors

• Includes two packets of happy® Instant Coffee, a company that partners with NAMI and donates a percentage of sales revenue to NAMI. The gift is accompanied by a sincere thank you for joining the NAMI community and invites donors to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee as they learn more about NAMI.
• Gift tear-off included with the second package is presented as a surprise gift, tear-off to share with a friend to introduce them to the NAMI community. The design offers a moment of connection — something that is at the heart of NAMI’s mission.
• Survey mailing with QR code sent to new donors to solicit feedback on their giving and, ultimately, to help inform personalized donor experiences.
• SMS, video broadcast and video message bolstered digital outreach and enhanced the donor experience through alternative channels.

Welcome series for all new digital names & donors

• Email Series with engaging content – new donors will receive a series of three emails that contain a thank you and welcome and will include a downloadable set of affirmation cards featuring positive, inspirational messages, such as “Tackle the day” and “You’ve got this!”. Available in different sizes, the affirmations may be shared as social media posts and used as desktop wallpaper. Also included is video content talking about NAMI and the mission allowing new donors to learn more about the organization.
• Subscribers who have not yet donated will receive a series of three encouraging emails, along with the affirmations. New donor subscribers receive NAMI information and impactful stories for 4-6 weeks following signup, providing solicitation-free time to bond with the community.

Special invitations

Constituents are invited to join NAMI in a community-based Summer Self-care series. We asked people to submit photos and aggregated them on a digital photo page so everyone could celebrate the NAMI community. Mental Health Month in May will incorporate a message board for people to share stories.

Design and content are all created to reflect NAMI’s deep roots in community, empathy, and engagement. They create donor experiences that facilitate wellness and conversational check-ins.

These thoughtful touchpoints help steward new donors, provide opportunities to connect with NAMI’s mission, and create pathways for a second gift. They work together to drive donor experiences that integrate with NAMI’s vision for mental health and communities that care.

The Results

Prior to introducing a holistic donor strategy to expand and nurture the number of new donors with high-touch, personalized donor experiences, we sent 200,000 mailers per acquisition campaign. The average gift was $52.82, and the response rate averaged 0.3-0.5%.

• Increased number of donors from 900 per mailing to 1600 per mailing.
• Increased response rate from 0.40% to 0.76%.
       This rate is trending upward, and we expect it to grow over 1% in 2025.
• The average gift shifted from $52.82 to $34.00.
• This is driving a significant increase in the number of new donors.
       In 2025, we will lower it to the low $20s to acquire even more new donors.

Prioritizing the level of response over gift amount could take 18-24 months to show profitability.

But strategically, it creates a more engaged donor base — one more likely to provide a second gift and engage in deeper giving patterns over time. This positions NAMI for more sustainable growth year-over-year.

Looking Ahead

As NAMI looks to the future, leadership is investing in upgraded back-end systems to support continued growth and deepen donor engagement. Optimizing the CRM is a key priority — ensuring the donor experience evolves alongside the organization. With a goal of launching a fully automated Welcome Series for new donors, NAMI is embracing smarter, more scalable infrastructure, guided by the core belief that “good data in = good results.”