Recency is key in direct mail fundraising. Most nonprofit board members and executives (and even some fundraisers) don’t want to believe it, but your best potential donors are those who just made a gift to you.
Instead of giving your donors a chance to “cool off” by suppressing them for a time after they make a contribution (I often see 30-60 day “post gift” suppressions on nonprofit databases), mail these donors as soon as you can again! In fact, for donors who are consistent givers, you should be in the mail to them every 30 days. Every 15-20 days during the heaviest part of the year (Sept – Dec) in some cases.
Do this and you’ll see your results increase significantly.