Transforming Direct Mail with Precision Modeling

PETA boosts acquisition results with Data Axle’s OptiScore and audience-level personalization

Case study highlights

40%

Increase in response rate

+ROI

Positive ROI in 6 months

Background

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a global organization dedicated to animal liberation. As one of the world’s most recognized animal rights organizations, PETA relies on direct mail acquisition campaigns to build their donor base and fund their advocacy work.

Data Axle Nonprofit partnered with PETA and Mal Warwick Donordigital, PETA’s agency of record, to implement an AI-powered data modeling strategy that would eliminate inefficient spending on chronic non-responders while maximizing donor acquisition performance.

The Challenge

PETA faced growing challenges in their acquisition efforts, primarily due to the rising costs of mailing to individuals who never responded. Expenses related to postage, list rentals, and production were straining ROI, while response rates continued to decline.

Their previous approach was to suppress individuals after 13+ mailings with no response, assuming they were unlikely to convert. While cost-saving in theory, this blunt strategy risked cutting out potentially valuable donors—some of whom might simply require more targeted messaging or better timing to engage.

The Solution

Recognizing the need for a more refined approach, PETA engaged Data Axle Nonprofit to help overhaul their acquisition model. At the core of this transformation was the use of OptiScore, a sophisticated enhancement to the merge-purge process that allows organizations to rank acquisition audiences by specific campaign goals, allowing them to optimize mail frequency, rest periods, and creative rotation.

This solution integrated PETA’s own campaign data with external sources, including the Apogee Cooperative (a shared database of donor behavior across hundreds of nonprofits) and Data Axle’s consumer transaction data, creating a fuller, more predictive view of donor potential.

Execution

Phase 1: Strategic List Modeling and Optimization

Data Axle Nonprofit conducted a multi-phase analysis to improve PETA’s donor acquisition strategy, with a focus on suppressed non-responders. Here’s how the process unfolded:

1. Identification of Non-Responders:
    The team started by identifying individuals who had received more than 12 acquisition mailings but had never responded. These names were being suppressed from future campaigns because they were assumed to have low giving potential.
2. Testing the Suppressed Segment:
    To challenge this assumption, a test mailing was sent to a portion of the suppressed audience. The results showed that many of these donors did, in fact, respond—and delivered a positive return on investment (ROI).
3. OptiScore Valuation Analysis:
    At the same time, Data Axle used its OptiScore model to evaluate the long-term value of donors within this group. The analysis showed that some high-potential donors—especially those with larger initial gifts—had been mistakenly removed due to broad suppression rules.
4. Optimization of Suppression Criteria:
   Based on these insights, PETA refined its approach. Lower-value names were permanently suppressed, while higher-value prospects were added back in. This allowed the team to focus efforts and budget on donors with stronger long-term potential.

Through this data-driven refinement, PETA was able to eliminate segments with 211% higher cost per donor, and instead invest in higher-performing audiences.

Phase 2: Personalized Creative Based on Donor Affinities

With the list optimized, the focus shifted to message relevance. By integrating OptiScore insights with Data Axle’s consumer data, including animal companion affinities, PETA was able to develop tailored creative strategies that resonated more deeply with target audiences.

For example, messaging was segmented for dog guardians vs. cat guardians, allowing for emotional resonance and stronger alignment with each donor’s values.

This precise personalization helped spark a 40% increase in response rate and generated positive ROI within six months.

Results

The partnership between PETA and Data Axle Nonprofit delivered significant gains in both efficiency and engagement. By applying advanced data modeling and donor-level segmentation, PETA transformed the performance of its direct mail acquisition efforts.

• By applying OptiScore, PETA identified and excluded “chronic non-responders” from future mailings — identifying prospects they could drop that had a 211% higher investment per donor.
• Remailing to the top-modeled prospects produced a remarkable 40% surge in responses and achieved positive ROI in just six months.

The result: smarter spending, higher engagement, and measurable growth in donor acquisition.

Future Outlook

Building on this success, PETA continues to evolve its direct mail strategy with Data Axle Nonprofit’s AI and data-driven tools. The next phase of innovation includes:

• Maximizing response rates through advanced modeling.
• Aligning messaging with donor behavior and interests.
• Measuring impact through multichannel attribution.

This ongoing collaboration positions PETA to deepen donor relationships, grow their base, and further amplify their mission—all powered by smarter data strategies.

Ready to optimize your donor acquisition? Connect with us to learn more about OptiScore!