Direct Mail Campaign Reporting and Results

Use this article when

• Your direct mail drop has completed and responses are arriving.
• You want to see how many gifts a mailing generated and its total revenue.
• You need to compare A/B test results across package variants.
• You want to calculate return on investment for a direct mail campaign.

Applies to and prerequisites

How matchback reporting works

Matchback connects gifts in your database to the mailing records you exported. Avid matches each gift back to the original appeal code and package code, so you can see which mailing drove each response. This is the foundation for all direct mail performance metrics.

Steps

1. Run a Matchback report

1. From the left navigation, click the Insights icon.
2. Scroll to All Available Reports. In the How did my recent campaign perform? group, click the Matchback Report card.
3. At the top-right of the report, click Filters and confirm the Activity filter matches your channel (for example, direct mail).
4. Use Transaction Details filters to narrow to the appeal codes and time period you want to analyze.

Avid matches gifts from your database to the mailing records and displays results. For the full filter walkthrough—including whitemail handling with Include Avid Generated Records—see Run a Matchback report.

2. Review overall campaign performance

The Results tab shows direct response metrics—donations where the appeal code on the gift matches the appeal code from your activity file. Review the scorecards for overall performance, then the charts:

• Response Rate by Available Audience – how each mailing's response compares to the audience size.
• Donors (Most Recent Mailings) – the number of donors for each recent mailing.
• Revenue (Most Recent Mailings) – revenue raised from each mailing.

With cost data added, the report also calculates ROI and net revenue. See Add costs for ROI reporting in direct mail and digital efforts.

3. Compare package variants

If you ran an A/B test, the report breaks down results by package code.

1. Open Filters and use Mailing Attributes to filter to specific packages or creative versions.
2. Compare response rate, revenue, and donor counts across variants.
3. Identify which package outperformed on the metrics that matter most to your goal (for example, highest response rate or highest revenue).

4. Compare audience segments

1. Open Filters and use Donor Details to segment results by lifecycle, giving level, or other constituent traits.
2. Check whether certain donor groups responded better to specific packages.
3. Use these insights to tailor future campaigns. For example, lapsed donors may respond better to an emotional appeal while active donors respond to an impact report.

5. Share results

Use the report's findings in board reports, budget planning, and campaign retrospectives.

Result

You reviewed your direct mail campaign's performance at the campaign, package, and segment level. You know which package variant won the A/B test and which audience segments responded best.

Next steps

• Apply the winning package to your next full-volume campaign. See Create a direct mail campaign.
• Refine audience segments in Pathways based on response patterns.
• Set up your next A/B test to continue improving results. See Direct Mail Packages and A/B Testing.
• Review historical trends by running Matchback reports across multiple campaigns in Insights.

Notes and limits

• Matchback accuracy depends on data quality. Ensure your donor records have consistent IDs across your database and the mailing file.
• The response window you set affects results. A longer window captures more late gifts but may include gifts unrelated to the mailing.
• Matchback reporting only works for campaigns exported with the Matchback option enabled.
• Direct response attribution matches the appeal code on the gift to the appeal code from your activity file. Donors who gave without being on your list ("whitemail") are controlled by the Include Avid Generated Records filter.