Low-Cost Custom Greeting Cards for Nonprofits

When it comes to nonprofit success, one of the most important things you can do is maintain good relationships with your donors. Sending custom greeting cards is one of the best ways to do this, as you know, but you also know it is important to strike a balance between investment and return. To keep your budget rolling like a well-oiled machine and still have the ability to reach out to important donors, try these tips for low-cost custom greeting cards for nonprofits.

Free custom greeting card design As a nonprofit, you have the unique ability to request free or reduced-fee services from a number of professionals. A freelance graphic designer, for example, might not have $2,500 in pocket change to donate to your cause; but he might be able to offer $2,500 in graphic design services as a donation in exchange for some sort of recognition – or at least a good word whenever the topic comes up. By taking advantage of such resources, you can get beautiful, professional custom greeting card design for little to no cost.

Standard printing sizes and options Good online printing companies have many options available so you can print custom greeting cards that are perfect for you; but with a custom design in-hand you can choose standard printing sizes and options and still get a custom greeting card look. When you select the standard options, you'll save money on your printing investment. ...

But consider print price vs. employee price Selecting standard printing sizes and options for your custom greeting cards is a good idea, but keep in mind that some options you pay for might actually save money. For example, you can have your printing company score and fold your greeting cards for just a few dollars, while it might cost you much more to have an employee fold your greeting cards – you pay not only employee wage, but also your government matches. It might be cheaper to have your printing company handle scoring and folding.

Print in volume One of the most important cost factors when it comes to printing custom greeting cards – or any print marketing material for that matter – is that the more you print, the lower your price per piece. Thus, you should print as many greeting cards as you'll use all at once. Of course, you want to avoid having extras, and you do not want to send donors the same Christmas card every year, but you could use the same custom greeting card design several times in any given year.

Have your printing company mail them Or, at least compare the price to have your printing company mail them versus having an employee do it. Since your online printing company can have your custom greeting cards sealed in envelopes and addressed by machines, and then sent out via their bulk indicia to your custom mailing list, you might save quite a bit of money having these services done for you instead of paying an employee to do them.