Caging: The process of recording gift amount, date of gift, donor name and other data from a direct mail fundraising campaign. Taken from the 19th Century post office practice of placing sorted mail into small wire enclosures, called cages.
Call to action: Copy that encourages the reader to respond, and describes how (by mailing in a reply card or phoning a toll-free number, for example).
Call out: A short section of copy, usually rendered in bold or larger typeface, and often set off from the main text, that emphasizes key points about the case for support, benefits of donating, or other key messages.
Carrier: The envelope that contains the letter and other contents of your direct mail message. Also called a carrier envelope or outer envelope.
Carrier Route:A group of addresses that a mail carrier can deliver to in a single day. Carrier Routes “roll up” into ZIP Codes. There are roughly 15 ZIP Codes per Carrier Route.
Carrier Route Presort:In Canada, mail that is sorted before delivery to Canada Post, arriving at the post office in bundles assigned to the routes that each letter carrier walks, and qualifying the mailer for discounts on postage.
Cashiering: Processing and depositing donations received in response to a direct mail appeal.
Cells: In list terminology, a cell is a statistical unit or units A group of individuals selected from a file on a common basis and isolated as a group.
Cheshire labels: Address labels printed on specially prepared paper and mechanically affixed to mailing envelopes one at a time.
Cleaning: The process of correcting or removing names from a mailing list.
Clickthroughs: Readers who have clicked on a tracked link in an HTML email message.
Closed-face envelope:An envelope that does not have a window.
Cluster selection: A list selection technique in which groups of names (clusters) are taken from a list in a series. A cluster selection on an nth name basis, for example, might select the first 10 names out of every 100 names.
Compiled list: Names and addresses that are compiled into a list from directories, newspapers, trade show registrations and other sources, to group prospects who share something in common.
Confirming test: See Back test.
Continuation mailing: Mailing a package to the remaining portion of a mailing list after having tested the package on a smaller portion of that list. See Rollout.
Control package: A direct mail package (usually a donor acquisition package) that is the best performing so far, and against which all new packages are tested.
Controlled circulation: Distribution at no charge of a publication (such as a trade journal) to individuals or businesses based on their job title or industry. Readers qualify to receive the publication based on their ability to purchase or influence the purchase of products and services advertised in the publication. (See Paid Circulation.)
Copy: The written portion—the words—of your direct mail fundraising package.
Cost Per Piece: Cost to produce each package (carrier envelope, letter, reply device, reply envelope) in a mailing. Usually includes writing, design, printing, list rental and postage. Calculated by dividing total mailing costs by the number of pieces mailed.
Cost to raise a dollar: Popular measurement used by fundraisers to gauge the cost effectiveness of their fundraising methods. Measures the amount that must be spent to raise one dollar of income. Calculated by dividing fundraising campaign costs by gross income.
CPM (Cost Per Thousand): One of the most common measurements in advertising and direct marketing. Tells you how much you must spend to communicate your sales message to one thousand people. The M in CPM stands for Mille,the Roman numeral used to represent 1,000.
Coupon: Slip of paper included in a direct mail fundraising package, which the donor completes and returns to the sender with a donation, usually in a postage-paid business reply envelope. Also called a reply device.
