Finding: The Impacts of Using a Full-Page Reply Card vs. Perforated
June 21, 2026
We put a long-held direct mail rule to the test: does a full-page reply card always beat a simpler perforated slip?
- Organization
- L’Arche Canada
- Channel
- Direct mail reply device
- Timeframe
- Two mailings
- Test type
- A/B test
Hypothesis
Because the old rule says a full-page reply card always wins, we wanted to see whether a simpler perforated slip could compete, and we predicted the better format would depend on the donor.
The test
A small slip against a full-page card.
The reply device is something fundraisers hold strong opinions about. The old-school rule is firm: always use a full-page reply card, because it works. To see if that held, L’Arche Canada tested a compact perforated slip against a full-page reply card across two mailings, with everything else held the same.
The result
As predicted, two metrics, two winners.
The perforated slip brought in more gifts, a higher response rate with more people giving. The full-page card brought in more revenue, because it pulled a higher average gift. So which one wins depends entirely on what you’re trying to grow, exactly the split the hypothesis expected.
A higher response rate. The lower-effort slip got more of the file to give.
A higher average gift. The richer card pulled larger gifts from engaged donors.
The learning
Match the device to the donor.
It makes sense once you stop looking for a single winner. A full-page card is a richer experience and tends to pull a higher average gift from donors who are already loyal and engaged, the people who take their time and read everything. A simpler slip lowers the effort for the everyday donor, so more of them respond. It’s the same idea as a four-page letter versus a two-page one: the longer version doesn’t win because it’s longer, it wins with the donors who care enough to read it.
This is where one test becomes a strategy. For loyal, higher-value donors, the full-page card and its average-gift lift likely wins. For a broad file where you’re optimizing response and second gifts, the simpler slip may serve better. The move isn’t to crown one format forever, it’s to match the device to the donor and keep testing. Which is exactly what L’Arche chose: instead of switching everything after two mailings, the team ran a third test.
