MintBucks are Alignmint's unified marketing credit system. Instead of paying separately for email, SMS, and direct mail through different providers, you get one pool of credits that works across every channel — email (1 MintBuck), SMS (2), postcards (100), letters (200), and handwritten cards (600).

How do MintBucks help with donor retention?

MintBucks power automated donor journeys across multiple channels. When a donor gives, they automatically receive a thank-you email, a 7-day impact update, a 30-day handwritten card, and ongoing engagement — all triggered without manual effort. Consistent multi-channel communication is the #1 driver of donor retention.

How much do MintBucks cost?

Every Alignmint plan includes a monthly MintBucks allocation. The Starter plan (free) includes enough credits for basic email communication. Paid plans include larger allocations for multi-channel campaigns. Additional MintBucks can be purchased as needed.

How MintBucks Rewards Drive Donor Retention

The average nonprofit donor retention rate is 45%. That means more than half of your donors give once and never come back. The #1 reason? Poor follow-up. Donors don't feel appreciated, connected, or informed about their impact. Strong donor stewardship is the antidote.

The solution isn't more tools — it's better, more consistent communication across every channel. That's exactly what MintBucks enables.

What Are MintBucks?

MintBucks are Alignmint's unified marketing credit system. Instead of paying separately for email marketing (Mailchimp), SMS (Twilio), and direct mail (Lob), you get one pool of credits that works across every channel:

Action	Cost
Email	1 MintBuck
Text Message (SMS)	2 MintBucks
Postcard	100 MintBucks
Letter	200 MintBucks
Handwritten Card	600 MintBucks
Video Blast	Free

Pro plans include 10,000 MintBucks per month. Enterprise gets 50,000. You can purchase additional credits anytime — purchased MintBucks never expire.

Why Multi-Channel Marketing Matters for Retention

Donors who receive communication through multiple channels are significantly more likely to give again. Here's why:

Email Alone Isn't Enough

Email open rates for nonprofits average 25-30%. That means 70% of your donors never see your thank-you message. If email is your only channel, most donors feel ignored.

Physical Mail Creates Emotional Connection

A handwritten card or personalized letter creates an emotional response that digital communication can't match. Donors who receive physical mail are 2-3x more likely to give again.

SMS Gets Immediate Attention

Text messages have a 98% open rate — compared to 25% for email. For time-sensitive appeals (matching gift deadlines, event reminders, year-end giving), SMS is unbeatable.

Video Makes It Personal

A 60-second video from your executive director thanking a donor by name creates a deeper connection than any email template. Video Blast makes this easy — record from your webcam and get a unique donation page URL.

The MintBucks Retention Playbook

Here's how to use MintBucks strategically to maximize donor retention:

First-Time Donor Welcome (Est. 103 MintBucks)

Immediate: Thank-you email (1 MintBuck)
Day 3: Welcome email with impact story (1 MintBuck)
Day 7: Thank-you postcard (100 MintBucks)
Day 14: Email with recurring giving invitation (1 MintBuck)

Major Donor VIP Treatment (Est. 803 MintBucks)

Immediate: Thank-you email (1 MintBuck)
Day 1: Personal thank-you text from ED (2 MintBucks)
Day 3: Handwritten thank-you card (600 MintBucks)
Day 7: Impact report letter (200 MintBucks)

Lapsed Donor Win-Back (Est. 104 MintBucks)

Day 1: "We miss you" email (1 MintBuck)
Day 7: Impact update email (1 MintBuck)
Day 14: Re-engagement postcard (100 MintBucks)
Day 21: Final appeal email with matching gift (1 MintBuck)
Day 28: Text message with direct donation link (2 MintBucks — optional)

Recurring Donor Anniversary (Est. 602 MintBucks)

Anniversary date: Celebration email with impact summary (1 MintBuck)
Day 1: Handwritten anniversary card (600 MintBucks)
Day 3: Text with shareable impact graphic (1 MintBuck)

Automating It All with Donor Journeys

The real power of MintBucks comes when you combine them with Donor Journeys — Alignmint's marketing automation engine.

Donor Journeys are automated sequences triggered by donor actions:

First donation → Welcome series
Major gift (above threshold) → VIP treatment
Lapsed (no gift in 12 months) → Win-back sequence
Recurring anniversary → Celebration sequence
Event attendance → Follow-up sequence

You set up the journey once, and it runs automatically every time the trigger fires. Each journey shows the estimated MintBucks cost per run so you can budget accordingly.

Alignmint includes 10 pre-built journey templates — or you can build custom journeys with any combination of emails, texts, postcards, letters, handwritten cards, Video Blasts, tags, and tasks.

What 10,000 MintBucks Gets You Monthly

Here's a realistic monthly marketing plan for a mid-size nonprofit:

Activity	Quantity	MintBucks
Weekly email newsletter (4x)	4 × 500 donors = 2,000 emails	2,000
Thank-you emails (auto)	200 donations	200
Welcome postcards (auto)	30 new donors	3,000
Major donor handwritten cards	5 cards	3,000
Event reminder texts	100 texts	200
Lapsed donor emails	50 emails	50
Total		8,450

That leaves 1,550 MintBucks for ad-hoc campaigns, special appeals, or year-end giving pushes.

The Cost Comparison

Without MintBucks, this same marketing plan would require:

Tool	Monthly Cost
Mailchimp (2,250 emails)	$30
Twilio (100 texts)	$15 + platform
Lob (30 postcards + 5 letters)	$50
Handwritten card service	$25
Marketing automation (HubSpot/ActiveCampaign)	$50-200
Total	$170-320/mo

With Alignmint Pro, all of this is included in your subscription. No separate tools, no separate bills, no data silos.

Getting Started

Sign up for Alignmint — Free for nonprofits under $100K
Import your donors — CSV import or manual entry
Set up Donor Journeys — Start with the pre-built templates
Watch retention improve — Track open rates, click rates, and giving patterns

The best part? Because MintBucks power marketing that's built into the same platform as your donor CRM and fund accounting, every interaction is tracked. You can see exactly which communications led to which donations — something that's impossible when your tools are disconnected.

Ready to unify your nonprofit marketing? Schedule Your Free Setup | Explore Features

Related:

Donor Management Software — Streamline your fundraising
Donor Stewardship Software — Build lasting donor relationships
Donor Management — See how Alignmint drives donor retention