AFP Booklet Addresses Ailing Donor Files

Many organizations that have poorly performing files are not adequately investing in new lists, resulting in meager prospect-response rates and low new-donor retention rates, writes Margaret Guellich, CFRE, senior director of development for the American Life League, in her new booklet, “Reviving Your Donor File: Prescription for a Healthy Direct Marketing Plan.” The booklet recently was released as the fourth in the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Ready Reference Series.

Among many topics, Guellich addresses the role of direct marketing in development. “I have found that some organizations that are doing direct marketing — large or small or mid-sized — need to take a look at some of the minor things they could do to course correct their files,” Guellich tells FS.

She says the booklet is not necessarily for “entry-level folk” but, rather, for people who have been in the field for a while — those who need to take a harder look at the numbers and what’s going on in their files.

(AFP, $10 for members/$15 for nonmembers)