Premiums are vital to many direct-mail, donor-acquisition progams. But address labels alone might not do the job.

By Amy Koop

Although we’d all love to have prospects beating down our doors to donate, for the foreseeable future it’s likely that we will continue to need premiums as a foot in the door so that we can tell our organization’s story. The key is doing it appropriately and cost effectively, being well-informed about the acquisition landscape, and being fanatical about tracking the long-term value of donors acquired by any package/source.