Direct Mail

Direct-response fundraisers often struggle during the political season, as local, state and federal races attract giving that would otherwise be earmarked for charity. Donor fatigue and a still shaky economy continue to pose formidable challenges. But, don't succumb to those fears and overplay your hand. Better to wait for when the stakes are not quite as high and you can better afford to gamble.

FundRaising Success sister brand Direct Marketing IQ's Ethan Boldt and Paul Bobnak went head to head last year in this "Direct Mail Smackdown" episode, with Paul in the corner of the American Diabeters Association and Ethan in the SPCA's corner.

I am a firm believer that receipts have an important purpose in our fundraising strategy and should be mailed quickly after (almost) every donation. Here's why.

In the October 2005 issue, then FS Associate Editor Abny Santicola wrote, "Don't Mess With the Message," an Anatomy of a Control that looked at how the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund learned that an organization's premiums have to reflect its mission.

The decision is about much more than just direct mail. It is rooted in the decision to change how the Society views donor dollars, the donor experience with its overall iconic brand, and perhaps most importantly, how it drives a greater sense of urgency around its mission.

In a Fast15 this past fall, FS Editor-in-Chief Margaret Battistelli Gardner shared five direct-mail fundraising musts. In the Fast15, she provided the example of Operation Smile's great storytelling and use of images.

There's great power in your words. But to find it, you must, as the Second Apparition told Macbeth, "Be bloody, bold and resolute."

Direct-mail fundraising gets ramped up even more during the political fundraising cycles. Paul Bobnak, research director of DirectMarketingIQ, took a look at "The Best in 2012 Election Mail," last year.

If we want to motivate readers — get them to the emotional state we want them be in when we ask for money — this is how we have to talk to them. "We've got to. It's all we can do. We have no other choice."

Ethan Boldt , chief content officer of DirectMarketingIQ, breaks down several direct-mail trends in the fundraising space in this short video. These trends come from the report "Cross-Channel Fundraising Tips and Trends," which reveals important direct-mail and e-mail data, best practices for using that data, along with five case studies of cross-channel fundraising campaigns.