Direct Mail

A look at the 2012 Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association Midlevel Renewal Package of the Year: the ASPCA Memo Mailing.

More and more, it seems fundraisers and nonprofit consultants are touting the idea that "it's never too early" to start planning for the year-end holiday giving season. And recently, it seems like holiday fundraising campaigns are starting earlier and earlier.

With the 2012 presidential election quickly approaching, it's always interesting to look back and see some of the techniques political fundraisers utilize for their respective campaigns. So to kick off our November Mission of the Month — Political Fundraising — here are a few stories from FundRaising Success Gold Awards judge Paul Bobnak, research director of FS sister brand DirectMarketingIQ.

A look at the Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association 2012 Renewal Package of the Year winner: amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research December 2011 Appeal.

A look at the 2012 DMFA Acquisition Package of the Year, Covenant House's 'Paint Can' package.

Announcing the 2012 Fundraising Campaign of the Year: Leader Dogs for the Blind's Graduation Poster.

Make sure those thumb-through folks see your important direct-mail components first … so they turn into content-pullers and engage with you.

Introducing the 2012 Grand Control of the Year: the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's John Walsh Endorsement.

Announcing the Direct Mail Campaigns of the Year: World Vision & The National Humane Education Society, along with The Trust for Public Land and Coast Guard Foundation.

Here are five direct-mail fundraising musts that FundRaising Success Editor-in-Chief Margaret Battistelli Gardner shared during a new Fast15, “Channel Surfing: Top Tips for Making the Most of Direct Mail, E-mail, Social Media and More.”