Direct Mail

Learn how Covenant House captured the Package of the Year and the top award for a mid-level renewal package. Also, learn the specifics about the City Harvest package that won the award for the best renewal campaign and how Helen Keller International captured the most votes for the best acquisition package. In addition to highlighting the key success factors for these great direct mail packages, we will also walk through the strategy behind our e-mail campaign award winner, PetSmart Charities.

September 2, 2009, MediaPost — According to the USPS Household Diary Study, in 2008, U.S. households received 148.6 billion pieces of mail, and sent 21.3 billion. Mail sent or received by households constituted 81% of total domestic mail in FY 2008. 56% of the mail households received was sent Standard Mail. Only 4% of household mail, and about 3% of total mail, was sent between households; the rest was sent between households and non-households.

Despite our use of the Internet for everything from doing research to ordering pizza, direct mail is still the most effective way for nonprofits to raise funds. In their new book, "7 Essential Steps to Raising Money by Mail," Sandra Sims, founder and president of nonprofit resource firm Step by Step Fundraising, and Sandy Rees, a nonprofit fundraising coach, author, speaker and trainer, map out seven steps to effective direct-mail strategies.

A strong offer can make all the difference in helping your organization raise more money from prospects. In his session at the DMA Nonprofit Federation's 2009 New York Nonprofit Conference last week, Tom Gaffny, principal and founder of Tom Gaffny Consulting, examined fundraising offers to demonstrate what works and what doesn't.

Everyone hates premiums. Everyone thinks the only donor worth investing in is a high-value, "quality" donor who "gives because of our fine mission and who we are." And those everyones make a compelling argument. Even donor focus group participants say they don't want nonprofits to mail them premiums. But giving behavior tells us donors sure do like them.

PHOENIX, AZ , July 28, 2009 — Online-facilitated human trafficking and prostitution is available in every American community through Internet classified advertising sites. To stem this tide of crime, Stop Online Exploitation (STOPonlineExploitation.org) is using AmazingCauses Web-to-print direct marketing technology, from AmazingMail.com, Inc.

July 14, 2009, The Washington Post — A House committee has thrown the U.S. Postal Service a lifeline, but it won't be substantial enough to allow the agency to fully escape the financial quicksand pulling it under.

July 10, 2009, Third Sector Online — The Government might introduce measures to force charities to improve their record on direct mail in 2011 if "objectionable" practices are not stamped out, according to a Labour peer.

There’s a lot of debate in the blogosphere and elsewhere these days regarding the efficacy of different fundraising and marketing channels. It goes something like this: “Is direct mail dying?” “Will social media kill e-mail?” “Will mobile rule the marketing roost?” “Should I tweet … or blog?”

Remember the story of the boy in Holland who noticed a hole in the dike? Fearing a leak could flood the entire town, he shoved his finger into the hole, potentially avoiding a major disaster.