Trade Associations/Trade Shows

Live From the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2007 Annual Washington Nonprofit Conference

One key to creating more cost-effective — and just plain effective — creative is to keep your message short and sweet. This was the main message in co-presenter Donna Baier Stein’s portion of the session “How to Make Your Creative (Including Acquisition!) More Cost-Effective & Deliverable” at the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2007 Annual Washington Nonprofit Conference. Stein, president of copywriting consultancy Baier Stein Direct, stressed that the less you say, the better. Why? People today have too many choices, too many multi-tasked responsibilities, too much time pressure and, most of all, are overloaded with information. It’s a given that the goal for every organization is to write

All of the sessions I attended at the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2007 Annual Washington Nonprofit Conference last week presented case studies and examples that demonstrated the successful implementation of various fundraising strategies, and armed attendees with actionable tips to take back to the office at the conference’s end. Sharing tips was actually the sole purpose of one of the final sessions at the conference, in which a panel of speakers went over 30 traditional and Web direct marketing tips in 45 minutes. Tip-touting speakers for the session included: Harry Lynch, CEO of Sanky Communications; Liz Murphy, partner at Red Boots Consulting; Suzanne

While developing a mid-level donor program is a different experience for every organization, there are some common issues all will face. The session “Mid-Level Program: The Who, Why, When and How” at the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2007 Annual Washington Nonprofit Conference featured speakers from three nonprofit organizations with success launching mid-level donor programs from existing direct marketing programs. The speakers — Jim Kaltenbach, group VP of customer relationship marketing at the Arthritis Foundation, Joan H. Smyth Dengler, vice president of direct response for Covenant House, and Robert Beatty, director of direct marketing for the Alzheimer’s Association — shared case studies, best practices and lessons

Global fundraising is a rich and complex tapestry, and the United States, like it or not, is a relatively isolated part of it. U.S. fundraisers have direct mail down pretty pat, of course, and are latching on to e-mail and Internet strategies. But across the pond, as they say, your counterparts are developing campaigns for iPods and mobile phones. They’re on the streets, in people’s faces. And they’ve “gone guerilla.” In developing countries, folks are trying things on a wing and prayer, simply because there are no precedents or even infrastructures to support the tried and true.

Donors in the first quarter of the 20th century saw almost no advertising. Compare that to the 3,000 to 5,000 ad messages they get a day now, and you quickly realize that to even get your direct mail opened, you need to stand out from the crowd.

That was the message James Doyle of Virginia-based agency BMD presented at a DMFA luncheon titled “Standing Apart From the Crowd” (NYC, March 29).

Are you having fun yet? You should be. As technology takes on an increasingly prominent role in what you do for a living, it offers myriad opportunities for that outside-the-box thinking you’ve been hearing so much about.

But the brave new world of the World Wide Web doesn’t come without its pitfalls, among them the temptation to look before you leap into technologically enhanced development, according to Katrin Verclas, newly appointed executive director of the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network.

When we put together our special section on e-philanthropy last year, the nonprofit world was rushing to gets its Web sites up, playing with the idea of “Donate Now” buttons and wondering why its e-mails were getting gobbled up by spam filters.

Lots of organizations still are figuring these things out. Many finally have embraced the wonders of database-management technology. And still others already are eyeing the fundraising possibilities of text messaging and other innovations.

What has been your organization’s major challenge when it comes to soliciting major gifts? — FS Advisor, March 14

For a few months now, you’ve been hearing about plans by companies such as AOL and Yahoo! to apply a new business model to Internet communications to afford e-mail senders a secure way to communicate with potential customers. Goodmail recently unveiled a certified e-mail program that AOL and Yahoo! plan to make available to e-mail senders that allows them to bypass spam filters for a fee and get guaranteed access to recipients’ inboxes.