PACKAGE OF THE YEAR Gold: Habitat for Humanity International Special Development Appeal (Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co.) Silver: Rhode Island Community Food Bank Annual Review Brochure (DaVinci Direct) Bronze (Tie): Tuskegee Airmen — Charles McGee Campaign (Fundraising Strategies) CARE November/December World Report (Merkle) ACQUISITION (50,000 OR MORE MAILED) Gold: Utah Food Bank 2007 Thanksgiving Donor Acquisition (L.W. Robbins) Silver: Wildlife Conservation Spring 2007 Acquisition (Schultz & Williams) Bronze: Mail Call Hurts (Gum Version) (Fundraising Strategies) ACQUISITION (FEWER THAN 50,000 MAILED) Gold: Tuskegee Airmen — Charles McGee (Fundraising Strategies) Silver: Bidawee “Welcome” (SCA DIrect) Bronze: Adaptive Clothing Gift Tag Package (Fundraising Strategies) RENEWAL (50,000
BMD
Over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to launch nearly two dozen monthly sustainer (EFT) programs. Regardless of whether it’s been for an advocacy or charitable organization, a few constants remain. Far and away, the most critical step is defining an appropriate target universe. Nearly every organization I’ve met with has expressed an interest in taking new or lapsed donors and turning them into EFT givers. Sadly, I’ve never seen this work. However, you can expect to make good donors great — increasing their annual commitment while at the same time extending their lifetime value by as much as 700 percent. Here are five
Wow! Who ever thought the Gold Awards could be so exciting? The sun was setting on judgement day, and we had a tie for Package of the Year. A first! So, I polled our four judges — Steve Froehlich, director of development analytics at the ASPCA; Tim O’Leary, vice president of McPherson Associates; Paul Bobnak, director of North American Publishing Co.’s Who’s Mailing What! Archive; and FS Senior Editor Abny Santicola. After some soul searching and spirited debate, they weighed in: two for one package and the other two for the other package.
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).
