DMA Nonprofit Federation

Live From the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2007 Annual Washington Nonprofit Conference

Integration was a definite buzzword at the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2007 Annual Washington Nonprofit Conference last month, along with multi-channel, mid-level and benchmarking. On the first day of the conference there were three sessions that focused specifically on integrating channels. In one of those sessions, “Integration: When 2+2=5 and How to Get Those Results,” Jeff Regen, vice president of online marketing and communications for Defenders of Wildlife, discussed some of the challenges DOW has had integrating its fundraising channels, and recommended some “good” practices based on its experiences. The objectives of DOW’s online efforts, Regen said, are fundraising, advocacy/activism, education and list growth. The

Fundraising programs that promote interaction between communication channels — primarily phone, mail and Web — yield higher-value donors. This was the topic at another session on channel integration at the DMA Nonprofit Federation conference in Washington last month, which featured the unveiling of the study “Integrating Online Marketing (eCRM) With Direct Mail Fundraising,” co-authored by Convio and StrategicOne. A case study analyzing the effect of eCRM on donor behavior for the SPCA of Texas, the study found that donors touched through multiple communication channels have a higher long-term value, retention and lifetime value, whether they start as direct-mail-only donors or as online-only donors.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of our annual Fundraising Pofessionals of the Year Awards, as well as thanking them for their hard work and dedication. And if you think we missed someone, make a note for next year and be sure to nominate him or her.

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

Other than “Rescue Me” and “MythBusters,” I can’t handle too much television. But I was delighted to find some late-night “M*A*S*H” reruns, and I make it a point to hang with Hawkeye for as long as I can stay awake and still function the next day.

And, I confess, I often find myself fighting back tears as the gang makes the best of a bad situation. (Right about then, someone in my house will admonish, “You know this is fiction, right? And even if it were real, the Korean War ended more than 50 years ago … ”)

Not surprisingly, the post-election view for the nonprofit community signals more regulation. Here’s a look ahead at the two areas of most concern to our members that are active in raising funds and building awareness for their missions.

In 2006, the regulatory buzzword has been “reform,” including charity reforms and postal reform. By choosing the word “reform,” lawmakers might have sought to inoculate the results from charges of regulatory overkill. What were the effects on your organization?

The best nonprofit donors are the people that are most targeted by competing fundraisers, said Herschell Gordon Lewis, direct marketing guru and president of Lewis Enterprises, in his session “Using Mail and E-mail to Boost Nonprofit Response” at the Direct Marketing Association’s 2006 Annual Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco last week. Trends for the 21st century, for marketers and nonprofit organizations alike, are increasingly emphatic persuasion; inclusion of validation; increasing informality; and the promise of fast action. Lewis offered the following tips for boosting response through mail and/or e-mail: 1. Pose questions asking people to donate, bestow or bequeath. Questions are automatically reader