Blogs
Part 2 – The REAL Gifts in the Fundraising Industry
By Ben Harris, President, Production Solutions
Any company serving the direct marketing industry, especially those serving non-profits, should be universally referred to as ESSENTIAL Partners.
We must acknowledge and adopt this Essential Partners terminology to move away from terms like vendor, supplier, printer, mailer, commingler, trucker, etc. Research has proven that changing the way we speak to others (and ourselves) through making better word choices can impact our optimism and improve the willingness of others to hear what we are saying.
These Essential Partners’ resilience, ingenuity, and courage exhibited over the past 800+ days was the reason most, if not all, organizations had some of their best years of fundraising in the past two decades. [Read more]
Part 1 – The REAL Gifts in the Fundraising Industry
By Ben Harris, President, Production Solutions
The global pandemic has been plodding along in the USA for over 800 days, and the most jarring statistics to me are the millions of lives lost, the millions of jobs lost or resigned, and the many millions with increased symptoms of depression or burnout. The pandemic, for many of us, has created this chronic state of powerlessness or languishing – which directly impacts our psychology and effectiveness. [Read more]
Sip, Socialize, and Speed-Network with YDMAW
Being a young professional in direct marketing can prove challenging when you’re new to the industry. Everyone is seemingly already an expert and finding others in the same boat is daunting in a room full of strangers. This has always been a challenge, but that journey became even more difficult after the 2020 COVID outbreak when many companies went fully remote. While it is important for us to safely start to mingle, build new relationships, and re-establish old connections, we are still finding ourselves in a position where that’s much easier said than done.
For everyone who has felt or continues to feel this way—you are not alone! YDMAW is taking these challenges head-on by creating a young professionals space where we can meet others our own age with diverse experiences and similar ambitions. [read more]
In December 2021, the DMAW community came together in person for the first time in almost two years to award the venerable Hall of Leaders Award, which this year went to Roger Hiyama, Executive Vice President, Solutions & Innovations of Wiland.
To be recognized, the nominees for the Hall of Leaders award are voted on by previous winners and approved by the DMAW Board, making it truly a peer recognition award. There are four specific criteria for the Award: [read more]
PART II - Using Premiums to Retain Donors
Ok, so you can get more donors at a nice investment using premiums. You can even get economies of scale on production, lowering cost per piece because you can find more names to mail. But now you have a lot of donors who aren’t committed, won’t renew, churn and burn – or so the critics say. The numbers say something different.
Including premiums strategically in a house file or renewal schedule – starting with repeating your acquisition package at least once or twice a year to those donors – will also increase your response rates. Improved response rates will increase retention rates. [read more]
How to Forecast and Reforecast During Coronavirus
How to Forecast and Reforecast During Coronavirus Before you begin reforecasting or budgeting for the next fiscal year, make sure your plan is as comprehensive and detailed as possible. A budget by donor type, program, campaign, and channel is an essential tool to help manage unpredictability and provide a framework when revenue or expenses need…
The Right to (Data) Privacy: How the Federal and State Legislation Are Addressing Data Privacy Concerns
Blogs The Right to (Data) Privacy: How the Federal and State Legislation Are Addressing Data Privacy Concerns The right to privacy has been a hotly debated issue for over a century in the United States. As far back as 1890, future Associate Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, along with attorney Samuel D. Warren, wrote that…
Gratitude in Uncertain Times: 12 Tips to Show Donors They Matter
Blogs Gratitude in Uncertain Times: 12 Tips to Show Donors They Matter As we write this from our home offices in Maryland and Virginia, incredible staff at the nonprofits we care about are scrambling to figure out how to continue driving their missions through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are speaking with clients throughout the day…
Why Retention Matters
Blogs Why Retention Matters We can all agree that donor retention is important, but really how important? Presenters Marie Kosanovich and Courtney Lewis revealed at last week’s Lunch and Learn: Retention and Lapsed Strategies, that acquiring new donors, members, and customers has become extremely competitive due to a crowded marketplace. The abundance of options has…
Crisis Communications for Nonprofits in the Digital Age
Blogs If you’re like me you might have wondered why at the Annual Business Meeting of the Direct Marketing Association of Washington, our keynote speakers were speaking on crisis communications as opposed to, one might be forgiven for assuming, direct marketing. But, when you dig into the outcomes of a crisis – it is clear…
A Deeper Dive into Donor Advised Fund Marketing
Blogs A Deeper Dive into Donor Advised Fund Marketing One of the biggest challenges we face as an industry is the consolidation of billions of philanthropic dollars into Donor Advised Funds. This has been heightened by the 2018 tax reform. For instance, have you ever used a deadline on your Donor Advised Fund marketing for…
Your Guide to a Clean Bill of Copy Health – Learnings from DMAW’s Copy Clinic
Blogs Your Guide to a Clean Bill of Copy Health – Learnings from DMAW’s Copy Clinic Fundraising copy is a tricky beast to master. Breaking through the clutter—we encounter 5,000 brand and ad messages a day!—is a necessary but arduous task faced by fundraising professionals around the world. Thankfully, copywriting experts and accompanying prescriptions are…
Getting Started with Text Messaging: Part II
Blogs Everyone seems to be talking about text messaging these days! With 95% of Americans owning a mobile phone, more of us are “meeting people where they are” by using mobile (SMS) as a vital component of an organization or campaign’s communications, fundraising, advocacy and field strategies. More and more nonprofit organizations and campaigns…
Getting Started with Text Messaging
Everyone seems to be talking about text messaging these days! With 95% of Americans owning a mobile phone, more of us are “meeting people where they are” by using mobile (SMS) as a vital component of an organization or campaign’s communications, fundraising, advocacy and field strategies. More and more nonprofit organizations and campaigns are realizing…
Breaking Integration Myths
When it comes to food, people have long worked at breaking integration myths. Take the myth that oils and waters can’t mix. It’s a myth that can be easily broken when you add an emulsifier (egg yolk), force (whisking), and technique (slowly pouring melted butter into lemon juice and water) to create a hollandaise sauce…