Blogs
Using Mobile for the Red Cross Mission
March DMAW Lunch and Learn sponsored by mGive Lisa Kagel, Sr. Director, Digital Engagement & Customer Experience, presented to a nearly full house at the Old Ebbitt Grill in DC. She shared with us, old timers and newbies alike, just how the American Red Cross is tackling the octopus swimming around us all called “finding…
Piecing Together a Direct Marketing Campaign
New to direct response marketing, I jumped at the chance to attend DMAW’s March DM 101 session. As I sat through the fantastic presentations, I realized that a direct marketing campaign is actually a lot like the delicious taco bar we enjoyed for lunch: In order to have a complete taco, all the components—crunchy or…
4 Mistakes to Easily Avoid
by Alicia Toles Can you guess which of the following mistakes happened? A back to school appeal that mails in August without a reply envelope, a segment of donors who were included by mistake, or Midwest chapter donors receiving a mailing that references Los Angeles… If you guessed all, you are correct. Hopefully, you haven’t…
Searching for Marketing Success: You Just Need One Gold Nugget
By Allison Porter. We all know that professional development should be a personal professional priority but most often, completing endless tasks rules the day. We often feel selfish taking time out of our busy work days to develop ourselves personally and professionally. Especially with lean staff, a heavy workload, and just the sheer mass volume the…
DM 101: Entry Level Advice
Last month’s DM 101 provided useful information about the fundamentals of our business for industry professionals – some who have been working in this field for years, and others, like me, who just got started. Around graduations and big changes, people will give you a sound byte of knowledge. Here’s what I’ll be referencing for…
California AB 556 – Could It Have a Ripple Affect?
AB 556 is being fast-tracked in California. In brief, the bill would require California-registered charities to “disclose” the use of a fundraising counsel in any solicitation (phone, mail, email, web site, person-to-person) being made “with the participation” of fundraising counsel. Who knows how many letters, web pages, emails, etc. would be implicated. Every bit of…
Go! No Wait, Stop! Postal Service Delays April 2015 Price Change
The USPS decided on March 27 to delay the implementation of new market-dominant and competitive rates and classification changes until all of the proposed market-dominant changes are approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission (“PRC”). This decision was primarily motivated by a desire to eliminate potential adverse impacts on postal customers that might result from a…
Communication is Key to Saving Money
Recently, I attended the DMAW’s Direct Mail 101 seminar. The major takeaway I found from the eight different sessions was that at every step of the process, proper communication could save you time and money. It’s worth spending time on the front end to set up communication practices internally and externally with your vendors and…
What Socrates Can Teach You About Direct Marketing
I think we’d all agree that Socrates was right: We must continue learning in order to meet our greatest potential. And when you first start out in fundraising, you’ll find there are a ton of places to turn for educational information. There are countless articles in industry publications, conferences and 101 sessions abound, and vendor…