Blogs
Mastering mid-level starts with meaningful relationships
Blogs It may be easy to brush aside your mid-level donor program to focus on the many other things on your plate. After all, mid-level donors only account for roughly 1% of your total donor file. But did you know, within that 1% is a gold mine of opportunity? For most nonprofits, mid-level donors account…
Donor Love, Loyalty, Brain: how to get donors hooked on your cause. Part II
Blogs In the first article we looked at how to affect better retention and loyalty we need to nudge or influence the memory of supporters through experiences focused on making the first steps human and authentic. According to Kahneman, our memory works on a peak-end form. We remember little: the beginning (as we discussed in…
Donor Love, Loyalty, Brain: how to get donors hooked to your cause – Part 1
Blogs Loyalty in general, in marketing and fundraising, has been a purely transactional behavior: how many times you come back to my shop or give again to my organization and for how long. Just recently, and based on new neuroscience evidence, we now understand that the loyalty we have naturally for in-groups (family, neighborhoods, nations,…
Delight Your Donors with Handcrafted Direct Mail
Blogs When visiting my local McDonald’s I noticed their Café drink menu and decided to order an espresso drink. Americano was my choice and upon placing my order I was met with a confused look from behind the counter. The cashier wasn’t sure they could make that, so I pointed it out on the menu…
Am I your partner or just the order taker?
Blogs Value, Trust, Partnership….these are the building blocks as a vendor. Direct mail production lead times have tightened up over the years. Current events of all kinds have affected the supply chain. Everyone is trying to do more with less. Now more than ever, it is imperative to be in close contact with your vendors.…
Why Designing Direct Mail for Fundraising is Different
Blogs When you think about graphic designers, you probably picture one of those “creative” types – colorful and slightly different. But, being a designer is more than just “being creative.” It’s really about problem solving. A graphic designer analyzes the situation, and makes decisions about the best way to present the information for maximum effect…
Who wants $8 Trillion Dollars?
Blogs I honestly can’t think of a nonprofit organization in the world that would say no to that question. But the sad truth is, many organizations are still forgoing significant revenue because of their failure to invest in marketing planned gifts. An estimated $8 trillion is expected to pass to charities over the next 25…
WARNING: “Spoofing” Attack Targets Local DM Companies
Blogs At least three DMAW member-companies recently fell victim to an Internet hack that has cost one of them several thousand dollars so far. It’s an important wake-up call that shows an Internet connection can leave a company as vulnerable to thieves as a wide-open front door. Interpol is investigating because the money was transferred…
Aiming for Inspiration
Blogs On Thursday, February 25th, I have the honor of hosting the DMAW’s “Breakfast with an Expert” series. We will discuss ideas on the important topic of inspiration, and specifically how to lead yourself and others towards closing the gap between employee satisfaction/engagement and employee inspiration. When researching the topic of inspiration there is…
#DM101: The Fundamentals of Innovative Marketing
Blogs This year, I think I am more excited than I have ever been for DM 101. The event is always energizing, and I love the opportunity to connect with new talent in our industry. After 2020, however, connections like these mean more. I also love the virtual format. Though it was necessitated by the…