CCAH Blog: Industry Voices

1. To whom am I mailing? I start with this question because it’s probably the most important. Even the most creative, compelling message won’t work if the audience isn’t the right one. And just because electronic contacts are low-cost doesn’t mean that audience selection isn’t just as important when sending emails.

2. Is my data clean? To obtain postage discounts, the Post Office requires periodic file cleansing using standard NCOA processing. But you can do more – from “max” or “preferred” change of address processing offered by various vendors to simply staying on top of donor comment mail, and emails. Like the NCOA for postal addresses you should also have a twice yearly ECOA run on your email file to ensure you have the most current emails for your file. People change/drop email addresses FAR more often than they change their address or even their phone numbers. Clean data leads to higher net productivity.

3. Am I over-designing? Direct marketing isn’t the place to get too adventurous with complicated designs. (For more on nonprofit fundraising design, check out A Look At Style by Chris Quillian) The #1 goal is readability, on the computer screen and on the printed page. So leave out the reverse type, for example, and be careful to avoid clutter

4. Will my donors/members care about this message? So often, organizations get caught up in anniversaries, milestones and other celebrations that have great significance internally, but don’t really mean a great deal to those on the outside. Consider carefully - will they really care? Check out last month’s Dear Jim for more tips on using anniversaries well.

5. Am I spending too much, or too little, on postage? Postage savings can be maximized by co-mingling. Conversely, high dollar donors deserve first-class treatment (and that applies to more than just postage!). A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when it comes to determining postage rates.

6. Am I suffering from multiple-personality disorder? If your online and offline messages aren’t integrated, the answer is probably “YES.” Your message should be consistent across all channels.

7. Am I being polite? Saying thank-you promptly isn’t just good manners – it’s good marketing. Your acknowledgement program – online and offline – should be sincere, relevant and personal. Leave the donor/member with a good feeling, and they’ll be predisposed to give when asked again.

8. Am I prepared for an emergency? How will you communicate with your donors/members in an urgent situation?  Are systems in place that allow for rapid turn for electronic, telephone and direct mail communication in an emergency? AH&A’s urgentgram format is an excellent solution for getting in the mail as quickly as 2-3 days after a crisis.

9. Am I getting the best possible cost for my marketing materials? A seasoned production shop like the one at AH&A will be able to competitively bid each campaign to multiple vendors. And our significant annual mail allows us to negotiate excellent costs for our clients.

10. Is my list generating all the income it can? List rental (with permission!), affinity credit cards, and product merchandising are all ways to increase income from your list – but as always, proceed with caution on this front.