Direct Marketing Tips for Fundraising Champions

Hey guys! Here is the email I received today from the USPS Postal Concierge Service. To sign up for your own subscription to this service, go to http://www.windowbook.com/PostalConciergeService

Postal Prices Increase January 22, 2012

Just in case your Internet connection's been down, or you have been busy working on your New Year's resolutions, the United States Postal Service® (USPS®) is increasing their prices for both market-dominant and shipping services mail classes. This increase takes effect this Sunday, January 22, 2012.

Price Increases: Market-Dominant

First-Class Mail: Overall increase of 2.133%, with parcels getting the largest increase of 10.882%. Flats will see an increase of 1.605%, while presort letters and cards see an increase of 1.580%. International First-Class has an increase of 4.679%. The First-Class stamp will go up to 45 cents. (Buy your Forever Stamps before Sunday!)

Periodicals: Overall increase of 2.133%, with Outside County rates going up by 2.136%, while In-County rates increase by 2.054%.

Standard Mail: Overall increase of 2.124%, with High Density/Saturation Flats and Parcels receiving the largest increase at 2.878%. Flats see an increase of 2.209%, while letters go up 1.867%. Basic Carrier-route sorted letters, flats, and parcels see an increase of 2.425%. High-density and Saturation Carrier-route sorted letters have an increase of 2.298%, while Parcels see an increase of 2.864%.

Package Services: Overall increase of 2.133%. Single Piece Parcel Post will go up by 2.472%. Bound Printed Matter Flats increase by 0.504%, while BPM Parcels increase by 1.886%. Media Mail and Library Mail increases by 2.581%.

Detailed Excel rate charts for market-dominant categories are available on the USPS Postal Explorer web site.

Price Increases: Shipping Services

Express Mail: Overall increase of 3.3%, with retail prices seeing an average increase of 4.4%. Commercial Base prices will actually decrease by 5.0%, and Commercial Plus prices as a whole receiving a zero increase with some seeing a decrease. The USPS will introduce an Express Mail Flat Rate Box for $39.95.

Priority Mail: Overall increase of 3.1%, with retail prices going up by an average of 3.2%. Flat Rate Box prices will be: Small ($5.35), Medium ($11.35) and Large ($15.45), while Flat Rate Envelope will be $5.15. Commercial Base prices will increase an average of 3.0%, while Commercial Plus rates go up on average by 2.8%.

Parcel Select: Overall increase of 8.5%, with destination-entered parcels increasing from 6.8% to 7.8% depending on the type of destination entry facility. Non-destination entered parcels go up by .8% to 1.5% depending on the level of presort. Lightweight Parcel Select, the replacement for Standard Mail commercial parcels, will increase by 8.9%. The Intelligent Mail parcel barcode will also be introduced at this time, which will allow for free tracking of these parcels.

Parcel Return Service: Overall increase of 4.6%.

Commercial First-Class Package Service: Commercial First-Class Mail Parcels were recently transferred to the competitive product list; these prices will increase 3.7%.

International Expedited Services: Global Express Guaranteed prices increase by 6.0%, and Express Mail International by 11.6%.

Other International services: International Priority Airmail increases by 1.0%, International Surface Airlift by 13.7% and Airmail M-bags by 3.5%.

Detailed Excel rate charts for shipping services categories are available on the USPS Postal Explorer web site.

Classification Changes
The USPS also announced some classification changes necessary to implement the planned price adjustments, including (but not limited to):

Changing the name of Not Flat Machineables (NFM's)/Parcels in Standard Mail to Parcels. Specifically Marketing Parcels, Nonprofit Machineable Parcels and Nonprofit Irregular Parcels. Former NFM's not qualifying as Standard Marketing Parcels may mail as Parcel Select Lightweight.

Adding Package Intercept service as an option for First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, and Package Services.

Adding a Mixed ADC Periodicals Outside County price category.

Changing the maximum weight for Carrier Route letters.

Eliminating the Bound Printed Matter Parcels and Media/Library Mail barcode discounts.

Implementing Change
As always, Window Book works diligently to incorporate USPS changes into our software once the changes are finalized. This increase has been particularly challenging due to many last-minute changes and clarifications from the USPS as well as a Mail.dat version change to 12-1. Nonetheless, our DAT-MAIL™, Post Master™, and Postal Package Partner™ software solutions have all been updated to comply with the January 22, 2012 postal changes. Users should download these updates from our web site and install them prior to the rate change effective date of January 22, 2012. All postage rate calculations are driven from the mailing date, so updating your software prior to the effective date will not cause any issues.

Mailers who use PostalOne! to transmit postal documents electronically should also visit the Business Customer Gateway to update the USPS MDR Client software used for these transmissions if you have not already done so.

Taken from the Postal Concierge Service offered by the USPS

Sherene

On January 22nd, 2012, the USPS postage increase will take effect. Click on the link below for more information about these postage increases.

urlm.in/kmgv

July 1st through August 31st, the United States Postal Service is offering a 3% discount on postage on any piece that has a mobile or Quick Read barcode on it. The discount applies to both First Class and Standard class. Documentation should also be submitted electronically. For more information contact us or visit the link below

https://ribbs.usps.gov/mobilebarcode/documents/tech_guides/FactSheet.pdf

QR Barcodes are gaining in popularity. This year alone, the use of these 2 dimensional images has gone up by over 1200% so these are going to be used in a big way in the near future.

What are some creative uses for these barcodes? For instance, we are putting them on donor appeals so potential donors can donate using their smart phones. Associations are using these on their renewals so their members can renew their membership through their mobile device.

Good info on Personalized URLs

http://bit.ly/ePHKwV

A quick read from Target Marketing magazine on Personalized URLs. Is this tool effective in the fundraising world? What's your experience?

Creating Newsletters Donors Actually Read

Research suggests the best way for nonprofits to stay closely connected to their donors – and to keep supporters interested in your organization’s mission – is to send a newsletter on a regular basis. Then again, one survey showed donors don’t read most newsletters. That’s likely because most newsletters are boring. Of course, it doesn’t have to be that way, as long as you avoid these six deadly sins that kill donor interest.

 

1. Failing the “you” test

 

Most fundraising newsletters take the approach of Toby Keith’s hit song: “I Wanna Talk About Me / Wanna talk about I / Wanna talk about number one / Oh my, me, mine.” While some of that is good, if all you’re doing is talking about “I” then your readers are tuning out. On the other hand, talking about “you” creates glue with your audience. It elevates their interest from “so what” to “so wonderful.”

 

Take a red pen and circle every “you” in your newsletter (and its cousins: yours, yourself, you’re). Your page should be filled with a sea of red. If it’s not, than consider rewriting in another voice.

 

Here’s is an example of how powerful changing the target from “we” to “you” can be, and how it captures the attention and emotion of your readers:

 

Before – “Instead of eating out, we choose to feed the hungry in our neighborhoods.”

 

After – “Feed the hungry in your neighborhoods or go out to eat again? It’s your choice.”

 

2. Lack of emotional triggers

 

Marketing experts believe seven emotions motivate people to respond to fundraising appeals: fear, guilt, greed, exclusivity, anger, salvation and flattery. While on the surface these may sound ‘negative,’ they unleash powerful opposite emotions: hope, love, faith, duty, compassion, caring, etc. By adjusting your style to stir a negative emotion, you’ll help readers attach to your cause and inspire them to right the wrong.

 

Here is an example of the technique in action:

 

 

2009 Hospice of the Rapidan Annual Fundraising Appeal

 

Smiles were rare and oh so precious in Giselle’s home as her illness progressed. That all this was happening during the holidays only made matters worse. Children should be smiling at Christmas, don’t you agree?  When death intrudes, things that we normally take for granted can come to an abrupt halt, like gathering with family over a holiday meal, watching children tear paper off gifts or counting on your child’s next birthday.

 

Hospice of the Rapidan has been helping patients like little Giselle for over 25 years, and is one of only a few hospices in the area that care for terminally ill children. Giselle, her parents, and her brother and sister have very different needs – and it was important to address each of them.

 

Attending to Giselle’s pain and symptoms, and making sure her parents received some respite, allowed mom and dad to recharge their batteries and be better, more loving caregivers to their beloved daughter. At the same time, specially trained counselors spoke quietly and reassuringly with Giselle’s brother and sister who could not understand everything their parents were going through or even their own natural feelings.

 

With your help, Hospice of the Rapidan cares for entire families, not just patients.

 

3. Neither news, nor letter

 

Sending a newsletter creates a promise to your readers: that you’ll deliver something newsworthy and interesting to them. Your goal is to provide inspiration, create loyalty and motivate them to continue their monetary and time support.

 

The dominant stories should be about your organization’s vision, achievements, needs and – remember this one – stewardship with their funds (think: efficiency). Also, you’ll want to recognize and celebrate supporters’ contributions. The best thing you can do to create interest is to share stories that let donors know they’re changing the world through your dedication and commitment to fulfilling your mission.

 

Turn to the people in your organization who work in the trenches – those closest to the lives of the ones you touch – to find stories that contain the human drama your donors want to read about in each issue. On the other hand, limit things like “From the desk of” your executive director, updates on staff changes and other non-emotional fillers. Ask yourself this simple phrase: “Who cares?” If the answer isn’t “donors” then you’re missing a great opportunity to connect.

 

4. Forgetting to make donors feel involved and thanked

 

Take every opportunity to fill donors with joy by letting them know: “Everything happens because of you.” There’s no need to hog the credit for your organization’s good works. Remember, it’s all about them – so share the accomplishments to keep them engaged.

 

5. Too many words / Too little time

 

Your writers may provide the greatest prose this side of Hemingway, but the likelihood is few of your donors actually read their articles. (Newspaper editors believe 80 percent of their audience only sees the headline.) Realize your readers mostly browse, skim, glance – and occasionally read a few paragraphs and captions.

 

German researcher Siegfried Vogele recognized the eye goes first to bigger, bolder and briefer… everything that isn’t filled with copy. So make sure you have: captivating headlines; sharp photos with excellent captions; clear charts and graphs; bullet lists; and ‘pull’ quotes. This isn’t to say the words aren’t important – you still have to have engaging writing and eliminate typos – just recognize your audience isn’t going to sit down and read your newsletter front to back.

 

Things to avoid: colored type; text over colored backgrounds; reverse type; and ‘sans serif’ type. Most newspapers, magazines and books use Times Roman, because your brain reacts five times quicker to that font than Arial and Helvetica. [Note: this isn’t true of computer monitors, which don’t display the fine strokes of serif type as well.]

 

6. Numbers galore

 

Statistics speak to the intellect; anecdotes speak to the heart. Focus on the heart. Trotting out a bunch of big numbers doesn’t wow your readers. It overwhelms them. Limit your stats to those that tie-in to your emotional appeal.

 

Here’s an example of a powerful use of statistics by Hospice of Chesapeake as part of a $5 million campaign:

 

Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties are about to get much older. In the next decade, the 65+ population will explode, increasing by 25%, with no end in sight. Hospice urgently needs to add capacity.

 

Do you feel a sense of fear after reading those two sentences? Fear is an emotion that motivates people to act – and that’s the reason you’re writing your newsletter. Remember: “Heart first and the head will follow.”

 

Summary

 

• Share the credit for all your hard and successful work.

 

• Remember, reading is labor; reduce the labor for your readers.

 

• Honor the emotional reasons your donors came to you in the first place.

 

• Deliver the news… and answer this question with passion and proof: “What did you do with the money?”

 

• Don’t over-think. It’s far more important to get your newsletter out than to get it perfect.

 

• Write better headlines; they produce most of your revenue.

 

Good luck!

 

Arvind Gupta
President – GRC Direct

arvind@grcdirect.com

 

GRC Direct – Your Partners in Fundraising Success

 

GRC Direct helps you build more and better relationships with your donors - and helps you protect the ones you have – by developing personalized direct mail and e-campaigns. Nonprofit organizations that use your database and personalized communications to connect with donors will continue to see success. Others will slide. Let GRC Direct provide you expertise in choosing targeted lists… and developing mail packages that include design, printing and nonprofit mail processing – all under one roof. Send an email or call me at 866.648.0900 to inject energy into your next fundraising campaign.

 

 

Nonprofit Fundraising Ideas That Work!

Nonprofit organizations continually seek new ideas for fundraising. While there are not many easy fundraising ideas, there are ways to connect with your donors in a personalized way that leads to better results.

GRC Direct has been working on fundraising ideas for nonprofit organizations for nearly a quarter of a century. To discuss ideas for fundraising that could improve your results, please complete this form, and a GRC Direct fundraising specialist will contact you.

To learn about ideas for fundraising that achieved increased results for other nonprofit organizations, spend a few minutes reviewing these recent case studies.

CASE STUDIES

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1) Enhancing Year-End Fundraising

Developing a Turn-Key Program

Challenge: Nonprofit organizations continually seek end-of-year fundraising to meet budgetary expectations. Typical contribution requests are often overlooked by recipients amidst the influx of pieces in their mailboxes. Clients asked our fundraising specialists to develop an approach that would differentiate them from others during this critical season.

Solution: GRC Direct created a risk-free turnkey program that allows nonprofits to sell customized holiday cards to their supporters. Featuring five unique designs and personalized with the donor’s name, the nonprofit receives half of all dollars received through their efforts.

Results of one of the the participating nonprofits:
2007: 5228 Cards mailed out | 486 orders/responses | $24,300 raised
2008: 5500 Cards mailed out | 523 orders/responses | $26,150 Raised

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2) Use of segmentation and personalization to connect

Capitalizing on Personal Relationships

Challenge: This nonprofit historically sent static fundraising requests to their contributor list of approximately 5,000 people. Although possessing excellent data on supporters, they did not know how to utilize it to increase results.

Solution: After spending time understanding the client’s unique relationship with supporters, the decision was made to develop personalized materials directed at each of five different contribution segments. Focusing on the relationship each group has with the organization, a direct mail campaign began based on shorter runs sent more frequently.

Results: The first mailings achieved a response lift 35% higher than the previous effort. More importantly, donations increased 33%, enabling the client to exceed its desired revenue goal.

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3) Engaging Potential Members

Connecting on a Higher Level

Challenge: Churches regularly seek ways to reach out to visitors and engage them on a level that leads to an ongoing relationship. This client sought an approach for connecting with first-time attendees immediately after their initial visit that encourages them to consider membership.

Solution: The recommendation was to develop a series of touches that show the personal care the church provides members. Visitors fill out information cards during their initial service that include a prayer request. Welcoming postcards are sent within five days, and one of the follow-up pieces addresses the prayer request. There is also a giveaway offer, such as to receive an inspirational message or personal phone call.

Results: Hundreds of visitors responded to the giveaway offer and the church has received a rise in membership throughout the campaign, which continues today.

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4) Expanding Local Contributions

Expanding Local Contributions

Challenge: A well-known wedding reception venue sought to expand its offerings to include business meetings and special events. The nonprofit that operates the beautiful grounds also wished to add donors for their organization.

Solution: Recognizing the opportunity to capitalize on the area’s affinity for this unique setting, the recommendation was to create personalized materials that feature photos of indoor and outdoor locations linked to the individual interests of contributors.

Results: Increase in number inquires regarding more information about events and sponsorship opportunities.

Arvind Gupta

arvind@grcdirect.com

www.grcdirect.com

So, What’s the big Deal about Social Media?

Lately, there seems to be a lot of buzz around Social Marketing. Has anyone else noticed this recent burst of interest? I have been on Facebook since it first came out and then about a year ago, I started hearing about Associations using this tool as one more way to build brand awareness and to create a buzz about their organizations. At first I was very resistant to the idea. I mean, I used Facebook to keep in touch with friends that I haven’t seen in a while or family that was abroad. I didn’t want to mix business and personal. How was this going to work? After rebelling against this phenomonan for almost 4 months, I realized that if I didn’t get a handle on this soon, my company would be left behind because social marketing was fast becoming a field unto its own.

So, I started reading various articles, books, blogs and attending almost 10 different sessions on Social Marketing, everything from Facebook 101, and “How to create a Social Media Strategy”, the one thing that I learned was this. Social Marketing is awesome! Now, I know that all this stuff is still fairly new, but if it is used effectively and tracked properly, organizations can actually measure ROI on their Social Marketing efforts. Not only that, you can get real time reporting and relevant feedback from your members or potential members that most associations didn’t have access to before.

So, what does this really mean? How does this translate into actual revenue for the association? I read an article on Social Media in the most Recent issue of Associations Now, entitled “Build Conference Buzz” that demonstrated one application for this tool. I know that many of clients are struggling with increasing attendance to their conferences and are looking for ways to get their members excited and engaged again. The article outlines the various social media tools that can be used to accomplish this and in particular shares the experience of one Association.

Of course, we all know that trying something new can be a challenge as we don’t yet know all the areas that will be affected. How will members react to the increased interaction and how do you use Social Media without turning people off to your message? These are all questions I had when I started out and I am sure others have similar questions too. In the same issue of Associations Now, in an article entitled “Welcome to the Social Media Frontier”, Rene Chapmin, the Membership and Communications Director for NADP outlines some of the challenges they faced as they began their journey through this uncharted territory. Fortunately, for those of us who are still catching up to organizations like NADP or AAPA, there is enough material out there, so that we may learn from others mistakes and experiences. What challenges is your association facing as you put together a viable Social Media Marketing Strategy?

Sherene Gupta

sherene@grcdirect.com

www.grcdirect.com

How people decide to open fundraising letters

You arrive home after a tiring day at work and head to your mailbox. Reaching inside, you grab the thick clump of paper – postcards, big and small envelopes, catalogs – and, walking to your front door, quickly shuffle through the stack. After tossing everything on the coffee table, you grab a beverage from the refrigerator, fall into your recliner and decide which postal pieces you'll open.

Plunk! You toss the heavy catalog for industrial supplies into the recycle bin. "What were these guys thinking," you wonder. "Why in the world would I be interested in ordering industrial supplies?" The children's clothing catalog gets pitched next. "Our kids are teenagers; why are we on that mailing list?" Gas and electric bills. "I recognize those logos. Need to pay them." National Geographic. "Madagascar's labyrinth of stone. Interesting. I'll read that later."

Next you come across an envelope from a local charity. "Nice animal picture. I don't recall donating to them. Wonder what they do?" Curious, you slit open the envelope and dump the contents onto your lap. You notice the self-addressed envelope and the reply card that has a heavy checkmark and a big bold “Yes” next to dollar amounts. ""Oh, they want money. What makes them think I'll part with my hard earned cash during these times?" Then that little voice inside you says, "They got my name right; that's a good sign.

Let’s analyze what really happened here: in less than 10 seconds you glanced at the envelope, opened it, emptied it and decided to read on. 10 seconds – that's the difference between success and failure in a fundraising appeal. Here is the process slowed down step-by-step:

1. Bills and “open” mail like postcards and catalogs are expected. You're 'programmed' to see them every day. A fundraising envelope with an appealing graphic, on the other hand, was a surprise. It stood out in the pile.

2. There wasn't a lot of consciousness as you quickly sorted the mail. You were sipping your drink, unwinding from your stressful day and simply going through the motion of the daily ritual.

3. Despite your lack of attentiveness, the first thing you noticed was your name was spelled correctly. That may seem like a minor detail, but think about how many times someone mailing to you gets it wrong.

4. The charity's name, cute picture of the animal and a few words on the envelope brought you from a state of unawareness to mild curiousity.

5. As the contents dribbled onto your lap several questions came to your mind. Mal Warwick, in his book “How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters” estimates that as many as 20 such questions quickly pop into a person's mind when they pick up an unexpected fundraising solicitation.

All this happens at an amazing speed – actually five to eight seconds. Make a connection with your audience in those first few seconds and your likelihood of success increases tremendously.

Arvind Gupta

arvind@grcdirect.com

Smart Budget Saving Tactics For Direct Mail

Someone once said, "In good times, you should advertise. In difficult times, you MUST advertise." That's as true today as it ever was.

While many businesses are cutting back on their direct mail, smart businesses know that is a losing strategy. Mailing less isn't the answer. The answer is to mail smarter. By using a few simple tactics, you can continue to mail while reducing your costs.

One way to cut costs is to turn your direct mail package into a self-mailer. As a rule, envelope packages get a better response than self-mailers. However, it's not just the response that counts. A self-mailer can sometimes reduce your mailing cost enough so that, even with less response, your overall profit is greater. And, occasionally, your response may actually be higher since self-mailers naturally appear more urgent.

To make a self-mailer work, include a strong headline, layout your copy in easy-to-read sections, use subheads to break up the copy, and present a clear offer. Also, be sure to give recipients an easy way to respond with a toll-free number or an attached reply card. Remember, a self-mailer is a quickread version of a direct mail package. It's not a corporate brochure.

You should also test smaller formats to reduce costs. Invitations and fliers are just two less expensive ways to deliver a targeted message. For example, you could send an invitation to invite prospects to a special demonstration of a new product or service. A flier is generally just a single sheet of paper that is folded and tabbed. Don't let the simplicity fool you. Fliers can be highly effective, especially for timely news, such as a sale or inventory- reduction offer.

There are also ways to create economical direct mail by recycling existing advertising. Do you have a successful print ad? Why not reprint the ad and mail it to your list? Include a letter that says something like, "We wanted to make sure you didn't miss this exciting news." Another way to reuse print ads is to mail them with a sticky note attached that reads, "I thought you'd find this interesting." And don't forget postcards. This humble direct mail format is popular now because of its simplicity. They're especially good for making offers to existing customers, generating phone calls or Web site traffic, and for repeated contacts with the same mailing list. Many businesses create a series of postcards, each with a similar look but a different message. This is a good way to build recognition and trust at a fraction of the cost of other media.

Sherene Gupta

sherene@grcdirect.com