Don Rhoten, CFRE MMC Foundation, President/CEO

Direct Mail: Why do we care? 2

1.Inform 2.Educate 3.Research 4.ENGAGE! 5.Any others?? Why?

65% of first-time donors never make a 2 nd gift Source: 2012 Cygnus Donor Survey Report Charities send on average 14 pieces per year Source: Lawrence Henze, J.D. “Taking Control of Your Annual Fund” What is the point? How about Raising Money?

The most important aspect of DM?

DONOR

Everyone raise your hands! DM: the art?

Direct Mail: Techniques

1.Roles and Responsibilities 2.Timeline 3.Theme 4.Brand 5.Understand your audience 6.Be thoughtful in your writing How to run a successful DM program!

Understand roles before the mailing: 1.Writer 2.Designer 3.“Envelope stuffers” / Mailing House 4.Editor(s) Roles and Responsibilities

Understand roles after the mailing: 1.Donation processing 2.Database management 3.Thank you letters 4.Follow-up phone calls Roles and Responsibilities

Set a timeline for each mailing piece… …..BEFORE the year begins. Timeline

Calendar Color Code Red: Ask Blue: General

Prior to any designing or writing, develop a theme: Simple - Compelling - Memorable The theme is carried throughout all the pieces and into the writing. Theme

Every piece should have a consistent color palette, font style, imagery, writing style, etc… Includes: mailing envelope, letterhead, response card, response envelope, premium, etc… Brand

1.Conquer your database 2.Collect and maintain personal information (appropriately) 3.Learn Microsoft Excel!!! - IF statements - CEILING statements - Nested IF statements Understand The Audience

=IF(K38/I38>7500,CEILING(K38/I38,250),IF(K38/I38>5000,CEILING(K38/I38,100),IF(K38 /I38>1000,CEILING(K38/I38,50),IF(K38/I38>500,CEILING(K38/I38,25),IF(K38/I38>10 0,CEILING(K38/I38,10),CEILING(K38/I38,5)))))) Taking an average and rounding numbers so multiple decimal places are appearing and assigning specific amounts. =IF(I22>1, "gifts","gift") Looking at if there is one gift or more than one, then using “gift” or “gifts” In some letters we have over 20 personal fields. Understanding Excel

Be cautious of the “strategy cloud” Focus on the donor and the mission Avoid inflammatory language The donor always comes first Be genuine, considerate, and thoughtful Be Donor-centric Thoughtful Writing

We aren’t raising money. We are engaging and connecting with people. These people are donors. Remember