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Is direct mail dying?
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Hi Ohdeuk,
If you’ve been gulled into thinking that direct mail fundraising is on the ropes, you may resist my telling you that it isn’t. So I’ve enlisted a prominent colleague in the industry—someone I’ve actually never met—to weigh in on this question, offering up his own set of facts in response to the many opinions floating around cyberspace about this often-asked question.
Chances are, you haven’t yet read my latest book, Fundraising When Money Is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide to Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future? I wish you would—and not just because I’ll sell another copy. I sincerely think you’ll pick up at least a few ideas to boost your fundraising revenue. Check it out!
Cheers,
Mal
The world’s best fundraising conference
Since 1981, the London-based Resource Alliance has been presenting the International Fundraising Congress every year at a comfortable conference center near Amsterdam in The Netherlands. The event, now attracting close to 1,000 people, seems to get better with every passing year. If you’re jaded by the usual run of fundraising conferences where you don’t seem to learn anything new, this is the event for you. You’ll find senior fundraisers from more than 50 countries at the IFC—an unparalleled opportunity to network and to pick up ideas and insights you’ll never hear about anywhere else. Check it out.
1. Is direct mail fundraising really headed for the exit?
By Chuck Pruitt
Under the headline, “Is Direct Mail Really Headed for the Exit?” Frogloop—a blog about nonprofit online marketing—breathlessly reports on a startling new study just published by the “research” firm, Borrell Associates. The folks at Borrell allege that money spent annually on direct mail will decline by 40% in the next five years. In grave tones, Borrell concludes: “Direct mail has begun spiraling into what we believe is a precipitous decline from which it will never fully recover.”
 read more
2. Where's Mal?
September 2, 2009 – Phoenix AZ
AFP Greater Arizona Chapter
Luncheon Address: Fundraising When Money Is Tight
Workshop: Fundraising in a Global Context
Workshop: Technology and the Future of Direct Response
Site: Sheraton Hotel
September 7-9, 2009 – San Francisco CA
Momentum Leadership Conference 2009
Site: W Hotel San Francisco
September 22, 2009 – San Diego CA
Fundraising Outside the Box Conference
Luncheon Address: Fundraising When Money Is Tight
Workshop: Fundraising When Money Is Tight
Site: Town & Country Hotel
read more
3. When not asking makes sense
By Deborah Block and Paul Karps
In last month’s issue of this newsletter, we found Jeff Brooks’ article “When not to ask for funds” particularly interesting. Basically, he said, “For the most part, not asking is the quick route to not receiving.” That is, except for three situations: “When a donor specifically requests that you do not ask” . . . “When it’s not worth your money to ask” . . . and “When you don’t need any revenue.”
However, our experience indicates otherwise—most specifically when it comes to marketing a planned gift or, to be more precise, a bequest.
read more
4. Ask Mal
Since 1994, when the Mal Warwick Associates Web site went online, Editor Mal Warwick has answered fundraising questions posed by visitors to the site. Hundreds of those Q&As are available here. Here’s one Mal answered not long ago.
Question: How can we start our fundraising through the Internet? What are the required steps for hitting an unknown person to associate with our organization?
read more
5. Bucking the trend: opportunities for success in tough times
By Peter Schoewe
Two forces are dominating fundraising in today’s climate—reality and fear. For many organizations, reality is dictating that fundraising efforts must be cut or scaled back. Long-cherished best practices for long-term revenue growth and donor cultivation are being sidelined by the need for as much net revenue as possible—often to make up for shortfalls elsewhere.
And, fear, too, is sometimes playing a part. Fear that what used to work won’t work anymore. And fear that the long-term investment in donors might be as reliable as the balance of our 401(k)s.
read more
6. online fundraising on the rise
By Jeff Brooks
The online revolution is coming to fundraising. But it’s not here. That's what you can learn from a new study from Target Analytics: donorCentrics Internet Giving Benchmarking Analysis (PDF, 121 KB).
read more
7. 14 trends in foundation giving (Part 1)
By Rob Blizard
“It is often said that if you have seen one foundation, you have seen one foundation. In our work that has certainly been the case,” states Penny Friedman, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Cincinnati-based InterAct for Change, which provides staff support for family and independent foundations. Such a comment, unfortunately, suggests the difficulty of drawing general conclusions about foundation giving. Yet a number of clear trends in the foundation world emerge from a series of interviews with leading practitioners in the field.
The question I posed to them was this: “How will foundation fundraising evolve whether times are good or bad?”
read more
8. Don’t hold your breath!
According to the latest edition of Giving USA, as reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the current recession is strikingly similar to the downturn of the mid-1970s. Key economic indicators were used to compare today’s climate with five previous recessions, as well as the Great Depression. The bottom line in terms of charitable giving? “If the comparisons hold up,” The Chronicle says, “giving won’t recover to 2007 levels until 2012 at best, assuming the recession ends this year.”
Something to look forward to, no doubt!
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Mal Warwick
Editor |
Deborah Block
Managing Editor |
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Contributing Editors:
Nick Allen, Donordigital
Ken Burnett, Cascaid Consulting
Harvey McKinnon, Harvey McKinnon Associates
Jerold Panas, Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners
Steve Thomas, Stephen Thomas
Joe White, Share Group, Inc.
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Mal Warwick's Newsletter: Successful Direct Mail, Telephone & online Fundraising ™
(ISSN 1067-9316) is published 12 times per year by Strathmoor Press, Inc.,
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phone (510) 843-8888, fax (510) 843-0142, email news@malwarwick.com.
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