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I Advice - Why New Non-profits Shouldn't Use Direct Mail Fundraising Donation Request Letters to Raise Funds
To be successful to today’s competitive marketplace, you need to have an action plan in place to help maintain your job-search momentum, keep you organized and ensure you have everything ready when it comes time to meet the prospective employer face to face.If you have an action plan for reaching prospective employers, you are doing well. Many people never reach that level of effectiveness. It is s
Direct mail fundraising needs volume to be
successful
You are not likely to operate a successful direct mail
fundraising program if you have only a few hundred
supporters. For one thing, you will not qualify for
discounts on postage. And for another, your costs
for hiring professional writers and designers will be
prohibitive. Direct mail fundraising works best when
you mail to tens of thousands of donors over time
asking for small donations. Can
you afford that as a new non-profit? Probably not.
Recently in an interview, Aaron Potts asked me about success. Immediately I thought of success as looking forward to Mondays. We are a society of "weekenders." One of the most popular catch phrases in the U.S. is "Thank God its Friday." I refer to this as the Friday-Generation syndrome. We live for the weekends and I have to wonder why? I love my Mondays. They exhilarate me! I think it really boils down to
Launching a new non-profit is like launching a new
business. You need to spend money to make money.
You cannot start a non-profit with no money any
more than you can start a business with no money.
You need to raise start-up capital somehow, but
that somehow shouldn't be direct mail fundraising
letters.
Here’s why.
Direct mail fundraising loses money
initially
You should expect your first direct mail appeal to
lose money. You are new. People don’t know you.
You have no track record. Plus, direct mail donor
acquisition mailings almost always lose money. They
gain new donors, yes, but usually at a cost of
spending $1.25 to raise $1.
I’ll say it again: “Donor acquisition mailings lose
money.” This is the main reason that direct mail is
ineffective at raising start-up capital from strangers
for new ventures. The business case is actually the
other way around. You need start-up capital to
launch a direct mail program.
Direct mail fundraising requires a popular cause
Direct mail is an effective way to raise funds when
you have a cause that has broad appeal, either
locally or
nationally, such as heart disease, sick children or
abandoned pets. If you're starting a small, obscure
non-profit in a small town, don’t expect to even
break even with direct mail. You won’t.
Here’s an example of what I mean. I received a
phone call from a non-profit on the west coast that
was in a financial crisis. So they intended to rent a
mailing list of strangers and
mail an appeal letter, soliciting a donation. Their
cause? Temporary shelter for lost reptiles. I’m not
making this up. This tiny non-profit provides homes
to lost pet boa constrictors, lizards and other exotic
reptilian pets until their owners can be
found.
I think you’ll agree that this non-profit does not
champion a cause that has popular appeal, excuse
the pun. They are not going to raise much money or
attract many donors with direct mail. Their area of
operation is small and their cause is unpopular, if not
detested.
Direct mail fundraising needs volume to be
successful
You are not likely to operate a successful direct mail
fundraising program if you have only a few hundred
supporters. For one thing, you will not qualify for
discounts on postage. And for another, your costs
for hiring professional writers and designers will be
prohibitive. Direct mail fundraising works best when
you mail to tens of thousands of donors over time
asking for small donations. Can
you afford that as a new non-profit? Probably not.
<
Prior to interviewing with a company, you need to do some research.One reason to find out more about the prospective employer is to determine if you want to work there. A job is not just a job. Another reason is to be able to respond appropriately in the interviewer when you are questioned.Here are some things you should know. Consider each of the following questions carefully.
You should expect your first direct mail appeal to lose money. You are new. People don’t know you. You have no track record. Plus, direct mail donor acquisition mailings almost always lose money. They gain new donors, yes, but usually at a cost of spending $1.25 to raise $1.
I’ll say it again: “Donor acquisition mailings lose
money.” This is the main reason that direct mail is
ineffective at raising start-up capital from strangers
for new ventures. The business case is actually the
other way around. You need start-up capital to
launch a direct mail program.
Direct mail fundraising requires a popular cause
Direct mail is an effective way to raise funds when
you have a cause that has broad appeal, either
locally or
nationally, such as heart disease, sick children or
abandoned pets. If you're starting a small, obscure
non-profit in a small town, don’t expect to even
break even with direct mail. You won’t.
Here’s an example of what I mean. I received a
phone call from a non-profit on the west coast that
was in a financial crisis. So they intended to rent a
mailing list of strangers and
mail an appeal letter, soliciting a donation. Their
cause? Temporary shelter for lost reptiles. I’m not
making this up. This tiny non-profit provides homes
to lost pet boa constrictors, lizards and other exotic
reptilian pets until their owners can be
found.
I think you’ll agree that this non-profit does not
champion a cause that has popular appeal, excuse
the pun. They are not going to raise much money or
attract many donors with direct mail. Their area of
operation is small and their cause is unpopular, if not
detested.
Direct mail fundraising needs volume to be
successful
You are not likely to operate a successful direct mail
fundraising program if you have only a few hundred
supporters. For one thing, you will not qualify for
discounts on postage. And for another, your costs
for hiring professional writers and designers will be
prohibitive. Direct mail fundraising works best when
you mail to tens of thousands of donors over time
asking for small donations. Can
you afford that as a new non-profit? Probably not.
Executive management teams need to be sure that the regulatory requirements for disclosure to protect consumers and investors are not over burdensome to the business model. There is a point at which it is no longer feasible to comply with all the rules and regulations and still run a profitable business.At that point other business models need to be considered. Case in point; over regulation in discl
Direct mail fundraising requires a popular cause
Direct mail is an effective way to raise funds when
you have a cause that has broad appeal, either
locally or
nationally, such as heart disease, sick children or
abandoned pets. If you're starting a small, obscure
non-profit in a small town, don’t expect to even
break even with direct mail. You won’t.
Here’s an example of what I mean. I received a
phone call from a non-profit on the west coast that
was in a financial crisis. So they intended to rent a
mailing list of strangers and
mail an appeal letter, soliciting a donation. Their
cause? Temporary shelter for lost reptiles. I’m not
making this up. This tiny non-profit provides homes
to lost pet boa constrictors, lizards and other exotic
reptilian pets until their owners can be
found.
I think you’ll agree that this non-profit does not
champion a cause that has popular appeal, excuse
the pun. They are not going to raise much money or
attract many donors with direct mail. Their area of
operation is small and their cause is unpopular, if not
detested.
Direct mail fundraising needs volume to be
successful
You are not likely to operate a successful direct mail
fundraising program if you have only a few hundred
supporters. For one thing, you will not qualify for
discounts on postage. And for another, your costs
for hiring professional writers and designers will be
prohibitive. Direct mail fundraising works best when
you mail to tens of thousands of donors over time
asking for small donations. Can
you afford that as a new non-profit? Probably not.
Considering or currently running a DRTV advertising campaign? Here’s why you should read this paper.Direct response television (DRTV) advertising can be very effective at driving profitable sales. However the high cost of creating and modifying the ads and the lead times associated with DRTV leave room for another more nimble medium to serve a significant purpose. Radio fills that void extreme
I think you’ll agree that this non-profit does not
champion a cause that has popular appeal, excuse
the pun. They are not going to raise much money or
attract many donors with direct mail. Their area of
operation is small and their cause is unpopular, if not
detested.
Direct mail fundraising needs volume to be
successful
You are not likely to operate a successful direct mail
fundraising program if you have only a few hundred
supporters. For one thing, you will not qualify for
discounts on postage. And for another, your costs
for hiring professional writers and designers will be
prohibitive. Direct mail fundraising works best when
you mail to tens of thousands of donors over time
asking for small donations. Can
you afford that as a new non-profit? Probably not.
You would have to be doing the modern day version of Rip Van Winkle to not be aware of the controversy Internet Social Networks are creating. Everything from MySpace and Facebook to YouTube and LinkedIn have gained in popularity over the past few years. These sites do serve a purpose and among other things provide their users with a sense of community often lacking in the brick and mortal world.T
Direct mail fundraising needs volume to be
successful
You are not likely to operate a successful direct mail
fundraising program if you have only a few hundred
supporters. For one thing, you will not qualify for
discounts on postage. And for another, your costs
for hiring professional writers and designers will be
prohibitive. Direct mail fundraising works best when
you mail to tens of thousands of donors over time
asking for small donations. Can
you afford that as a new non-profit? Probably not.
Direct mail fundraising needs frequency to be
successful
Direct mail fundraising usually works only when you
mail at least eight times a year (four appeals and
four newsletters). If you do not have money in the
bank for that kind of mailing frequency, then direct
mail is not the way to go for your new non-profit.
Not yet, anyway.
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