The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - (Page 9) LISTS PAUL CLOLERY Protected From Whom? Mail dates, list usage rules becoming unsettled S usan G. Komen For the Cure (SGK) began evolving its direct mail program in February 2007. This past May it starting dropping the blackout dates for swapping its donor files. It is also evolving its direct response program so that it is not tied to a mail piece or calendar plan but to when the donor was acquired, cementing a one-toone relationship. “Our names are not available for rent. It’s strictly exchange. However, to acquire names from other like-minded, worthy nonprofits, it was incumbent upon us to be more open,” said Tabetha Leinweber, manager of direct marketing at SGK. Industry-wide, the protected mail date, long a staple of the charitable list marketplace, is now in flux. And, the process of clearing list usage months in advance of a mail date is starting to be relaxed throughout the industry. The weak economy, pressure for increased revenue and moving to a donorcentric strategy are responsible for changes in how charities market donor files and how they handle list exchanges. And when it comes to a revenue push, non-reciprocal fees are getting dropped very quickly to make the deal, said Rich Leary, vice president and national sales manager of RMI Direct Marketing, in Danbury, Conn. A non-reciprocal fee occurs when a mailer doesn’t make its own list available for rental or swap.The fee generally runs $15 per thousand names on top of the actual cost. “In this day and age everyone is looking for names. If someone entering the fray doesn’t bring their list with them, they are not going to get a deal,” said Leary. Pricing discounts and policy on mail dates are all over the place right now, according to John Briley, vice president of list management at Direct Media in Greenwich, Conn.“Most of our clients do not protect mail dates, but there are some who do. Past research shows that protecting mail dates doesn’t improve response rates.” Consumer mailers rarely care about protecting dates. For example, it’s not unusual for a consumer to receive several catalogs in the mail on the same day. It’s the offer that makes the difference, according to Michael J. Cousineau, co-CEO of ParadyszMatera in Minneapolis. While some charities are dropping the mail date protections, others are becoming more restrictive.“What we have found is that mail date protection standards have remained the same, if not gotten tighter,” said Cousineau. “List owners are more stringent on the creative being allowed and holding exchange balances in tighter control. Some clients are protecting their high-dollar donors even more so by redefining ‘high dollar’ to include lower giving levels. Some high dollar selects that are made available on a ‘case-by-case’ basis are now being rescinded from long-standing relationships, in list owners’ efforts to protect their high-dollar donors.” According to Jenny Floria, senior director of account management at ParadyszMatera,“What’s happening,it’s not the mail date that is protected, it is the offer.” She explained that some list owners are examining what is going to be in the mailbox, not necessarily which organization or date.The idea is to prevent two label packages or calendar packages from showing up on the Lists, page 10 LESSONS FROM ‘LENNY’ Continued from page 8 teen site and question, ‘Who is behind this?’” said Joe Keenan, executive vice president and director of digital production development for PDFA. Keenan said sites should be designed so that teens can access the organization’s name in just one or two clicks and that giving the organization’s name should not hinder the message. “We talked to some teens and it didn’t affect the credibility of the [Check Yourself] site. They might not agree with what we’re saying, but they know that there is a credible, research-based, professional organization behind this and not a fly-by-night operation.” One thing is certain – organizations that want to reach the younger crowd must have a strong Internet presence.The truth campaign changes the creative direction every three months and reinvents its Web site theTruth.com once or twice a year to stay fresh for the demographic. And keeping in the loop means tons of interactive features like games, blogs and a truth-or-dare Facebook application. DJs and bands remixed music from truth’s “Sunny Side” campaign, featuring satirical musical numbers, which teens could download on music distribution sites. “We want to ensure our message remains fresh. It is harder to get through to a teen because we are not on the top of the teen’s mind,” said Eric Asche, vice president for marketing at ALF. “Teens are in control of their media channels. They decide whether they are going to invite you in or dismiss you.” NPT Where The Kids Are Teens looking to relax this summer hit the road – and some nonprofits followed them. It wasn’t stuffy experts. Nonprofits enlisted the help of other teens and college kids to get their message across in peer-to-peer interaction. “Sometimes, when you have an authority figure it’s like havWhosDrivingTonight.org moniker that students could take pictures with and posted the shots to the WhosDrivingTonight.org site.The tactic drove students to the Web site to get the pictures, and then the site URL was seen by anyone who saw the picture. “The whole idea was to get them to the Web site,” said Lea, who said the cut-outs were a low-cost, but highly visible, marketing tool with a long shelf life.“[The cutouts] allowed them to interact with the brand and they took the brand with them.” The “truth” campaign traveled to the biggest summer concerts in a large, orange van packed with 20-somethings ready to talk to concert goers about truth.“The truth tour is a way to put a face on the brand and it becomes this very tangible output of the brand,” said Eric Asche, senior vice president for marketing at the American Legacy Foundation (ALF). The concert tour team members post pictures and blogs about their experiences and talk to peers at the concerts like Warped Tour.The van is also outfitted with gear like T-shirts, bags and bandanas as another extension of the brand for teens. The truth campaign has also taken product placement to a new level for teens watching reality television. Cartoon characters from the “Sunny Side of Truth” campaign are featured on MTV’s “Real World”repeats making sarcastic comments about the show’s stars.“We were pleased to get that kind of placement,” said Dr. Cheryl Halton, president and CEO of American Legacy Foundation (ALF).The idea for cartoons stemmed from the tobacco companies’ own use of cartoons to lure young children into smoking.“We like that we are turning the cartoons against them,” said Halton. – MICHELE DONOHUE ing your parents talking to you,” said Janet Lea, senior vice president of Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing.The Who’s Driving Tonight? campaign took its message to South Padre Island, a popular spring break location in Texas, to promote its sober driving message among peers. “It’s somehow less threatening and authentic and it’s easier to absorb the message,” said Lea. The campaign also had cardboard cut-outs branded with the SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 THE NONPROFIT TIMES www.nptimes.com 9 http://WhosDrivingTonight.org http://WhosDrivingTonight.org http://theTruth.com http://www.nptimes.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 Shock And Awe Makes An Impression That Familiar Feeling Lessons From 'Lenny' Grab Attention of Millennials Contents Protected From Whom? Information Sharing Donors Want More Briefs Diversity Recruitment Calendar Catholic Fundraising Guide NPT Jobs Resource Directory The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Lessons From 'Lenny' Grab Attention of Millennials (Page 1) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Lessons From 'Lenny' Grab Attention of Millennials (Page 2) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 3) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 6) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 8) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Protected From Whom? (Page 9) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Information Sharing (Page 10) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Donors Want More (Page 11) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Briefs (Page 12) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Diversity Recruitment (Page 13) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Calendar (Page 14) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Calendar (Page 15) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Catholic Fundraising Guide (Page 16) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Catholic Fundraising Guide (Page 17) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Catholic Fundraising Guide (Page 18) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - NPT Jobs (Page 19) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 20) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 21) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 22) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 23) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 24)
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