Direct mail is king. But kings can be dethroned. Well-intentioned organizations do it all the time. Avoid these common mistakes to ensure your direct mail campaign is as kingly as it should be.
In a perfect world, all of your benefactors who receive your planned giving mailing will immediately decide it’s a good idea, call their advisor for the go ahead, and then make your institution a gift that changes not only the trajectory of your long-term revenue goals, but your career as well.
You know that feeling of spinning your wheels? That feeling you get when you are burning through time and exhausting yourself yet having little to show for it in the end? Preparation is critical, but what gives you bragging rights at the end of the day is the action you take
Do you wish to be better than average in your career and in your life? If you do, then you need to behave in a better than average fashion. It’s an obvious statement, but an endless number of people belie this sound reasoning.
Two informal surveys we conducted indicate that those who even dabble in planned giving do significantly better in their careers than those who do not.
Trying to save money by using eMarketing? Think again. According to the 2015 Response Rate Report by Direct Marketing Association (who also does eMarketing), direct mail outperforms all digital channels in a big way. The response rate for direct mail was 600% higher than that all of the digital channels combined. This number is too big to ignore.
First, a Thank You For those of you who are reading this and are clients of mine, I truly thank you for your business. When I started in 1998, I did it with the goal to make planned giving accessible to your average prospect. At the time, planned giving was so bogged down with legalese and mind-numbing details that fundraisers were intimidated and donors befuddled. We’ve come a long way since then, but there’s still a shocking number of fundraisers taking calculator courses and fretting about tax codes while ignoring the relationship part of their job. Not you. You’re among the top 5% who get it and take the lead. As our client, you know that planned giving is a people business and simple is best. In 2000 when I introduced the planned giving postcard, a competitor who was (and still is) in the business of printing lengthy planned giving newsletters, pronounced: One cannot convey the complexities of planned giving in less than 500 words. I proved them wrong. It turns out when donors are sorting through their mail with the TV on and chicken on the grill, they don’t want to read an essay about the complexities of planned gifts. They will, however, read a colorful, oversized postcard with a short teaser about “the gift that generates cash flow for life.” (That competitor started producing postcards not too long after their somewhat hostile critique.) It’s been a fight to keep it simple from the beginning. I’m not wavering. Actually, the noisier our world gets, the simpler we make our message. My motto these days: Don’t just simplify. Oversimplify. Thank you for choosing to not add to the clutter, but instead promote a simple, accessible planned giving message. Thank you for choosing to do business with PlannedGiving.com. New Features For Our Clients Here are some new features available for your planned giving website, as well as few existing ones you may not have heard about. Specialized websites for religious organizations (Catholic and Jewish available now. More coming soon.) Beneficiary designation highlights (bank accounts, CDs, savings bonds and more) New gift types (Mineral Interests just added past December) Weekly tips delivered to your donor’s inbox Content translation (Spanish, Korean and more) Calculators that generate reports with the option to forward to prospect’s advisor eBrochures that are customized to match your branding (no generic stock images) Donor-centric content that’s always tweaked to stay fresh and search engine friendly Language for normal people, not attorneys Videos of gift descriptions with your branding (a first in the industry) Want more information? Contact us at 800-490-7090. As always, we’re here to help. Viken Mikaelian CEO, PlannedGiving.com p.s. I’m collecting examples of cringe-worthy language on planned giving websites. A little twisted, yes. But it inspires me. It reminds me why we fight so hard for simplicity. If you come across a good example, please email it to us — Success@PlannedGiving.com.
I wonder if anyone’s ever done a study to see when gyms are more crowded—in January (post new year’s resolution season) or in the spring (pre swimsuit season). I’d put my money on January.
Clients and friends often ask if including a reply mechanism on their planned giving postcards is worth the added expense. It depends on the circumstances, but generally, I do not feel it’s worth it. As we all know, planned giving is a low-response business. So even with the most successful direct mail programs, we see very few reply cards actually filled out and returned. However, this does not mean your information is not getting read. It’s just that most people are not going to take the time to respond, on a whim, to questions about a subject that requires some in-depth thought and planning. Remember: You are not selling sweepstakes. You’re educating. You’re reminding. And you’re building relationships. Focus on Frequency What does this mean for you? You’ll have additional opportunities to reach your prospects. Marketing 101 says the more touches the better. So nix the expensive response card and use the savings to send out more touches. Mail your marketing materials more often instead of including a reply mechanism. After one or two postcards, you’ll have piqued some of your prospects’ interest. Card #3 might go on the fridge as a reminder to discuss it with the hubby. After card 4 or 5, maybe some of them will even call. Or you’ll call them to say “thank you” for a past annual gift, and they’ll remember those postcards and say, “What is this about some gift that pays me retirement income for life…?” Bingo. A door just opened. Now’s your chance (have you practiced your elevator pitch?). Two Caveats Disclaimer #1: If your mailing quantity is quite high—say 30,000 pieces or more—then it’s a different ballgame. At those quantities, the pricing between the two products becomes essentially the same because of the volume. Disclaimer #2: I do believe there is a time and place for a response card. When and where? Well, for starters, solicitation letters are a good opportunity to enclose a reply vehicle. There is usually no extra cost, and a reader who has made it through an entire letter (as opposed to a postcard, which is just a 10-second read) is already more engaged, and therefore more likely to respond. Category: Planned Giving Marketing
It’s a decades-old dispute over which term, “Planned Giving” or “Gift Planning,” gives you the edge when reaching out to your prospects.
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