Where did the first successful fund raisers come from? Chances are they were trained in the retail business of the day. After all, it was the early merchants that developed sales techniques and advertising as we know it today. And no doubt some of the first fund raisers borrowed heavily or may have actually cut their teeth in retailing before moving into fund raising.
Sears Roebuck was mailing their catalog [starting in 1888] long before the first nonprofit thought about using the mail for fund raising.
It is not news that retail is changing and many bricks and mortar retailers are under pressure from Internet-based competitors such as Amazon.com. Just this week, the mega book store, Borders, put out the news that coming out of the prime Christmas shopping season, it was having trouble paying some vendors. Doesn’t sound good for Borders.
One phrase that will keep popping up in my blogs is: “The Internet changes everything.” Truer words have not been spoken and I first heard them in 1998.
Recently, there was the news that retailers are testing out e-catalogs. Many retailers have used catalogs either directly as a profit centers or as advertising for their in-store sales. Now they are moving into e-catalogs which is the intersection between the store brand and Internet sales.
Retailers with major investments in brick and mortar stores would not be going on the Internet if the public wasn’t there. Brick and mortar retailers know that soon Internet-based sales from competitors will start sapping their in-store sales unless they connect online with their customers.
Talk to your friends and ask them how much of their Christmas shopping they did online this past Christmas.
So go retailers . . . fund raisers (better) follow.
-Mike
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