BIG’s Blog: Is This Your Organization?

Last week, Target Analytics released their Target Analytics Index of National Fund Raising Performance for calendar year 2010.

For readers of this blog, this report is probably the best overall comparison of performance for fund raising organizations like yours. Although not exclusively direct mail fund raisers, the vast majority of our audience depends heavily on direct mail for a significant portion of their fund raising revenue.

For the participating 83 organization that made up the index, a median 76% of revenue came from mail, 4% came from telemarketing and 3% came through the Internet (large gifts and bequests are not counted). The question is, "Does this approximate your organization?"

My Perspective:

I don’t pretend that I don’t see the Target Analytic report results through “my prism” of what I see going on in the faith-based fund raising sector today. I believe, and quite justifiably so, that the report confirms what I have been writing and talking about for the last four years. And that is that we have already moved into the Post-Direct Mail era. Saying that we are in the Post-Direct Mail era doesn’t mean that direct mail as a fund raising channel isn’t being used or can’t still be effective. It merely means that the direct mail communications channel is a part of the analog printed world of newspapers, magazines and books that each day is being supplanted by the digital world of online news, Kindle eBooks, Web sites, email, etc.

The results of the Target Analytic’s report spread over the last five years point to the accelerating decline in effectiveness of direct mail as digital media gains more and more momentum.

In tomorrow’s blog, we will specifically examine the implications of the results in the Religious sector.

-Mike

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