BROWNE INNOVATION GROUP

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

BIG's Blog: Don’t waste your money!


"On what?" you ask . . . Name Labels. Don’t take this the wrong way as I use name labels all of the time.  My complaint (in most cases) is that they do not print the names and addresses correctly.  

Many nonprofits mail name labels at this time of the year hoping to attract constituents to their mission. A similar package will also be sent to their donors. I would suggest that you think about the challenges of printing labels.

For example, here are a few name errors from labels I personally have received:
                  Mr Jim jr Battle
                  Jim Battle M (middle initial and no suffix)
                  Mr. Jim J. and Mrs. Gail Batt
                 
I am sure others with really long names or addresses would have additional examples available. 

Protect your investment in these label mailings. Take the time to review your data and that of list you are renting to ensure that the names and addresses will print correctly.

-Gail

This is BIG’s Blog and yes, by all means forward our blog to your friends and co-workers.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Techniques vs. Connecting - Part 2

In my blog last Monday, I ended asking the question, Why would “tried and true” direct mail techniques with 50+ years of success suddenly stop working and how do we really learn to connect with potential donors? There are two questions here, so let’s address them separately.

The good news is that these direct mail techniques won’t just “stop working” overnight. A caveat – I might have to rethink this if the Postal Service does away with the nonprofit postal discount overnight rather than phasing it out. But for now, let’s just assume direct mail fund raising techniques will not be obsolete overnight.

There are three major interrelated trends at play today that are undermining postal mail as a viable marketing media. The first is the fundamental shift in communications technology; the second is the major generational shift in American society and the third is the explosion of nonprofit organizations that heightens competition for donor dollars.

All three of these trends have nothing to do directly with the demise of the postal mail, yet all indirectly affect it.

The take away is that although direct mail marketing techniques have worked for 50+ years and continue to work today (albeit not as well as ten years ago) for nonprofit organizations that are dependent on economical postal mail, the trend line of the economics of Postal Service will soon negate past success and portend a more costly and less effective media.

Only those nonprofit fund raising organizations that cling to direct mail and refuse to rethink alternative direct marketing media and new donor development methodologies will fail. Hopefully, the vast majority will begin to rethink what their fund raising organizations need to look like organizationally, infrastructure wise, personnel wise and financially.

This brings us back to “connecting” with potential donors. In the first part of this series, I used the analogy of an auto manufacturer marketing department using research to determine the specific “whys” in ascertaining why and what the specific issues are that would trigger someone specifically to choose to buy their automobile. This is a question most established nonprofit organizations that have used direct mail fund raising for decades have never asked.

If the era of direct mail fund raising which is drawing to a close was ham fisted in comparison to the way other industries get to know and connect with their potential customers, when we consider the proliferation of highly personalized communications today, the future for nonprofit fund raisers connecting with and engaging new donors will be a new golden era of fund raising.

-Mike

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Monday, August 29, 2011

BIG's Blog: Quote of the Day

“This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper.” -An excerpt from FDR’s First Inaugural Address

Directors of US nonprofits should reflect on how this quote by President Franklin D. Roosevelt applies to the current world of fundraising. Business leaders from around the country have been educating and preparing nonprofit staff for the challenges that face the next generation of fundraisers.

It is true that nonprofits will face significant challenges if the US Postal Service discount rates are cut significantly. For small to medium size organizations, the effects could be devastating to the mission and those they serve. Postal increases are just one of the hurdles that nonprofits will face.

So, how does an organization begin to address these obstacles? Instead of waiting to react to these barriers, begin to plan, test, and implement other strategies to communicate with constituents and donors. This is not the first time nonprofits have faced challenges that seemed insurmountable.

Don’t let fear or lack of planning keep the organization from moving forward.

-Gail

This is BIG’s Blog and yes, by all means forward our blog to your friends and co-workers.



Sunday, August 28, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Techniques vs. Connecting - Part 1

If I am an automobile manufacturer and I want to sell my auto; how do I go about that? Remember, an automobile is a technological marvel designed by teams of engineers and assembled by line workers that today are more akin to craftsmen than Henry Ford’s original assembly line workers who basically tightened bolts.

If I am the marketing department of this automobile manufacturer, am I spend advertising dollars going into engineering detail about all the technological marvels of the engineering? No. The customer wants the “whole” automobile and doesn’t care about the engineering details. The customer is buying the car in its completeness. And in its completeness, the automobile has it’s own look, feel and touch which makes up the car's personality. A complex tool for transportation with many complex parts becomes – in the mind of the buyer/owner – a singular idea.

So, what does the marketer talk to his audience about? Right – the singular idea. Uncomplicated from the technology, the marketer presents the simple “whole” idea to the prospective buyer group for whom the automobile is targeted. What’s this about targeting, you ask? Well, for example, a pickup is not a van and a van is not a convertible and a convertible is not a SUV. The marketer communicates the essence of the “idea” of the pickup, or the van, or the convertible, or the SUV to the targeted group for that automobile. The goal is to “connect” the idea of each automobile to the right target audience.

But, what about your nonprofit? How and who do you target?

Obviously, not everyone is going to support your organization anymore than everyone is going to buy a van.

Start with the “idea” of who you are and what your mission is? Write it down. Then talk to a sample of prospective donors and ask them: A) Are they interested in supporting your organization, and if so: B) Why and what specifically is the reason they are drawn to supporting your organization? This is your basic research. This is the first step in the process of learning how to connect with the people that might support your organization.

When you do this research exercise, here is what you will learn. While the first question selects all of those that say they would support your organization; the second question goes to the specifics of “why” they would support your organization. Guess what you’re going to find? There are many reasons, but, they will all coalesce into five or eight or 20 specific reasons. 

So, how do you connect with new potential supporters today? Most of your organizations generate new supporters through direct mail campaigns. This means you buy lists that have either worked successfully for other similar organizations or you test lists that should have a probability of working to see if the metrics work for you. This is the standard direct mail marketing technique and it has worked for years.

Then with your list acquired, you mail your “control acquisition package” using the chosen lists so that all receive the same singular message. Is this really connecting with potential supporters or is this merely a direct marketing technique? If it is really meant to connect, then why do 70%+ of newly acquired donors never give a second gift?

But hey, these direct mail techniques have proven successful for 50+ years! And they will continue to work – until they don’t.

Why will they stop working and how do we really learn to connect?

We will cover that Wednesday.

-Mike

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Friday, August 26, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Earthquakes, Postal Crisis and Human Nature

In my blog on Wednesday, I juxtaposed the two earthquakes that hit the U.S. this week with the equally big coming jolt to nonprofit direct mail fund raisers that that are going to lose all or a part of their nonprofit postal discount.

It turns out that Seth Godin, who offices outside New York City and presumably experienced the eastern quake, also wrote a blog about earthquakes.

I thought that sharing his two points about earthquakes and human nature were “spot on” in comparing the way nonprofit direct mail fund raising groups are reacting to the coming postal crisis.

Seth’s Point #1. The first thing that happens after we encounter an earthquake is to wonder if anyone else felt it. The need for group validation is widespread and happens for events that don’t involve earthquakes as well.

In my last Wednesday blog, maybe I was thinking too much like the geologist when I found myself not understanding “why” these nonprofit direct mail fund raising leaders at the 2011 New York Nonprofit Conference last week were not talking about the very real potential of losing their postal discount. But, after reading Seth Godin’s blog point #1, it hit me. Of course – it hasn’t happened yet! As Seth states above, there is a need for group validation AFTER the event happens.

Seth’s Point #2. Organizations are busy evacuating buildings, even national monuments. Even though experience indicates that the most dangerous thing you can do is have tens of thousands of people run down stairs, cram into elevators and stand in the streets, we do it anyway. Why? Because people like to do something. Action, even ineffective action, is something societies seek out during times of uncertainty.

There is no doubt that this whole Postal Service financial crisis will end badly for nonprofit direct mail fund raisers. How bad? We just don’t know. But, what we do know is that when it happens, human nature will have nonprofit direct mail fund raisers scrambling to do something.

Hopefully your fund raising organization employs a geologist that has convinced your organization that the “big one is coming” and you have created a plan for the post-Postal discount world of direct marketing fund raising. Now is the best time to be thinking, planning and developing alternate strategies.

-Mike

P.S. If the “geologist” reference makes no sense to you, re-read last Wednesday’s blog.

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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

BIG's Blog: The “Blame Game”

The nonprofit world is unraveling around us. Organizations are trying to sort out the threats of postal increases, changing communication technologies and constituent /donor generational shifts. So, how can organizations work through these challenges?

Brian Dodge, motivational speaker and author, suggests that, “One key to unraveling is accepting total responsibility for the situation, regardless of the circumstances that got you to that point.”

Since 2000, many nonprofits have seen the downward trend in their revenue. For those in the Catholic market, one may point to the scandals of the church for this decline. What about the other nonprofits that also saw their donor income drop off significantly? Who or what is the reason for their diminution in revenue?

The postal situation is one problem that nonprofits may not be able to control. There are many other areas that organizations can address to stabilize their operations.

Now is not the time to point fingers or play the “blame game.” It is not one department, program or problem that brought us to where we are today. Instead, organizations must let go of their fears and begin to a formulate solutions.

If the transformormation your organization faces seem daunting, you may want to bring in an expert in change management. They can assist the leadership team in the development and execution of a plan for today and the future.

-Gail

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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Two U.S. Earthquakes in Two Days!

A lot of our blog readers live on the East Coast. And, of course, since most of the major news outlets are located in the New York City area with major news offices in Washington D.C., yesterday's (Tuesday's) 5.9 magnitude earthquake near DC was major news.

Did any of you hear about the 5.3 magnitude earthquake that hit southern Colorado this past Monday? Not so much?

When these earthquakes hit, broadcast news people scramble to get a geologist on the air live to add expertise and background to what is otherwise a conversation of “Did you feel it?” or “How much stuff fell off the shelves of nearby stores?”

When the geologist comes on, invariably we learn that though the exact day can’t be predicted; those that study and follow geologic fault lines were not surprised. I don’t know about you, but hearing this kind of information gives me a sense of security that there are actually people out there watching this kind of stuff. And presumably, they are alerting public officials about the probabilities so that “we collectively” are not caught off guard.

Speaking of the East Coast, a friend and client of ours was in New York City last week at the DMA Nonprofit Federation’s 2011 New York Nonprofit Conference. With all the news hitting last week about the Postal Service's critical financial situation, and Postal Reform legislation in the Congress that includes stripping nonprofit mailers of their postal discount; I asked him if it soured the mood of the conference. After all, these are the leaders of fund raising organizations that will feel the effects if the postal discount goes away.

My friend said he heard “nobody talking about it.” I said, “You’re kidding, right?” He said, “Nobody.”

Wow.

You know that the geologists and public officials in the Oakland and San Francisco Bay area know that they are overdue for a major earthquake. Since the last major earthquake that famously happened during the 1987 World Series in San Francisco and heavily damaged the Oakland Bay Bridge, public officials have been working at a fever pitch to complete the new earthquake proof Oakland Bay Bridge. They know a big one is coming and they are preparing for it.

You’ve got to wonder what is going through the minds of those direct mail fund raising leaders as they see this postal crisis unfolding right at the time they are meeting with their peers.

And nobody talks about it???

-Mike

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Monday, August 22, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Predictive Analytics – Part 3

In this three-part blog series, I have been addressing one of the most important methodologies that nonprofit direct mail fund raisers must incorporate with the coming postal increases. Today’s blog is the last in the series I have titled 'Predictive Analytics.'

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, although we have all heard about IBM, most of us don’t know that IBM’s big push going forward is focused on Information Technology and Analytics. IBM believes that this technology and business practice will be the competitive edge that many commercial companies are looking for.

IBM has been around for a long time and is a survivor in the always changing technology business. So, if you want a good idea of what is going to be important to the largest companies in the world . . . IBM’s target customers . . . look at where IBM is going. And right now, they are “betting the company” on Information Technology and Analytics.

In the first two parts of this series, you had to read and think about what I was saying. To accommodate the visual learners in my audience, IBM also has a short video that drives home the message of what predictive analytics is and what it can do for organizations (see below).

You will note that all of the examples in the short video are about commercial businesses. Frankly, IBM isn’t interested in the nonprofit sector . . . too small. But, the video drives home the message of what predictive analytics will do for large companies, and, as you watch the video, apply the information to your nonprofit organization.

VIDEO – click here

-Mike

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Sunday, August 21, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Predictive Analytics – Part 2

Today’s blog is written especially for my subscribers who have large direct mail fund raising programs.

Many nonprofit direct marketing fund raisers have never heard of predictive analytics. Or, if they have heard the term, they are not clear as to what it means. In Part 1 of this series on Predictive Analytics, I described how fund raisers need to think about mitigating risk through predictive analytic methods the way insurance companies mitigate risk through actuarial methods. Both are data-driven and mathematical.

Nonprofit direct marketing fund raisers that do not integrate predictive model scores into their targeting methodologies will incur unnecessary risk. But, using predictive analytics, they are incorporating a data-driven system of risk management.

In the commercial world, predictive analytics is an established, pervasive business practice. Eric Siegel, PhD., in a recent IBM paper shared the history of proven analytical technology.

“Born of research labs and built upon mathematics, probability, statistics, and database technologies, predictive modeling capabilities, known as machine learning in the academic arena, are scientifically proven and have benefited from decades of advancements.”

As nonprofit direct mail fund raisers are soon to face significant postal increases through the outright loss of the nonprofit postal discount, or, if they are lucky, a phase out of the postal discount over several years, it is imperative nonprofit direct marketers incorporate predictive analytic methodologies that will help them optimize mail quantities and maximize profitability.

-Mike

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Saturday, August 20, 2011

BIG’s Blog: NCDC Issues a Postal Reform Alert!

I keep talking and writing about how serious the Postal Service situation is, and, in the heat of the summer of 2011, it is finally coming to a head.

Last Monday featured my blog on the U.S. Government’s GAO putting the Postal Service on their “High-Risk” watch list due to their deteriorating financial cash position. The USPS will run out of money this year!

Several months ago, Congressman Issa, the Chairman of the Committee that oversees the U.S. Postal Service, put forth legislation, H. R. 2309, the Postal Reform Act of 2011 which contained the provision to eliminate the nonprofit postal discount. The Chronicle of Philanthropy on Friday also ran a story about nonprofits losing their 40% discount.

Thursday, Sr. Georgette Lehmuth, the president and CEO of the National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC), issued a News Alert pleading with her NCDC members to contact their Congressman as well as Congressman Issa to implore them to keep the nonprofit postal discount. A large number of NCDC member organizations generate a significant portion of their revenue from direct mail.

I keep writing that this crisis is serious as a “heart attack” for nonprofit direct mail fund raisers.

Call your Congressman, but also, you better start developing a plan for the post-USPS postal discount world of nonprofit direct mail fund raising.

-Mike

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

BIG's Blog: Quote for the day!

“A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan next week." -General George Patton

Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress. Your organization’s success depends on action, especially in today’s fast-paced world.

-Gail

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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

BIG's Blog: Frustrations with USPS

Mike Browne’s recent blog spoke about the USPS financial situation. This blog led me to write about a client’s recent experience with the post office.

The organization had recently gone through a name change, and knew a form had to be submitted to the postal service to continue mailing. This should have been an easy request. Instead, it began a grueling process of calls and emails with no response.

To speed up the process, I suggested we go to the post office to obtain the proper paperwork. Upon arrival, a postal security guard tried to contact numerous offices to obtain information without success. No one was at their desks. Fortunately, the security guard eventually found someone who informed us what form to submit.

After returning to the office, the proper paperwork was retrieved via the Internet and forwarded to the proper department. A few days later, via telephone, the organization was informed that authorization to mail under the new name was granted.

Shortly after receiving approval, someone else called and said additional information was required. The postal service (after back and forth communications) finally approved the name change. Of course, the mailing was now late. A process that should have taken a few hours to resolve took weeks.

Congress is trying to take away nonprofit discounts for mailing. Will that mean service will improve? Probably not! Can they ensure that our mail will get delivered on time? Who knows? But, many of us won’t be around to find out. Our budgets won’t be able to withstand mailing at a higher rate. If the discounts go away then volume of mail will be cut significantly.

Now is the time for nonprofit leadership to be looking for other alternatives to direct mail!

So my question is, “What do you think this bill will cost the nonprofit and the USPS in dollars?” You be the judge.

-Gail

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Predictive Analytics – Part 1

Today’s blog is for my subscribers that have large direct mail fund raising programs. This is my promised follow-up to my Monday blog about the reality of the failing Postal Service and the very real chance that the USPS will begin to raise the postage rate that nonprofits pay. Before this happens, it is my fervent hope and strong suggestion that your organization gets serious about adopting predictive analytics.

IBM is a long-established technology company when compared to other technology giants like Oracle, Microsoft and Google. A lot of people don’t know that IBM is now betting the company on Information Technology and Analytics. And the big push is analytics. IBM targets the largest corporations in the world and frankly is not interested in selling to the nonprofit industry; however, there is much nonprofits can learn from what IBM is doing with the Fortune 500 when it comes to predictive analytics.

So, what is predictive analytics? A recent IBM paper by Eric Siegel, PhD. gives an excellent definition: Predictive analytics is business intelligence technology that produces a predictive score for each customer (read donor) or other organization element. Assigning these predictive scores is the job of a predictive model which has, in turn, been trained over your data.

For years, nonprofit direct mail fund raisers have used RFM (Recency, Frequency and Monetary) as the three key elements for segmenting and targeting. But, with the ability to capture donor behavior information in donor management systems, and the availability of demographics information that can be appended to donor records, not to mention the proliferating amount of online data, there was suddenly a need to have more data points considered for targeting purposes.

Analytic tools and methodologies make sense of the data. With predictive analytics, direct mail fund raisers can learn from its cumulative experience (data) with donor interactions and take the actions to apply what’s been learned.

For nonprofit direct mail fund raisers, this means that as mail becomes more expensive, you must develop predictive models that only target those donors with the highest propensity (predictive scores) to give.

Nonprofit direct mail fund raisers need to start thinking more like insurance companies when it comes to managing risk. Like insurance, nonprofit direct mail fund raising is an exercise in risk management. The decisions of who to mail and who not to mail impacts the risk the direct mail fund raising organization must withstand, such as the risk of a donor defecting, or not responding to an expensive mailing, or of not being selected to be targeted for telephone or email follow-up.

Just like insurance companies, nonprofit direct mail fund raisers would benefit from measuring, tracking and computing core risk as a key part of their direct mail programs.

Friday we will review how long predictive analytics has been around.

-Mike

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Big's Blog: Thought for the day!

"Only by accepting full responsibility for your past, which has resulted in your present, can you then take control of your actions today and create a successful tomorrow." (Jim Stoval, Ultimate Productivity, 2008)

-Gail

This is BIG’s Blog and yes, by all means forward our blog to your friends and co-workers.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

BIG’s Blog: GAO Adds Postal Service’s Financial Condition to “High-Risk” List

You have no idea how much I did not want to write another blog on the failing US Postal Service. But, as I travel around the country speaking to nonprofit organizations and groups, there is a “disbelief” mentality that the problems of the USPS are real and are quickly coming to a major showdown.

Can your direct mail fund raising organization SURVIVE a 40% increase in postage costs? Qualified nonprofit organizations get a 40% discount from the regular “commercial” postal rates charged to for-profit commercial mailers.

The end of July, the GAO issued a Press Release that they were adding the Postal Service to their “High-Risk” list. This is the strongest language the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) makes about the financial condition and future solvency of a government entity.

Let me draw you a comparison from the recent news. When Standard & Poors downgraded United States government obligations from AAA to AA+, this was merely a private rating agency expressing their professional opinion about the credit worthiness of U.S. government obligations. In contrast, the GAO is the U.S. government’s accountability office.

So what are some of the concerns raised by Gene L. Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO?

• There are serious and significant financial challenges currently facing the Postal Service.

• New technology is profoundly affecting services in both private and public sectors, including traditional mail delivery.

• Compounded by the current recession, the volume of mail being sent is dropping substantially, leading to a sizable decline in revenue.

• At the same time, the Postal Service faces significant infrastructure and personnel costs.

Mr. Dodaro went on to state, “USPS has relied on growth in mail volume to help sustain its operations, a strategy that has enabled it to remain self-supporting. During the last decade, however, business and consumers have increasingly turned from traditional mail delivery to electronic communication alternatives. Mail volume has bounced back after past recessions, but USPS’s forecasts suggest that this may not be the case this time as more and more postal customers embrace electronic options.”

This is about as straight forward and devastating as it gets folks. The USPS has said it will run out of funds this year. What is their fall-back “keep operating” plan? They will have to go to Congress for a bailout. What kind of bailout mood do you think Congress is in? Congress has their own debt problems to deal with.

What else can they do to raise money? How about cutting back the nonprofit postal discount?

Do you see how real this threat is?

Starting with my next blog, I will start sharing some of the technology and service ideas you will need to be implementing to “maximize” and “optimize” your mail to stay profitable as your mail costs are rising.

-Mike

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Light Summer Blog #5

I am starting a new summer tradition for BIG’s Blog, at least for my blogs. I am calling it 'Light Summer Blogs.' They are tongue-in-cheek summer respites from the “heavy” fund raising subjects I typically blog about. Hope you like them and of course, I’d love to hear from you!

At a recent seminar, one of the attendees asked a question that had been asked in an earlier session. It allowed me to quote Mark Twain.

“I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.” – Mark Twain

-Mike

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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

BIG's Blog: What did you hear?

As a child playing a game, you may remember one person whispering a sentence to another person. This sentence is passed down the line until it gets to the last person. The last person repeats the sentence they heard. By the end of the passing, of course, the information is nothing like what the person originally stated. That game made us laugh as children. But, this same concept happens in organizations today.

If a project or task is important, be sure that you communicate directly with the person who is assigned the responsibility. If not, the outcome of your project may not be what you expected. The final result may not be a laughing matter.

-Gail

This is BIG’s Blog and yes, by all means forward our blog to your friends and co-workers.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Light Summer Blog #4

I am starting a new summer tradition for BIG’s Blog, at least for my blogs. I am calling it 'Light Summer Blogs.' They are tongue-in-cheek summer respites from the “heavy” fund raising subjects I typically blog about. Hope you like them and of course, I’d love to hear from you!

Never . . . ever . . . use only the facts or data in arguing your point to the president of your organization. While she may not say it, here is what she is probably thinking . . .

“There are lies, damned lies and statistics.” – Mark Twain

-Mike

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BIG's Blog: How to “stand out” in the crowd.

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are approximately 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the US today. How is your mission going to stand out from the crowd of nonprofits whose mission is similar to yours? If you don’t have an answer, here is my suggestion – ANALYTICS.

I recently reviewed the data from a small nonprofit who was looking for assistance with their fundraising program. Through a simple review of the data, I was able to identify potential major donors and monthly pledge opportunities. With this information, the organization will be able to develop a new strategy to approach these donors.

In larger organizations, analytics can supply valuable information. From this data, one can determine the donors' interests from: types of mission projects, when to send information and the level of financial support they may be able to provide.

Analytics can help move the nonprofit’s mission to the top of the list, but it does take someone who understands the theory of quantitative methods. It may be necessary to partner with an expert in the field to best apply these methods to your mission.

-Gail

This is BIG’s Blog and yes, by all means forward our blog to your friends and co-workers.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Light Summer Blog #3

I am starting a new summer tradition for BIG’s Blog, at least for my blogs. I am calling it 'Light Summer Blogs.' They are tongue-in-cheek summer respites from the “heavy” fund raising subjects I typically blog about. Hope you like them, and of course, I’d love to hear from you!

My wife keeps pointing out to me that my 20-something daughters don’t have any trouble figuring out her iPad and smartphone features as well as easily navigating Twitter and Facebook. I respond with stony silence.

“Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” – Mark Twain

-Mike

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Friday, August 5, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Light Summer Blog #2

I am starting a new summer tradition for BIG’s Blog, at least for my blogs. I am calling it 'Light Summer Blogs.' They are tongue-in-cheek summer respites from the “heavy” fund raising subjects I typically blog about. I hope you like them, and, of course, I’d love to hear from you!

Ever looked at the results of a mailing test and frankly were surprised by the great results when you thought the test package had no chance? Then you thought deeper about it and finally “got” what that new staffer was getting at.

“It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.” – Mark Twain

-Mike

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

BIG's Blog: Do You Have a Problem?

Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, once said, “The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different.”

This statement continues to be true. As an organizational leader responsible for managing change, this can be personally difficult. But, change can be managed. A good strategy to address change is imperative.

I would suggest reading Rich’s Management blog, “What is bad strategy?”

Don’t let a change overwhelm you or the people you lead. It may not be as big of an obstacle as you think.

-Gail
This is BIG’s Blog and yes, by all means forward our blog to your friends and co-workers.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

BIG’s Blog: Light Summer Blog #1

I am starting a new summer tradition for BIG’s Blog, at least for my blogs. I am calling it 'Light Summer Blogs.' They are tongue-in-cheek summer respites from the “heavy” fund raising subjects that I typically blog about. I hope that you like them, and, of course, I’d love to hear from you!

As fund raising, along with many other industries, has become disrupted by the digital Internet and Development staff try to explain how these disruptions are forcing change in their fund raising tactics, you hear exasperated Leadership quoting Mark Twain.

“The more you explain it, the more I don’t understand it.” – Mark Twain

-Mike

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Monday, August 1, 2011

BIG's Blog: Donor Engagement

In McKinsey Quarterly, February 2011 E-newsletter, the article and interview on “What non profits can teach the private sector about social media” is a MUST read. In a case study excerpted from The Dragonfly Effect, by Jennifer Aaker (Stanford University marketing professor) and Andy Smith (marketing strategist) they present their definition of engagement and how important this process is in cultivating relationships.

Their definition of the engagement should be posted on the walls in our organizations. Read this article and see why.

-Gail
This is BIG’s Blog and yes, by all means forward our blog to your friends and co-workers.