BIG’s Blog: Think Back 30 Years to 1983

1983.

To many of us, it seems like yesterday . . . and maybe that’s the problem.

President Ronald Reagan announced that the Global Positioning System would be made available for civilian use. Best Buy began selling music in its stores via cassette tapes. The Challenger Space Shuttle made its first flight. Margaret Thatcher was re-elected Prime Minister in a landslide election . . . and your Development organization had another successful year of direct mail fundraising.

2013.

President Ronald Reagan is gone, but today virtually everyone has access to the Global Positioning System (GPS) via their smartphone.

Cassettes gave way to CDs, which gave way to streaming downloads of music through the iTunes (and others) store, and you can’t buy music at Best Buy anymore.

In 1986, the Challenger Space Shuttle blew up 73 seconds into its flight. Today, the Space Shuttle program is history.

Margaret Thatcher served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1975 to 1990. Lady Thatcher died April 8th of this year.

And today, your organization continues to depend on direct mail appeals.

What’s the takeaway?

I’d say we are in a very different world than in 1983.  

Yet you are still dependent on the same direct mail-centric strategy?

How is that even possible?

Maybe because when you walk in the doors of your Development office, you believe there really isn’t anything new out there that can grow fundraising revenue again. Well, there is and it is.

Join us.

-Mike

Welcome to BIG's Blog!  Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com