BIG’s Blog: Quit drinking the Kool-Aid

Look, here's the thing. For 60+ years you've had a very successful methodology that generates you large numbers of small donors through direct mail. Most of you understand the math of direct mail marketing, but let's just summarize by saying the math works if you get a very minimal response . . . say 2 to 3 %.

This direct mail methodology has been very good to your organization. It allowed you to build a base of supporters that you could go back to repeatedly. And of course once you had the repeat giver metrics down, you knew what you could spend to acquire a new donor. Acquiring new donors allowed you to grow.

But all that is beginning to fail.

The good news is that a new methodology is rising and it is built 100% online. This new methodology allows you to cost-effectively generate very large numbers of small givers, and some of those small givers - just like your direct mail methodology - will turn into larger givers, and some will leave you bequests.

But it won’t happen if you keep thinking that mixing online with offline is the magic potion to prosperity. How is that integrated marketing working for you?

Exactly how much mail does Amazon send out? Do you think they would do better if they integrated mail with their Web marketing? Seriously?

If your mail appeals are still working . . . don’t mess with it. If it is starting to slide, sending out email blasts and linking to your campaigns on Facebook isn’t going to bring them back.

Several years ago, when I was still drinking the Kool-Aid of integrated marketing for nonprofit fundraisers, I actually visited the corporate headquarters of Borders Books. Do you know what their senior marketing manager told me? You guessed it; he told me they believed that their bricks-and-mortar business model combined with their corporate Website would someday overtake Amazon.

Talk about drinking the Kool-Aid.

Quit drinking the Kool-Aid.

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