Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Hats off to the Nonprofit Federation

Last week the DMA Nonprofit Federation produced one of the best events I've attended. Well organized and full of excellent sessions, the conference hit on all cylinders. Even the Networking Reception was great. Held at the Canadian Embassy, attendees were welcomed by the sponsoring hosts and the Director of the Embassy. The short but very engaging and warm greeting by the Primiere of Manitoba, Canada was truly a nice touch. I know I felt very appreciated.

Keep this as a template for the future. It's going to be a tough act to follow.

Labels: conference, DMA Nonprofit

Monday, January 28, 2008

Max L. Hart award recipient, Kelly Browning

In an earlier blog entry, Rich Leary from RMI very eloquently outlined the accomplishments of Kelly Browning of the American Institute for Cancer Research, and the reasons why he is such a deserving recipient of the Max L. Hart Achievement Award.

As not only a long time client of RMI's, but as a friend, I know first hand how important the nonprofit community is to Kelly. If you know nothing more about him know this; if you are a nonprofit mailer and are in need of advise he will always be available to give you wise council. He is not sparing of his time. In his view, the nonprofit sector is only helped by the strengthening of its entire parts. To me it's this quality that makes him such a valuable member of not only the nonprofit market place but for the entire Direct Marketing industry as a whole.

Congratulations not only to Kelly and AICR but to the DMA Nonprofit Federation for such a good choice.

Labels: award, DMA Nonprofit, fundraising, nonprofit

Second Nonprofit Mailer Symposium a hit

On Jaunuary 23, 2008 RMI hosted it's second annual Nonprofit Mailer Symposium in Washington DC. Held at the Occidental Restaurant, it was a precursor to the DMA Nonprofit Federation's Washington event. This mailers-only round table is a venue for nonprofit mailers to be able to interact with peers to exchange ideas and report on developments which effect every nonprofit mailer today. "It's like a one on one lunch meeting where you can ask questions and get really straight answers, except that there are about 30 others at the table too."

Discussed were strategies for online and off line marketing tips and best and worst case studies for packages and both house file and acquisition.

For more information on next year's event just contact us here at RMI.

(The lovely lady smiling next to me in the photo above is Cecilia Saad of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.)

Labels: fundraising, nonprofit, Nonprofit Mailer Symposium

Friday, January 25, 2008

Kelly Browning gets his due

Today at the Non-Profit Conference in DC, Kelly B. Browning, Executive VP and COO of American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), will be awarded the prestigious Max L. Hart Achievement Award by the DMA's Nonprofit Federation. This award is named for Max Hart, who as a longtime Director of Fundraising for Disabled American Veterans, was a steadfast advocate, supporter and champion of professionalism for the nonprofit fundraising community. This award recognizes an individual who:

--serves as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others by exemplifying the highest levels of excellence in his/her work, and is a respected authority in his/her area of expertise;
--is innovative and possesses strong leadership skills;
--exhibits a willingness to assist in the professional development of others through the sharing of knowledge;
--is a model of integrity in professional dealings; and
--has an outstanding record of achievement.

Kelly is all that and more. Being RMI's first client ever, he has been a stalwart supporter and a wealth of information for over 20 years. His accolades are numerous. In addition to being in charge of AICR's entire US Operation and a member of the World Cancer Research Fund global network, Kelly is Vice Chairman of the Direct Marketing Association's Board of Directors. He also serves as a member of the Executive Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Finance Committee, the DMEI Committee, the Do Not Mail Task Force, and the Consumer Segments Task Force. He chairs the DMA Board Standing Committee on Government Affairs and is Chair of the DMA Political Action Committee (direct•voice) Advisory Board. Kelly is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Postal Commerce and a member of the Board of Directors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health Foundation.

I'll never again complain that I'm too busy. On behalf of RMI, we applaud his accomplishments and the Nonprofit Federation for rewarding a truly inspirational direct marketing professional. Kelly is a credit to the industry.

Congratulations!

Labels: award, DMA Nonprofit Federation, nonprofit

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Direct Media aquired by InfoUSA

What is going on? For years I have been listening to mailers and listowners complain about the shrinking universe of lists. I am questioning the shrinking industry.

Will the list industry be a monopoly, one company where mailers and listowners do not have a choice because of all the close relationships? I hope not. I am proud to be part of an independent list company, who is committed to maintaining our independence and our dedication is to our clients.

Merges scheduled for DMDNY

The DMA plans to merge List Day (formerly List Vision), International Day, and Directo Day into DM Days New York, effective with this year's June 10th-12th conference. Further details will be released in February.

Labels: conference, DMDays

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The key to viral marketing: become your audience

Decio, our network administrator, pointed out this really great quote from a DM News interview with Adam Deringer. The VP and chief digital officer of the Brownstein Group talks about a successful 26 video viral campaign launched for SuperPretzel.

"To play in this viral world of social marketing, you can't take yourself too seriously. This is something that is really difficult for a lot of traditional companies to accept. You need to become your audience as opposed to being a brand speaking to your audience. This, in turn, generates interest in the brand. Being genuine is most effective in viral marketing."

Well said.

Labels: video, viral marketing

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Nonprofits look into “mobile” marketing

DM News online recently posted an article speaking about how member organizations of the DMA Nonprofit Federation were looking into the use of “mobile” marketing as a tool to raise funds for their causes. A test pilot program that will involve a dozen or more nonprofits will be put together next month.

The prevailing thought is that this vehicle may be a way to reach the always sought after and evasive “younger” donors. The hope is that they get involved at a young age and give to the organization for years to come. Apparently there has been some success in Europe with text messaging and raising funds.

It will be curious to see how the test goes. Will the success in Europe translate to the States? Will the recipients of such text messages become annoyed and just delete them without reading (i.e. “junk” messages)? Will the messages get lost amongst the hundreds of other text messages that the youth of America are sending one another on a monthly basis? Will we be seeing the DNT (Do Not Text) legislation start to flow out of our capitals? Will this tool work as well for nonprofits as it would for other types of direct marketers?

We shall find out. One thing is for sure; the Test, Test, Test motto is not just for direct mail anymore.

Labels: fundraising, mobile marketing, nonprofit

Not to brag, but we rock

Remember the Denim Day fundraiser we blogged about last week? Our staff's contributions, doubled by an RMI match, allowed us to raise $500 for CLAS - surpassing our fundraising goal by $200! Not too shabby.

Labels: fundraising

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Multi-billion dollar Javits plan nixed

According to MeetingNews, former Governor George Pataki's $1.8 billion dollar Javits expansion proposal was scrapped after the Empire State Development Corp. determined that the plan would cost more along the lines of $5 billion. It was also reported that another plan to repair the Javits' damaged lobby and leaky roof would cost about $850 million. They're currently developing a less ambitious proposal.

So in the mean time, remember to bring your hat and galoshes to DM Days.

Labels: DMDays, Javits Center

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

DMA reports increased ROI for nonprofits

In making my daily trek through Direct Newsline today, an article that spoke about nonprofits and their forecasted spending on DM over the next several years caught my attention.

The great news, in my eyes, was the positive ROI that nonprofits reported receiving in 2007 ($14.47 for every $1 spent). One would think that figure would be printed on the front page of every DM periodical.

The unexplainable is where that return is being spent. Apparently it is not on hiring more staff, because according to the article, employment in the nonprofit sector that is driven by direct marketing is expected to decrease by 1.4% by 2012.

I presume that the increased returns are being spent on programs for the non profits’ constituents. As a broker, I could dream that some of those increased funds would be spent on doing more acquisition, hint…hint.

Labels: nonprofit, ROI

Monday, January 14, 2008

Facebook falls into the privacy trap

In an interview with 60 Minutes, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the 23 year old whiz-kid of the social media scene, was chastised for his faux pas in the possible invasion of his members' privacy. What's interesting here is the fact that for all the press and notoriety, Facebook is not making money. The only way they have made anything is through the famous $240 million sale of 1.6% share of the company to Microsoft.

In order to try to generate revenue, the company decided to sell advertising - but not through your conventional means. Apparently Facebook began using Beacon, a tracking program that monitors what its members buy on over 40 websites. Then, without explicit permission, it automatically reports their purchases to family and friends through a member "endorsed" ad. (Picture your face next to the scarf you just bought online at Bloomingdales.) It's a really innovative idea, just poorly executed. In any event they'll need to make some major changes in their methodology.

Will Facebook become the new Google? Some people think so.

Labels: privacy, social media

Friday, January 11, 2008

Great article, must read

Ken Magill has a great article this week on how being over zealous can some times cloud your judgement. Sears, trying to do the right thing by disclosing what they were going to do with information given to them voluntarily, still can't get a break from the privacy advocates. Sears very clearly and completely explains in their disclaimer, that by clicking and joining their research group, people are allowing Sears to follow their internet movements. What's the problem here, or rather, who's the problem?

Labels: privacy

Thursday, January 10, 2008

What do Bear Naked cereal and Arbor Day have in common?

In 2007 the cereal company Bear Naked, brain child of two Connecticut entrepreneurs, partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation and planted 50,000 trees in fire damaged forests.

I'm seeing more and more of this type of partnering recently.

Labels: fundraising, green

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Easter Seals tackles internet challenge

Easter Seals, among other nonprofit organizations, is participating in America’s Giving Challenge; an online challenge for charities to see how many unique donors they can attract using new and inventive online tools. The challenge, co-sponsored by Parade Magazine and The Case Foundation, will award $50,000 to the top eight charities with the most unique donors. The idea is for the charities' supporters to attach a charity badge (or fundraising widget) to their e-mail, blog, website or MySpace page. The challenge does not focus on how much money is raised but by how many unique donors they can attract from December 13th, 2007 until January 31st, 2008. What a great way for charitable organizations to utilize the internet for fundraising.

Check out Easter Seals' fundraising page to see how you can help, or simply make a donation here.

Labels: fundraising, nonprofit, viral marketing

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Wear denim and contribute to CLAS

On Friday, January 11th the Congress of Lung Association Staff (CLAS) is holding their nationwide fundraiser, "Denim Day". CLAS represents the staff voice for the American Lung Association and the American Thoracic Society Board of Directors and committees. Donate $5 and wear denim to work. Check out our fundraising page for details on how to join in.

Labels: fundraising, nonprofit

Monday, January 7, 2008

Anniversary notes

We like to acknowledge milestones at RMI. During our annual holiday party in December we celebrated the anniversaries of eight of our team members reaching landmark 5, 10, 15 and yes, even 20 years of service to our company.

From left to right:
Tally Maffucci, newly appointed President, 20 years
Rich Leary, Senior VP, National Sales Director, Management, 15 years
Siobhan Caragine, Account Executive Management, 10 years
Decio Tenreiro, Network Administrator, 5 years
Carol Forbes, Account Manager Management, 5 Years
Linda Weintraub, recently retired, VP Brokerage, 20 years
Ginny Naclerio, Account Manager Brokerage, 15 years
Laurie Nichols (not in picture), Accounting, 10 years

We have a few who have been here for 23 years but they have to wait for the next milestone... 25 years.

Congratulations to you all. Our company is made up of great, dedicated people. Thank you for all you do every day!

Labels: anniversaries, holiday, RMI

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Do not e-mail proposed for CT

Just in case you were still on holiday for the New Year, Gov. Jodi Rell of Connecticut has proposed an opt out, "do not e-mail" list which will be similar to the "do not call" list. A one time process and state residents can limit or eliminate information available from search engine sites, credit card solicitations and direct mail lists.

Labels: legislation