 DIRECT
MAIL
– Alan Sharpe
Fundraising mailing lists: how list brokers can help
Last time I
checked, there were 25,000 response lists and 50,000 compiled
lists currently on the market. Among all of these lists, you’ll
find hundreds that work for fundraising appeals. Actually, you
likely won’t find them. Locating the best names for your mailing
is complicated and best left to an experienced list broker.
A list broker is a specialist who researches and recommends
lists for you, and manages all the paperwork and other details
of renting the list.
An experienced list broker helps you find new lists, identifies
profitable segments on unlikely lists, helps you create a matrix
for testing your mailing against other lists, negotiates the
best prices for you with the list owner, recommends other media
(such as eMail) to consider testing, makes sure the list gets to
your lettershop on time, helps you evaluate your response rates,
gift income and other results, and manages invoicing for lists
you rent.
Typical list rental transaction
1. You phone a list broker that specializes in the nonprofit
sector
2. You describe your organization’s mission, including what you
do and who you help
3. You describe your ideal donor (such as “female, 55 years old,
married, owns home, $150,000 household income, cares about
animal welfare, lives in Canada and responds to direct mail
fundraising appeals from animal rights organizations”)
4. You eMail the list broker a PDF sample of the direct mail
package that you are going to mail to the list, and the list
broker forwards it to the list owner
5. The list owner reviews and approves your package
6. You tell the list broker the following: a. the selects you
want, if any*; b. how many names you want to order; c. when you
will mail your piece; d. when you need to receive the names; e.
where you want the names to be sent (your lettershop, usually)
7. The list broker prepares your list and sends it to your
lettershop or service bureau
8. Your lettershop keys your reply device and other components
so you can track the results of this mailing back to this list
9. You mail your package to the names on the list
10. You process each donation you receive, adding the names to
your database (they are yours to keep), and flagging each new
donor record to note the package and list used to acquire the
donor
* A select is a process that the list broker conducts on your
behalf to choose only some names from the entire list. You might
ask the broker to select names from a particular postal code,
for example, and only rent you those names.
Mailing list brokers know the industry. The firms they work for
have researched and tested thousands of lists. So working with a
qualified mailing list broker is vital.
For further
information: Alan Sharpe, President, Raiser Sharpe, 38 Wethered
St., London ON N5Y 1G9, 877/742-7732,
[email protected],
www.raisersharpe.com. |
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