Acquisition on a Dime: Small Budgets, Big Results

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Acquisition on a Dime Small Budgets, Big Results

• Thursday January 24, 2008
• 200pm-300pm
• Moderator
• Catherine Algeri, Triplex, an infoUSA company

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• Whitman-Walker Clinic (WWC) is a non-profit
  organization serving the Washington, D.C. area.  
  
• Established by and for the gay and lesbian
  community, WWC is comprised of diverse volunteers
  and staff who provide high quality health care
  and community services. 
• WWC is especially committed to ending the
  suffering of all those infected and affected by
  HIV / AIDS.
• Approximately 25,000 active direct marketing
  donors.

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• AHA provides a range of direct marketing
  services to our non-profit clients. These
  services include
• Direct mail copywriting and graphic design
• Complete production management
• Internet campaign design
• Telemarketing management
• AHA is headquartered in Arlington, VA and has a
  second office in San Francisco, CA.

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Case Study Development of a Less Expensive
Prospect Package

• The Clinics long-standing control was starting
  to fatigue was more expensive than wed like
• Brainstorm
• Looked at successful house appeals
• Look at past prospect tests that almost worked
• Looked at what competitors are mailing

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Control FormatNotecard package w. 5
cardsRollout Cost .546 per piece
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Prescription Bag Test Rollout Cost .471
per piece 14 lower than control

• After a thorough review of past mailings, we
  transformed an old lunch bag mailing into a
  prescription bag package reminding donors of
  the Clinics important pharmacy program
• Package worked well is now a co-control

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Test ResultsPrescription Bag test produces
higher response AND higher average gift at
lower cost
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Data Cost-Savings Tips

• Use finder numbers on reply documents the
  back-end costs are less expensive than manual
  keying of data
• Allow your list to be exchanged with other
  nonprofits even if your organization is small,
  this can lower your list costs
• Include your no-money e-activists in prospecting
  free list!

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Postage Cost Savings Tips

• Maximize your postal pre-sorting down to the
  carrier level
• Consider co-mingling your nonprofit mailings
  cost savings can be substantial
• If you cant co-mingle, drop ship to your local
  BMCs for faster delivery

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DMA Nonprofit Conference 2008
Lynn Mehaffy Account Supervisor Lautman Maska
Neill Company lmehaffy_at_lautmandc.com

• Acquisition On A Dime
• Lynn Mehaffy
• Account Supervisor
• Lautman Maska Neill Company

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Lists

• Maximize multi donors by mailing them a third
  time.

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Lists

• Expand the selection criteria from 12 month to 24
  or 36 months to get more donors on your best
  lists or to cover the minimum.

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Lists

• Use the merge purge to identify direct mail
  responsive donors among house prospect lists.

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Results?

• Holiday 2006 Mailing
• Holiday 2007 Mailing

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Creative

• Test a CRE to reduce back end costs.

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Creative

• Test eliminating an insert or reducing the size
  of your reply form to cut costs.

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Creative

• If youre testing a more expensive insert or
  premium in an appeal print more of it to test
  in acquisition.
• Mail one of your best appeals as an acquisition
  test package.

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Pete Carter Adams Hussey Associates pcarter_at_ahad
irect.com
Jim Dickman Lewis Direct jdickman_at_lewisdirect.com
Lynn Mehaffy Lautman Maska Neill LMehaffy_at_lautma
ndc.com
2008 Washington Nonprofit Conference January
24-25, 2008