Nonprofit Session Takes Game Show Format
WASHINGTON -- Fundraisers competed for points while showing off knowledge of their craft in a lively opening session yesterday at the Direct Marketing Associations Nonprofit Federation 12th Annual Conference.The session, which was a formatted like a game show and titled "You Bet Your Response Rate," was moderated by Larry May, president of May Development Services.
May described it as, "A new twist on 60 ideas in 60 minutes."
Two teams made up of fundraising professionals went head-to-head to answer the questions asked by May. Their responses provided many important tips for fundraisers.
Some of those answers included the following:
• To slash costs quickly with the least impact on the year's gross income, a mailer should cut its acquisition mailing quantity.
• Putting your donor list on the market has no adverse affect on your file.
• When sending an emergency appeal, response will go up while average gift will not.
• Use of long fundraising letters mentioning a specific gift amount several times in the copy will result in gifts that cluster around the specified amount.
Prior to the game, conference chairman Raymond Grace told the crowd that attendance was up to an all time high of 484 people and he expected it to top the 500 mark by the end of the day.
