Direct mail fundraising veteran, consultant and industry mentor Donald M. Kuhn died Nov. 18 in Vail, CO. He was 83.
Kuhn served most recently as a consultant with May Development Services, a position he held at the time of his death. He was also active in the Direct Marketing Association's Nonprofit Federation.
Kuhn began his career in direct marketing as a copywriter at Sears, Roebuck in the early 1950s.
He then joined the National Tuberculosis Society, which later became the American Lung Association, and spent the next 30 years doing direct mail fundraising. He became the organization's national director of development. While with the association, Kuhn oversaw the conversion of 14 million donor records from metal plates and 3-by-5-inch cards to a computerized donor database with coding for targeting and segmentation.
In 1990, Kuhn founded the fundraising division of Walter Karl Inc. His clients there included Easter Seals, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, March of Dimes and the Arthritis Foundation.
Kuhn was honored with the Direct Marketing Association Fundraising Achievement Award in 1991.
“He will be missed by his many friends and colleagues,” said Larry May, CEO of Direct Media Inc. and founder of May Development Services.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 23 at First Plymouth Congregational Church, 3501 S. Colorado Blvd., Englewood, CO.
