Let Your Donors be the Jury
I’ve been a partner at Good Works for 25 years now. But, before I became a Good Worker, I was a client – twice! Back in the 1990s, I learned direct mail fundraising from the experts at Good Works. There was one lesson they taught me that stands above all the others – and that […]
My Big Benchmarks Surprise
Poor direct mail. It’s been the unpopular cousin of other fundraising channels in many people’s minds for years now. To many fundraisers, direct mail fundraising had its heyday back in the 1980s and 1990s, but then started its long, steady decline toward oblivion. ‘Cutting edge’ thinkers and fundraising pundits predicted that direct mail would just […]
Introducing the 2021 Canadian Direct Mail Benchmarks Report
The wait is over! For those of you looking for up-to-date, pandemic-proof, all-Canadian direct mail benchmarks, look no further. The 2021 Canadian Direct Mail Benchmarks Report is here—and you can download it (for free!) right now. Early, non-biased reviews are already pouring in, and they’re electric: […]
Baking a Big Data Cake!
When we set about to bake our direct mail fundraising cake, it is easy to get excited about some of the higher-profile ingredients that go into the recipe. Things like the story and the artwork are important, don’t get me wrong… Important Ingredients That Make The Cake Rise For the sake of this baking metaphor, […]
How well do you REALLY know your legacy donors?
In the world of fundraising, a legacy gift is valued as the pinnacle of giving. It is the coveted brass ring for many charities. Because of this, we have a tendency to put our legacy donors on a pedestal. A very high one. We treat our legacy donors as the incredible humans that they are […]
When Things Go Off The Rails – and they surely will, at some point!
We’ve all had it happen. Things are humming along and all the ducks are waddling along in their rows when BAM! Printing errors happen. Like, the lettershop calls and the postal indicia on the envelope is too small. Meaning it might not be accepted for induction by Canada Post. Or BAM! – a Neighbourhood Mail […]
Don’t Go Breaking My (Direct Mail Loving) Heart
How to Write Direct Mail for Donors Who Don’t Read Direct Mail 💌 Here at Good Works, we’re passionate about sharing emotional stories with your donors. But we also know a little secret about direct mail donors… Lots of them decide to give without even reading the letter! (If you love writing stories for donors […]
How Aging Changes The Way We Read Mail
Just last week, I read this tweet showed up in my newsfeed. Now admittedly, this is pretty old, but it did offer up a Groundhog Day moment for me. I was both transfixed and blown away by this image: Astigmatism is when the cornea is slightly curved rather than completely round.. With astigmatism, light focuses […]
Direct Mail In Canada: Where It’s Been, And Where It’s Going
All things COVID aside, there’s never been a better time to be Canadian – amiright? Nice, friendly people, free healthcare, gorgeous scenery, timbits and all-dressed chips. The bottom line is – Canada is awesome. And the charitable donors in this country? Even awesomer. But like so many things, fundraising benchmarks, data and research is mostly […]
Your Story Is Worth Its Weight In Gold!
Fundraisers always ponder questions about offers. How much should I ask for? What would a donor pay for this? Or for that? There are well-paid consultants who make a living by helping charities put a valuation on sponsorship opportunities and naming rights. But, have you ever thought about how the right story could a real […]