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Michael Soper

Do it. Test it. Analyze it. Change it. This is direct mail strategy at its basic level.

Yet, nonprofit professionals with responsibility for an annual giving or membership program must juggle a million details.

Why? Because the basics of direct mail above apply to almost 100 individual mailings a year.

Impossible? Consider that -- over one year -- a six (6) hit monthly renewal program totals 72 mailing. Now add to that acquisition, special / additional gift, lapsed, acknowledgement and more.

Then consider the challenge of getting something more than "cookie cutter" copywriting -- a message that communicates your organization's mission, vision, values, and dreams with contagious enthusiasm.

Read on. I believe the more you learn about TeamSoper, the more you will come to value having an expert fundraising partner.
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DIRECT MARKETING SERVICES

TeamSoper provides comprehensive direct marketing services. As a client, you'll work with us to define the objective of each campaign, secure revenue and expense estimates, and know that every direct mail packages' copy will reflect what is unique about your organization.

When Speed Matters: Normally, TeamSoper works with its clients on an annual mail plan. Occasionally, a client calls needing a mailing far more quickly. TeamSoper's quickest turnaround yet? Just twenty-three (23) calendar days elapsed between a TeamSoper client's initial phone call, strategy, mail plan, copywriting, design, package artwork, data processing, file segmentation & coding, data processing, print production, personalization, mailshop, live stamping, and dropping the packages into the USPS mail stream.

You'll find that working with TeamSoper to be uniquely different than other direct marketing agencies. TeamSoper's business model provides the speed of a small firm with the ability to scale up for the needs of larger clients. This balance is what allows members of TeamSoper to stay focused on fulfilling the needs of our clients, providing excellent creative, and timely production at competitive prices.

TeamSoper's goal is to produce results that "WOW" our clients. While record-breaking performance depends on many factors -- including the sophistication of the overall fundraising program -- here are a few examples of TeamSoper's results for its clients:

  • Lapsed campaigns have increased clients' active member file by 8% or more in just 30 days!
  • Special / additional gift appeal campaigns that produced 10X a client's previous top performer.
  • Saved a client more than 50% on direct mail creative, production, and mail management costs.

NOTE: TeamSoper believes you should only pay for copywriting once. We provide clients an "in perpetuity" license to creative work within the geographic area we mail on their behalf. Those creative rights save substantial amounts on future mailings. Ask your current supplier about their policy. Questions? Call us at 435-654-5896 to learn about the cost savings on future mailings under TeamSoper's policy.

TYPICAL MAIL SCHEDULE

  • ACQUISITION / PROSPECT
    • January / February
    • May
    • Mid-October / November
  • LAPSED / REACTIVATION
    • January Reactivation Campaign
    • Lapsed segments in acquisition
    • Lapsed segments in add gifts
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
    • Frequency depends on volume.
  • MONTHLY RENEWAL SERIES
  • ADDITIONAL / SPECIAL GIFTS
    • January
    • May
    • September
    • November
  • OTHER DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGNS
    • Midlevel Giving Societies
    • Capital Needs Appeals
    • Program Fund Appeals
    • Sustainer / Monthly Giving
    • Bequest / Recognition Circles

TEAMSOPER QUALITY CONTROL

The following outline the various steps -- approvals, checks, etc. -- TeamSoper takes in getting a direct mail campaign produced and “in the mail.” Once the mail plan is approved, the following steps must all be approved:

    1. Mail Plan (Quantities, Segmentation, Message, Creative)
    2. Budget (Price Quote & Response / Revenue Illustrations)
    3. Artwork, proof and make sure components “fit” together
    4. Laser mattes (for personalized components)
    5. Output counts (from Merge Purge House)
    6. Output conversion counts (from Printer)
    7. Sample record input and output dumps for personalized components (shows where information that is personalized came from on the client’s file (input) and what will be used in filling in the personalized sections of the mailing (output). Confirm that the right gift amount was pulled, that the right source code is applied for that member based on their HPC (Highest Previous Contribution) segment, right salutation is being used (whether from Salutation Field or built from Title Field and Last Name Field or other defaults that are given to data base supplier.
    8. Setups of personalized pieces. This marries the personalized data from the client’s files with the laser mattes.
    9. Authorizations To Proceed (ATP’s)
    10. Bluelines (Production Proofs)
    11. “Insertion Order” from mailhouse (shows components in order they will be put in envelope for mailing).
    12. Package Samples
    13. Calculate costs by Package Code to build response statistical form.
    14. Update and maintain (add in each new mailing, etc.) statistics for all mailings. Note: this may be something ISIS handles when they are up and running, but someone still has to give them the information for new mailings -- segments, packages, costs, number mailed, etc.

All of the above would be steps in each mailing -- including acknowledgements every other week, renewals once each month, appeals every other month and prospect once a quarter.

 

 

 

 

 

Acquisition / Prospecting / New Member Mailings

For prospect mailings there are an additional set of steps involved with the list and merge / purge operation. Once mail plan of lists and quantities to order is approved, the following needs to be done:

  1. Send list order to list broker.
  2. Merge / Purge supplier produces List Order Confirmation documents for each order that must be checked against the plan for accuracy. Any discrepancy must be discussed. If lists are being ordered directly, they must be asked for in the right format for merge, followed up on, making sure that the list and a file layout and a dump of records is sent to the supplier in time for the merge cutoff.
  3. Give Merge / Purge supplier the mail plan to track lists as they arrive for merge. Track list broker's orders to make sure lists arrive in time for merge cutoff.
  4. Order eliminator file from client for merge.
  5. Provide supplier with merge instructions -- what to do when merging and purging all the lists. Do any lists take priority? What to do with Foreign addresses? What to do with multi-buyers? etc.
  6. Review initial counts from merge-purge (before package splits). Are counts reasonable given entry count?
  7. Review counts after package split is done.
  8. Then data goes through same steps as above -- checking input and output dumps, laser or other personalization format setups, etc.
  9. Again, the statistical record of the mailing has to be built, and for prospect mailings that means calculating the cost by list (taking total list cost and dividing by number actually mailed).

Write TeamSoper, P.O. Box 40, Midway, UT 84049; call 435-654-5896; fax 435-654-5895 e-mail Michael Soper