Home    Resources    News You Can Use    Membership Mailings

news you can use

Membership Mailings and How You Compare

January 2009

In 2008, Schultz & Williams Direct (S&W Direct)—Schultz & Williams’s high performance direct marketing group—provided direct marketing services to 14 zoos across the country. We are pleased to announce an outstanding year of direct mail and online marketing performance for these clients. By conducting customized, strategic and highly targeted campaigns, S&W Direct was successful in acquiring more than 47,000 family member households overall with direct mail response rates ranging from 0.69% for a FREE admission zoo to 2.69% for a first-time mailer.

Ninety-three percent of the zoos made a substantial net profit and all of them benefited from participating in S&W Direct’s list consortium and extensive discount, premium, creative and list testing strategies designed exclusively for each zoo. Our list consortium allows each participating organization to expand its list parameters by purchasing smaller, niche lists that are otherwise too expensive for regional mailers. And the results of numerous discount and premium testing strategies are already informing our recommendations for how to build each zoo’s base of support in 2009, and beyond.

At the end of each campaign, S&W Direct analyzes and documents our client’s results in a comprehensive and detailed report that includes response rates, gross and net income, average gift information, geographic (zip code) breakouts, individual list performance, levels of giving, testing results (discounts, premiums, personalization, creative, etc.) and historical comparisons against previous years’ campaigns. S&W Direct also produces a national zoo comparison report that yields tremendous value as a benchmarking tool for future campaigns.

In addition to our zoo clients, S&W Direct is currently serving a wide range of national and regional nonprofit organizations throughout the United States including American Friends Service Committee, New York Restoration Project, Union Station Homeless Services, The Planetary Society, Breast Cancer Network of Strength, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels in Los Angeles, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Partnership for the Homeless.

Our work on behalf of these and other clients includes multi-channel marketing to support their diverse missions and causes. Many of our clients are using direct mail in combination with e-mail blasts and well-coordinated website landing pages to strengthen each campaign, build brand awareness and significantly increase the dollars raised for each organization.

"S&W Direct’s fundraising successes and strategies are driven by two key ingredients, which are experience and analysis," said Jessica Harrington, vice president of S&W Direct. "Every client benefits from the experience of our staff and the detailed analysis of every campaign we conduct."

If you’d like to take a look at our comprehensive results analysis for zoos on their 2008 membership mailings, we are happy to provide you with a copy of our report. Send us an e-mail or give us a call (215-625-9955), and we’d love to talk with you about the results and where you fit in!

Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm based in Philadelphia; providing management, fundraising and marketing consulting for nonprofit organizations, along with full-service direct marketing, database and creative/production services.