It’s in the Cards: Why Lists Matter to Creative

Second, they also are concerned about their own health, so it could be a good idea to use some (very subtle!) language to remind them of their own vulnerability, that they or someone they love might need this kind of help someday. We also discovered that 72 percent of the Harvard Health Letter’s readers are age 55 and up, mere youngsters in the fundraising scheme of things. A 2005 study published by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, has shown that these baby boomer donors differ from their older counterparts in a number of important ways.

One of the most important is that this group “plan[s] on giving more in the future. In contrast, older donors in pre-boomer generations were more likely to reduce their giving in the future (26 percent) than increase it (just 12 percent),” the study reports.

As a creative expert, you know this is a signal to start building in a lot of cultivation-type language. With these prospects you definitely want to set the stage for long-term relationships. Make it easy to pitch a sustainer program after their initial gift. Lay the groundwork for planned gifts.

Best package, best list
Starting to see the potential for paying attention to lists? Now you can take this idea to its next logical level by creating a best package/best list strategy. It takes some time, but with aggressive testing you can discover which types of packages work best with which types of lists. The key is accurate and detailed results analysis. By working closely with your account executive and list broker you can build profiles of the prospects who are most responsive to certain kinds of lists.

This opens the door to a whole new host of creative opportunities. With this information you can begin crafting multiple control packages, each tailored to a certain profile. Think how this can expand the influence — and the fundraising power — of an organization!