Three Quick Tips for Small and Regional Fundraisers to Improve List Performance

3. UNDERSTANDING RECENCY
Do your homework with respect to hotline names on direct-response lists. List owners charge premium prices for hotline names - the new donors, member or other additions to a file as of the most recent list update. Unfortunately, the three-month recency that you are paying a premium for is not necessarily the most recent three calendar months. In actuality, you may be getting names from the three months immediately preceding the last update.

This is often a concern when you are considering using smaller lists that update on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. If the most recent list update occurred three months ago, in effect your three-month hotline is actually five months old. As a practical matter, there might not be much you can do about the update schedule. However, with a bit of research and more complete information from your broker (including knowledge of a file’s update schedule), you might be able to time your list order to get more of a “true” hotline.

Donna Tarantino is the vice president of Rickard List Marketing, a New York-based list bokerage company. She can be reached at 631.249.8710.