TLC Pulse / 10.31.11

• The DMA recently commented on the USPS’ announcement that it will once again raise postage beginning January 22, 2012. Standard Mail class letter-shaped mail will increase on average by 1.9%.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that nonprofits like the American Lung Association and Special Olympics are protesting Congressional plans to gradually phase out the discounts they receive for mailings.
• Museum of Fine Arts Houston’s King Tut exhibit opened earlier this month to unprecedented crowds. The exhibit is on track to have 570,000 visitors between now and April 15, when the exhibition closes.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently ranked the nation’s top 200 charities – 14 museums and performing arts groups made the list including The Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Metropolitan Opera.
• Is your organization participating in Greater Washington’s Give to the Max Day on November 9? Gear up for the big event by reading Beth Kanter’s tips in building the capacity to benefit from a fundraising contest. Tip #1 – get organized both online and offline (i.e. use your multi-channel approach!).

TLC's AMMC Presentation on Multichannel Campaigns

Download a copy of TLC's recent presentation on multichannel marketing from the American Museum Membership Conference in Philadelphia last week. For more information and any questions, please contact either Walter Lukens or Alexis Forman Sabloff at 703-845-8484.

Click here to download the presentation.

Happy Birthday to us!

The Lukens Company celebrates 25 years of business this year and, as in the past, we’re celebrating by participating in a company-wide volunteer project! For TLC’s 20^th anniversary in 2006 staff flew to New Orleans and worked with Habitat for Humanity and in 1996 for our 10^th anniversary, we volunteered at Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang camp in Florida. 

TLC staff on the front step of the house they helped build in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina.

But for our 25^th, choosing just one volunteer project proved to be an impossible task, so instead we’ve set our sights on supporting twelve organizations.

2012 will be a Year of Service for TLC in which each month the company will support a new charity in a different city. Every month we will send a small group of staff to volunteer for an organization. Activities will vary in terms of the charities’ missions and the work we do. We’re all excited to make a difference in the many communities TLC and our clients are connected to – and no doubt have some fun while we’re at it!

Stay tuned for more details as this project as it unfolds. Want to get involved? Contact Ashley Gunning, Marketing and Communications Manager, at agunning@thelukenscompany.com. 

TLC Pulse / 10.19.11

The annual American Museum Membership Conference will be held next week in Philadelphia and The Lukens Company looks forward to speaking at two sessions – “Membership Start Up: Building a Base from the Ground Up” and “Multi-Channel Success! Integrated Campaigns that Allow your Organization to Grow”. We hope to see many of you in Philly!

Now on to the headlines that caught our attention recently…

• The end-of-year giving countdown is on, only ten weeks left in 2011! Make the most of the season and consider making your homepage a giving page as we approach December 31, Future Fundraising Now suggests.
• Should your nonprofit create an app to engage constituents through advocacy and education? Connection Café recommends first investing in a strong mobile-friendly version of your website.
• Have you heard about the DC Metro area’s upcoming Give to the Max Day? On November 9 local nonprofits will aim to raise $3 million in just one day! Inspired by Minnesota’s annual Give to the Max Day (now in its third year) could this be a new trend for local charities?
• Kudos to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on the glowing review of “California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way” in the New York Times!

TLC's ASTC Presentation

Download a copy of TLC's recent presentation on multichannel marketing from the Association of Science - Technology Centers conference. For more information and any questions, please contact either Walter Lukens or Alexis Forman Sabloff at 703-845-8484. 

Download the presentation here!

New Whitepaper! The Daily Deal Bandwagon

You no doubt subscribe to at least one daily deal site, and you may have even considered an offer as part of your organization's membership acquisition program. But have you thought about the potential long-term effects offering a deal might have on your membership program? The answer isn't so easy, so be sure to check out TLC's latest whitepaper, The Daily Deal Bandwagon.

Get the Whitepaper here. 

TLC Spotlight : Alyssa Conrad Pacaut, Account Manager

This month’s TLC Spotlight is on Alyssa Conrad Pacaut, Account Manager.

Alyssa joined TLC’s L.A. team in September 2010, just nine months after TLC opened the L.A. office.  She previously worked in development at Grand Performances, a performing arts organization in L.A that produces free performances highlighting global culture.  Alyssa loves that she is able to continue supporting important mission-driven work through her collaboration with TLC clients.

All right, now let’s get to know Alyssa a little better…

• List five words that best describe you: Happy-go-lucky, easy-going, adventurous, trustworthy, and honest.
• What clubs or sports teams did you participate in in high school?  I was captain of the soccer team and played viola in the orchestra.  One time I left a soccer game and made it to the concert just as the orchestra was walking on stage.  The performance went well but I felt bad for the people sitting around me since I wasn’t exactly my freshest!
• What’s your favorite sports team? FC Barcelona, but I’m terrible at following sports.  I’m much better at following bands.
• List five websites you visit most: Mostly, I check out blogs like garancedore.fr/en, frenchcuisse.com, and mnmlist.com.  Also love pinterest.com, it’s like an online inspiration board, and netflix.com.
• What brought you to the L.A. area? Having grown up in a nearby suburb, I didn’t really like L.A., but then I moved here after college and completely fell in love with the city.  There’s something for everyone here, not to mention tons of art, music, and culture!  I’ve now been living here four years and counting.
• What organizations do you support (philanthropically or with volunteer work)?  I remain highly involved with Grand Performances, a performing arts nonprofit in downtown L.A. that puts on free concerts all throughout the summer.
• Describe your perfect Saturday.  Sleeping in a bit, grabbing a latte, and heading to the beach to watch the husband surf.  After, we’ll head to Santa Ana to have chilaquiles for brunch and then take a short trip to Zara and J Crew for a little shopping spree.  Finally, it’ll be back to L.A. for a barbeque with close friends.  And if we feel up to it, dancing at the local dive bar until the wee hours of the morning.
• What book is currently on your nightstand? Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood and a book on photography.
• What is your favorite TV show? Mad Men.  Glee.  Teen Mom (don’t judge).
• Share one to-do that ranks high on your “bucket list”. Backpacking through Southeast Asia and then visiting my Japanese buddy in New Zealand on the way home. 
• What’s your favorite local lunch spot? Urth Caffé has the tastiest (but most expensive) paninis.  Pho 87 is a wonderfully cheaper alternative. 
• Why do you work at TLC? I truly believe in the missions of our clients and want to help them raise funds to continue doing what they do best.  Plus, TLC is on the forefront of direct response marketing with all of our new products.  I’ve loved learning the intricacies of our multichannel campaigns and making them work for our clients.  And a big shout out to my co-workers!  Your hard work and positive attitudes make TLC a great place to work.

TLC Pulse / 10.11.11

• The big buzz in online giving last week was this infographic released by Blackbaud on online vs. offline giving.  Frogloop explains that while this makes a strong case for the future of online giving, your real focus should be a multi-channel approach as 90% of donors still give offline.
• The NonProfit Times reports that leaders of 19 nonprofits sent a letter to chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and 12 members of the Joint Selection Committee on Deficit Reduction asking them protect charitable deductions amidst proposals to cap itemized deductions at 28%.  Thankfully this proposal appears to be dead for now.
• Connection Café summarized a presentation from last week’s Convio Summit on sustainer gifts.  We all know that sustainers have a greater lifetime value to an organization and here World Wildlife Fund’s David Glass explains how they increased monthly sustainers by first testing a one-time giving page vs. a sustainer giving page.  Google website optimizer can be used to test the variables!
• NonProfit Quarterly shared the launch of The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University’s “Million Dollar List” last week.  This free searchable database lists all gifts of more than $1 million since 2000.

TLC Pulse / 10.03.1

• The Nonprofit Times shares some tips from Craig Finstad of the American Lung Association at DMA Nonprofit Federation conference on direct mail lessons to remember during a down economy.  Our favorite tips: never make changes to your mailing without first testing, and keep prospecting!
• Is your organization thinking about adding mobile giving to your multi-channel strategy?  The newly released Journal of the DMA Nonprofit Federation features a great article on how to get started. Step one is to engage constituents via mobile communication before delving into mobile giving.
• Linkedin recently added a “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field to member profiles.  Has your organization claimed its page, yet?  As your volunteers and donors begin adding your organization to their personal profiles, it’s important that they link to a complete, branded organization page.  Check out Linkedin’s best practices for nonprofits to be sure your page is up to speed.