From the September 2009 Journal of the DMA Nonprofit Federation.

1. CuTTIng your
PrInT neWsLeTTer?
ThInK AgAIn!
how We Transformed ours Into a Moneymaker
Angela Lindell, Publications Writer, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare
Andrew Olsen, CFRE, Senior Annual Giving Officer, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare
I
s the economic slump forcing your nonprofit 91 responses. (We mail to 20,000 people.)
to cut costs? Before you make the mistake
of eliminating your print newsletter, consider
this:
IdenTIFy The ProbLeM
(IT’s ALWAys The
At Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, we sAMe ProbLeM)
recently transformed our 20-year-old donor news-
letter into a moneymaker. And with the right strat- Despite these less-than-stellar results, we didn’t
egies, you can do the same. give up on newsletters entirely. A thorough review
of Momentum quickly revealed a fundamental
FACe The FACTs problem.
Don’t get us wrong. We sympathize with the im- We were telling the stories that made our organiza-
pulse to cut and run. Print newsletters can be tion look important — not the stories that made
cumbersome. They’re expensive, they require a our donors feel important. We helped children
significant amount of staff time, and — worst of all walk. We opened new clinics. We conducted suc-
— they can be hugely ineffective. cessful fundraising programs. We did amazing
things!
After reviewing results from the past 20 years, we
discovered that our quarterly newsletter, Momen- But all of our incredible accomplishments left the
tum, was producing an annual net loss of almost reader with a nagging question: “If you’re doing
$40,000. A 2004 readership survey yielded only so great, why do you need me?”
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2. readers that their investments The perception is that a cost-effective
will yield long-term gains. (“Your newsletter must be an unsegmented
Gillette Investment Will Always self-mailer that’s printed in one or
Yield Returns.”) two colors. Our former newsletter fit
• We still need you! Build long- this description. Momentum was an
term relationships by letting your 8-page, 11- by 17-inch self-mailer
donors know just how much they printed in black plus one color. A
can still accomplish through your reply envelope was stapled into
partnership. Share new needs, the publication, and the newsletter
mailed at the nonprofit bulk rate. We
spent approximately $15,000 per
quarterly issue ($60,000 per year) to
We were telling mail 20,000 pieces.
the stories CoPy WhAT WorKs
gIVe donors
WhAT They CrAVe that made our Improving performance required us
to make significant changes to the
We set out to create a new publication
organization format. But we also wanted to avoid
that spoke to our audience in a way
that makes them feel essential. Con-
look important increasing costs. Using the same ex-
pense budget of $15,000 per issue, we
nections, our new donor publication,
gives our readers the information they
— not the found we could make several smart
and effective changes.
crave. With the right messages, your
newsletter can do the same.
stories that made • Newsletter Format: We cut the
Donors want to hear a few simple —
our donors feel format from eight 11- by 17-inch
pages to four 8.5- by 11-inch
but incredibly, important — things
from you. Effective newsletters must
important. pages. As a result, we slashed
word counts by more than 50
include the following messages to percent. For example, our lead
donors: story went from more than 1,200
words to just 500. We replaced
opportunities and goals. Even
• You matter. Show your donors the long, comprehensive features
when telling an amazing success
why they are essential to your with shorter, more compelling
story, leave your donors crav-
mission. Speak directly to read- ing another interaction with you.
ers using a personal tone that (“Help Us Change More Lives!”)
relies heavily on the word “you.”
Reframe your accomplishments If you fail to communicate these
as their accomplishments. (“Be- things, you’ll lose your donor to a non-
cause of You, Douglas Can Visit profit that does.
an Imaging Center Without Cry-
ing!”)
• You have invested wisely. Prove QuesTIon your
that your organization is worthy AssuMPTIons
of an investment. No one likes
to back a loser. Be transparent, Once you’ve hooked your readers, you
sharing facts about your organiza- want to make it as easy as possible for
tion’s financial health and future them to make a gift. It sounds simple,
plans. Instill confidence in your but many nonprofits get this wrong.
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3. 0
0
1
stories. Now, powerful headlines,
captions and pull quotes facilitate
stamp, resulting in only a marginal
increase in postage costs.
About Gillette Children’s Specialty
Healthcare: Gillette, an independent,
0
easy skimming.
• Personalized Letter and Reply
not-for-profit hospital and clinics, 0
1
is internationally recognized for its
Device: Cutting the size and page
TrACK your resuLTs work in the diagnosis and treatment
count allowed us to spend more
of our budget on personaliza-
Without spending any more money on
our newsletter program, we developed
of children and young adults who
have disabilities or complex medical 0
tion. We include a personalized
cover letter and reply device (an
a smarter and more effective publica-
tion. Momentum generated a net loss
needs, such as cerebral palsy, complex
orthopaedic conditions, craniofacial 0
8.5- by 11-inch double buckslip)
with language that corresponds
of $39,549 in 2007. By comparison,
the first four issues of Connections
anomalies, neurological conditions,
brain and spinal-cord injuries, spina
1
to a donor’s past giving behavior.
Now, we can segment our news-
have generated a positive net return of bifida and juvenile arthritis. 0
0
$56,705.
letter mailings for more effective Since 1897, Gillette has been at the
delivery and measurement. For us, the results are clear. Our forefront of medical treatment, tech-
• Outer Envelope and Live Stamp: donor-focused newsletter is building nology, education and research for
By reducing its size, we could still lasting relationships with donors and children with disabilities. Gillette’s
send our newsletter at the non- inspiring them to invest more of their mission is to help children, adults and
profit rate, even with the inclusion charitable gifts with Gillette. And their families improve their health,
of a cover letter and reply device. that means we can provide care for achieve greater well-being, and enjoy
Now it now fits in a standard no. even more kids at our hospital and life. For more information, visit www.
10 envelope. We went from us- clinics across Minnesota! gillettechildrens.org.
ing an indicia to using a nonprofit
TSM DMA Journal half pg Ad OL.indd 1 8/12/09 10:12:28 AM
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