Sanky Blog

It’s almost that time of year again for the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Nonprofit Conference in Washington, DC. Sanky Communications Vice President Cathy Carley will be among the speakers at “I Think I Can… I Know I Can: Beating a Long-Standing Control Package,” which is sure to feature plenty of valuable nonprofit marketing wisdom.

You’ll learn how to partner effectively with your client or agency for breakthrough direct mail results and hear real examples of improving upon tried-and-true control packages. Along with Jenny Allen of Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey and Vivianne Potter of Amnesty International USA, Cathy will share her expertise about using creativity and analytics to improve the percent return and average gift.

We are also thrilled that our sister company, SankyNet, will be represented at the conference by Executive Vice President Paul Habig. To learn more about his talk, visit the SankyNet blog.

Register today!

Title: I Think I Can… I Know I Can: Beating a Long-Standing Control Package

Date: March 2, 8:45-9:45 AM

Location: Renaissance Washington DC Downtown

Speakers: Catherine Carley, Vice President, Sanky Communications
Jenny Allen, Principal & Senior Vice President, Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey
Vivianne Potter, Managing Director for Direct Response, Amnesty International USA

As part of 2011 Fund Raising Day in New York (FRDNY), Sanky Communications CEO Harry Lynch will be speaking in “Trends for Tomorrow – Actions Today,” a look at the latest trends in fundraising. Harry and other guest speakers will discuss institutional, individual, and net-driven trends to help identify the best investments in fundraising strategies for the future. During the conversation, the group will cover topics and ask for audience input on:

• Key trends underway in institutional, annual fund, major gift and technology-driven fundraising
• Techniques, print and media top professionals use to spot and act on these trends
• How national and regional data can be used as context for local development planning

Joining Harry are speakers Margaret M. Holman, President of Holman Consulting, Inc., and Kathryn Slocum, Fundraising Consultant. The panel will be moderated by Marilyn Hoyt, NonProfit Consultant.

To take part in this insightful session and a full day of networking and fundraising education, visit the Fund Raising Day website.

Our sister company SankyNet is also getting involved in 2011 Fund Raising Day. In addition to sponsoring FRDNY, SN’s Executive Vice President Paul Habig will be moderating two sessions for the Web, Tech, and Social Media track.

Please join us for all these FRDNY events, and don’t forget to check out the SankyNet table!

Register here.

SankyNet is thrilled to be partnering with the New York Public Library (NYPL) to develop an online fundraising program that complements, expands and integrates their existing direct mail program. With 89 library branches spread across New York City and a website that attracts millions from around the globe each year, this is an exciting time to work with NYPL. Because of the high number of people who use the NYPL website without ever visiting any of the physical branches, strengthening their message is a great opportunity to grow support for its programs.

SankyNet will develop fundraising goals and strategy for NYPL that will be implemented through new online campaigns. In addition, we will provide consulting services to the NYPL Development Office and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to help engage Friends of the Library, NYPL’s members, with special appeal emails and renewal appeals. SankyNet will also provide technical support for all online campaign aspects as well as further optimizing the website’s fundraising software performance.

We are looking forward to developing some exciting new campaigns for NYPL as well as building upon existing appeals that have kept supporters dedicated to the advancement of knowledge. The New York Public Library was founded in 1895 and currently serves 16 million patrons annually.

To learn more about the New York Public Library’s history and mission, visit nypl.org.

Few organizations in history have made a lasting impact on American law like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF). Since 1940, LDF has been at the forefront of civil rights legislation, fighting to increase racial equity in education, economics and politics. That’s why Sanky Communications is thrilled to be working with this truly historic organization to expand its base of support through developing its online and offline programs.

To advocate for the many worthwhile cases LDF takes on each year, we will create a direct mail fundraising program exclusively designed to raise support for LDF’s work in defending racial justice. Through targeted appeals, this program will reach out to lapsed, current and prospective donors at key times throughout the year. Since LDF is constantly acquiring new clients, we will be working to keep up with LDF’s cases with the possibility of developing special appeals around breaking updates in litigation.

In addition to creating a direct mail program, we will also be designing an innovative online fundraising program, including the development of “e-alerts” to raise awareness of important legal updates. These alerts, along with e-appeals and specially designed landing pages, will be a great way to encourage existing supporters to stay involved. In addition, we will work to engage new supporters through email acquisition.

The Legal Defense and Educational Fund is best known for its work in the court system and its advocacy through the executive and legislative branches. However, LDF is also proud to provide scholarship and fellowship programs to promote education. By expanding LDF’s reach through social networking, we will not only be able to develop multi-channel fundraising campaigns, we will also be able to reach out to a younger audience of supporters about educational opportunities.

For 70 years, LDF has led the way in the fight for racial justice. In its first two decades, the organization undertook a coordinated legal assault against officially enforced public school segregation. This campaign culminated in Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court decision in 1954 that has been described as “the most important American governmental act of any kind since the Emancipation Proclamation.” Sanky Communications is proud to be working with such a prestigious organization and looks forward to developing LDF’s integrated fundraising programs over the upcoming months.

To learn more about the Legal Defense and Educational Fund, please visit their website.

Sanky Communications is proud to announce our partnership with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Since 1967, CCFA has led the way in research, advocacy, and patient support for those suffering from these diseases.

Currently the Foundation has over 50,000 members and 40 chapters nationwide. In an effort to revamp the way CCFA connects with its members, SankyDirect will be spearheading an innovative direct mail campaign that emphasizes the importance of membership to CCFA’s many supporters and contributors.

In the coming months, SankyDirect and SankyNet will also be working hard to integrate the offline and online components of CCFA’s campaigns. This will not only help educate and update as many people as possible about breakthroughs in research, it will also help raise funds at key times throughout the year. We are looking forward to using social networking in this capacity to expand CCFA’s base of supporters.

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America sponsors high quality basic and clinical research and provides education and supportive services for healthcare professionals, patients and their families. The organization currently raises more than $30 million annually through memberships, fundraising events, sponsorships and other programs. We are excited to help CCFA grow and reach out to its members in new ways through its direct mail and internet programs! Please visit CCFA’s website for more information at ccfa.org.

Each June, members of the Direct Marketing Fundraising Association (DMFA) present their best direct mail and email fundraising campaigns for a chance to win the Package of the Year Award. This year, SankyNet submitted a year-end email postcard sent on behalf of Covenant House.

We are pleased to announce that SankyNet’s year-end appeal for Covenant House was honored as the runner-up in this extremely competitive category!  The highly effective email postcard was sent after a month of heavy solicitation, yet still raised over $150,000 in just 3 days.

Timing is always a key factor when developing a strategy for e-solicitation.  During the winter holiday season, SankyNet sent Covenant House donors three compelling appeals capitalizing on an exciting matching gift opportunity.

The award-winning year-end postcard followed this robust campaign.  Sent during the last moments of 2009, the postcard encouraged donors to take advantage of their last chance to receive a 2009 tax-deduction as well as have their gift matched 2-to-1.

Because of its impeccable timing, this attractive and relevant postcard proved to be most successful solicitation SankyNet produced for Covenant House that year – and the results more than doubled what was raised during the 2008 Year-End campaign.

We are truly grateful to work with dynamic organizations such as Covenant House, and proud to help them achieve such growth in their fundraising programs even during these difficult times. This honor is truly a reflection of Covenant House’s commitment to excellence as they work to rescue homeless kids from life on the streets.

View all the DMFA awards from Package of the Year.

How do you separate the buzz from real best practices in developing an integrated fundraising program? Do you know what multi-channel techniques truly increase donor value and boost your bottom line?

Join Sanky Communications experts, Harry Lynch and Paul Habig, at Fundraising Day in New York, for answers to some of today’s most pressing questions about integration. Learn how to combine the latest online breakthroughs with the most effective offline tools. See how web design, email, and social media, search engine marketing and even text messaging can all work together to enhance your traditional offline fundraising efforts and maximize your overall success.

“The Happy Union of Integrated Fundraising…Online and Off!!” session will provide participants with specific best practices for multi-channel integration, tips for how to effectively synchronize traditional direct mail and email, and strategies for incorporating new media strategies – i.e. mobile and social media.

The Internet/Technology track will take place on June 11th, from 8:45 am – 10:00 am. Visit the Fundraising Day New York website for registration and event information.

On April12, 2010 in Baltimore, the Association of Fundraising Professionals will mark 50 years of working to advance the fundraising profession. Harry Lynch and Paul Habig of Sanky Communications, Inc are proud to join the celebration… and honor the spirit of AFP’s founders by examining best practices, discussing new ideas and trends and sharing experiences to improve ourselves and our organizations.

During their presentation at the 47th International Conference on Fundraising, Harry and Paul will address the timely question, Is your fundraising email is just like direct mail but with an “E”?

This session, which takes place on Tuesday, April 13 at the Baltimore Convention Center, will talk about the remarkable similarities between email and traditional direct mail … and the profound differences. Attendees will also learn how some of their finely honed direct mail skills DO apply … but that their assumptions about what works and what doesn’t just might sink their online campaigns.

Paul and Harry will share tips and best practices covering email fundraising and answer your questions such as:

1. How do I build my email list?
2. How often do I email … and ask for money?
3. How do I measure success?
4. Is anyone really making money with email?

Harry Lynch is the CEO of Sanky Communications and SankyNet, and is legendary in the Direct Marketing industry. In 1998, Harry directed the launch of SCI’s award-winning Internet marketing division, SankyNet, and continues to be actively involved in the creative and strategy for the agency’s 15 online clients. Harry has served as President of the DMFA, Vice-President of the Greater New York Chapter of the AFP, and Vice-Chair of the ADFRCO. Today, he is Vice-Chair for External Relations on the Board of International AFP.

His co-speaker, Paul Habig, the Executive Vice President of SankyNet, has developed multi-faceted online strategies for more than 50 non-profit organizations including Covenant House, PetSmart Charities, Freedom from Hunger, Cancer Care, Northeast Animal Shelter, Visiting Nurse Service of New York and the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to being a frequent speaker at DMFA and AFP workshops and conferences, Paul also serves on the board of the DMFA.

Together, Harry and Paul bring nearly 40 years of experience to the podium at this historic AFP event. From the birth of online fundraising, to the ever-changing medium that has evolved over the last ten years, both speakers will share their knowledge of today’s best email practices.

Join them on Tuesday, April 13 from 1:30pm to 2:45pm at the Baltimore Convention Center. To register, please visit the AFP’s 47th International Conference on Fundraising website.

For more than five years, SankyDirect has implemented a highly successful direct mail program for The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (CCSJD). But as non-profits have learned over the years, integrating direct mail and online communications yields the best fundraising results. That’s why SankyNet has joined Sanky Direct in this exciting account!

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Because of its historic importance and far-reaching influence, CCSJD needs a communication strategy that will provide information about the church’s events and community services while also encouraging donations to support their work.

To accomplish this, SankyNet will produce a variety of online communication vehicles. First, we will write, design, and deliver a regular e-newsletter for CCSJD. This e-newsletter will cultivate a relationship with the Cathedral’s donor base by keeping them informed about events at the CCSJD, stories of people helped through their outreach, and updates by the Dean of the Cathedral.

We also look forward to sending a series of fundraising appeals directed at both past donors and potential future donors. These appeals will be sent during the most strategic times of the church’s calendar year and will promote a variety of donation opportunities.

SankyNet will also develop a microsite that will be separate from the main CCSJD website, which will support the online fundraising program while CCSJD develops a full new website. The Cathedral will be able to offer their constituency, vis-à-vis this microsite, better organized fundraising web pages, with more compelling copy, and the addition of warm and engaging color photographs.

SankyDirect and SankyNet are looking forward to developing a robust fundraising program for the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine that integrates the strengths of both direct mail fundraising and online fundraising. We are excited to lend our expertise to this challenging project!

By the end of 2009, approximately $1 million had been given to charities via mobile phones. At the start of February 2010, that number has grown to over $50 million!

By now it’s obvious that the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12 (and the aftershocks that followed) was a catalyst for the explosive growth of mobile giving. And considering that there’s a cap of $5 or $10 per donation cap, getting to $50 million via mobile in a few weeks meant over 6 million people donated – impressive numbers for any campaign, but even more so for a giving channel that was as small but nascent as mobile giving was before the earthquake.

We’ve seen over the years breakout successes that have really driven a giving medium forward. September 11^th, 2001 certainly stands out for online giving, but Hurricane Katrina in 2005 might be a better example. Over the course of just a few days, tens of millions of dollars came into charities online from around the country.

The Haitian earthquake has had the same impact for mobile giving. And recent data is showing – as many expected – that mobile donors are skewing younger than online donors, just as online donors are compared to direct mail donors. To this, a recent report called Early Signals on Mobile Philanthropy (full report here) had a few key findings:

• 17% of Gen Y respondents and 14% of Gen X said they made a donation to Haiti relief efforts via text message, and 3% of both Boomer and Mature respondents reported making a donation to Haiti relief efforts via text message.
• Generally speaking, 36% of all respondents were willing to donate via text message after an emergency occurs and 31% were willing to donate via text message if a friend is raising money.

Beyond the breakout success of this relatively new giving channel for charities, it’s apparent that mobile giving is also a huge opportunity for engaging a younger constituency. Contributing to this, the younger audience is an easier group to engage when there are donation caps of $5 and $10 – an amount that is within reach of many. The reality is that 1 in 6 of Gen Y and Gen X donated to earthquake relief, many of whom likely donated to a nonprofit for the first time.

There’s no question that the tragic earthquake destroyed the lives of many. But as with anything, there are new opportunities; the Haitian relief effort has shown the potential of leveraging a new medium to engage younger constituencies. Only time will tell whether or not the long-term direct marketing tactic of ongoing cultivation will mean that the 6+ million who donated in January can be renewed offline, online, or via mobile channels in the future.