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Wanted: An ACCOUNT COORDINATOR, but not just any old account coordinator…

Would you like to work in a hip location, with nice, motivated, fun, sharp, cool people, doing good work for good causes? You may get the chance…

Ideal Candidate

Be all things to all people. No, but seriously, you are:

Outgoing, driven and extremely organized. Educated, career-oriented professional looking to learn, develop skills and help grow a 13-year old direct-response marketing & advertising agency specializing in work for non-profit clients. This is an excellent opportunity for an intelligent and energetic individual desiring to work in the marketing/advertising world. At least two years professional experience with some training in marketing, advertising or related fields preferred. Ideal candidate has strong communication skills, great attention to detail, and a passion for working with non-profit or charity clients working to make the world a better place.

Job Purpose

In a nutshell, keeping your clients so happy they’re always thinking, “I love those guys.” You do that by:

Assisting our Account Executives and Production Manager to: execute direct mail, print media, telemarketing, social media and web site marketing campaigns for non-profit clients; coordinate and facilitate list buying and data processing; prepare results analysis reporting; scheduling and deadline management; and client relationship management, i.e. keeping the clients happy!

Duties

Be a great team player, proactive, pleasant, energetic, with impeccable judgment. In other words, when we say, “make it happen” you make it happen. You’ll assist our Account Executives and Production Manager in carrying out such tasks as the following:   

• Accomplishes direct marketing strategies for non-profit clients by overseeing creative and production processes for assigned clients and directly facilitating list buying and data management.

• Develops and maintains a detailed project schedule which includes administrative tasks and all sites involved in the project. Files all project documents (hard and soft copies).

• Achieves direct marketing operational objectives by contributing information and analysis to functional strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing data processing instructions; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; resolving problems; completing audits; identifying problems; determining system improvements; implementing change.

• Meets direct marketing financial objectives by estimating requirements; managing annual client budgets; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions.

• Manage, coordinate, and contribute to weekly meetings with executive / creative staff to review account status and plan future campaigns.

• Develops direct marketing financial strategies by estimating, forecasting, and anticipating direct marketing requirements, trends, and variances; aligning monetary resources; developing action plans; measuring and analyzing results; initiating corrective actions; minimizing the impact of variances.

• Work with list brokers to consumer niches by selecting, developing, and maintaining mailing lists; researching new lists; locating special markets.

• Assists in print production management, including preparation of job tickets that outline component specs in direct mail packages.

• Optimizes campaign effectiveness by coordinating all aspects of execution for direct mail, print media, telemarketing, social media and web site marketing campaigns. Helps keep projects in motion so that deadlines are met.

• Updates job knowledge by participating in executive educational opportunities; reading professional publications and trade journals; maintaining personal networks; participating in business organizations.

• Good sense of humor and easy-to-get-along-with personality important for this close working environment.

• Files campaign mail samples, maintains files and samples room.

• Accomplishes organization mission by completing other related tasks and requirements as needed.

Skills/Qualifications

So far, so good? Great. Just a few other things we’re hoping you have or that describe you:

Multi-tasking, Details Mastery, Great Proofreading Skills, Familiarity with Printing Specs

Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel and basic aptitude for database management. Good customer relations and interpersonal skills.

Related skills/knowledge that aren’t necessary, but could be helpful:

Project Management, List Buying, Data Processing Management, Results Analysis, Market Segmentation, Knowledge of Interactive Marketing, Strategic Planning, Developing Budgets, Financial Planning and Strategy.

Sound like you – and sound like your dream job? Excellent. But don’t mess around. We need that somebody special like yesterday. Could it be you?

Please send resume and cover letter to: info@newrivercommunications.com or 1819 SE 17^th St., Suite 1, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316. Thanks!

Dodge Ram’s tribute to the American farmer, with the late Paul Harvey’s distinct voice over, was brilliant in its simplicity and emotional impact. I’m sure it was the talk around many water coolers on Monday morning.

But, it’s no surprise that it struck such a chord…

As a fundraiser and writer, I’ve come to understand and embrace the power of emotion to engage donors. And that’s why I’m often surprised to hear an executive director (or the non-profit’s board) decide that the last direct mail campaign was “too emotional” in reference to the appeals' copy, the images, or both.

Instead, these well-intentioned leaders ask for more statistics, more organizational messaging, more “about us.”

Their intentions are good, but they are dead wrong. Testing has proven time and again that stirring key emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, etc. – not appealing to logic with facts and figures – is what drives a donor to action, volunteering, signing a petition or writing a check.

While the most effective non-profit direct mail works to engage both the “head” (providing facts/statistics) and the “heart” (story/emotion), various studies show that if you err on either side, better results are achieved with more “heart” and less “head.”

Are your own fundraising efforts too formulaic, too rational? If so, maybe it’s time to convince your boss or board to at least test injecting emotion into communications with your supporters.

Stir donors’ interest in your work with a true and authentic story. Focus it on the “story of one” – the single mom struggling to make ends meet or the Golden Lab that was beaten, tied to a chain and left to die by a heartless, hateful owner. Never forget this: the most jaw-dropping statistic is no match for a good personal story to capture attention and spur action. 

So, if your next direct mail appeal or e-mail campaign makes you cry, smile, scream, or get goose bumps, congratulations! Like those marketing gurus at Dodge already know, people respond to emotion. Trust me, your results will prove it...

         Use the word “You” early and often. Be warm and conversational – don’t write a term paper – in your letters, emails, and other communications to donors. Tell stories. 

         That’s the gospel we preach here at New River Communications – at least a few books of it.

         All excellent advice, too, (though judging from many letters and emails we see being sent out by non-profits large and small, it’s advice not always taken.)

         But sometimes we and other like-minded agencies make it sound too simple…

         You could come away thinking, “Awesome! Just write a letter that breaks every rule of grammar I’ve learned since fourth grade, insert “You” in every other sentence, and tell a couple of stories about our work, and ‘BAM, PRESTO,’ the money will come pouring in!”

         Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.         

         Close, but not quite. The part about breaking your English teacher’s grammar rules (and heart) and sprinkling more “Yous” throughout the copy is right on, but getting the storytelling part right requires more thought.   

         A recent post by Jeff Molander got me thinking about that. He writes:

The biggest beef I have with most of today's content marketing experts is this: In the end, they claim it’s all about a good story when it’s not. You can tell the most honest, interesting, moving story possible and never get the customer to pick up the phone, send an email, make an appointment with you, click to fill out a lead form... take an action. And that's just a waste of a good story!

         Jeff’s talking about the use of stories for sales in the commercial world, but I believe much of what he says also applies to us good people working in non-profits. Jeff doesn’t hate a good story, he just thinks it’s not enough – and I think he’s right.

         When you tell a story about your work, are you connecting it back to your donors with the most powerful offer/request for support possible? Are you moving their hearts and then making it easy for them to join in and help?  

         If your story/offer doesn’t compel a donor to take action and make it easy for them to do so, if it doesn’t draw them closer to your work and make them proud to be associated with you, if it doesn’t motivate them to think, “I love this organization. I want to do more to help – and I will!” you have to ask yourself,

         “Can I do better?”

        Non-profit executive directors and development directors often ask me: "How can we use direct mail without being overwhelmed by complex strategies, production issues, postal regulations and other things I just don’t have the staff or time for?”

        These leaders at small to medium size organizations get it. They recognize that…  

(a) A significant portion of the U.S. population are charitable and willing to support causes they believe in.

(b) Even though social media is all the rage, the vast majority of donors use direct mail to make their donations. (Many love to research organizations like yours online, but they do their actual giving the old way – at least 90% of it anyway!)

        So from summer on, I answer their question like this: “Make sure you send out a year-end appeal to all your donors.” Even if it’s a low-key request for help, getting something into the hands of your supporters in the thick of the charitable giving season is essential –

        In fact, most non-profits receive nearly half of all annual donations in the fourth quarter. But it won’t happen magically. Out of sight, out of mind. In the frenzy of the giving season, you’ve got to be on your donors’ radar screen – reminding them of the good works you’re doing and, most important, that you depend on them to make those good things happen.

        If you don’t tell them, how will they know?

        When done properly, a mailing with a compelling offer and direct ask sent to the right audience, can produce truly stellar results. One organization we helped with only 4,000 donors generated income of more than $100,000 from a single year-end mailing!

        Labor Day has come and gone – NOW is the time to get started! Remember, your donors aren’t just your donors. They “belong” to other organizations as well – organizations who will be reaching out to them this fall. . .

        Will you get there first?

        If you want to save the work and worry of producing a year-end appeal, we are ready and happy to help! Just click here to see a sample of our year-end package format – we’ve made it simple and affordable for small and medium-sized organizations to get an effective year-end appeal into the mail.  Minimum 3,000 pieces

        New River’s team of agency pros will create and mail your year-end appeal for just .88 cents per piece, including postage! To participate, please contact Margaux Parento by phone 954-535-0644 or email Margaux@NewRiverCommunications.com). I must hear from you by Wednesday, September 12th to participate!

I just ran across an interesting post on The Agitator by Tom Belford on quitting social media.  Tom cites Erik Sass’s 9 Reasons to Quit Social Media Now … a thoughtful take on why social media isn’t always a net positive.  In closing, Tom calls for rebuttals, so here’s mine:

I absolutely appreciate the lead in to Tom’s post; at this point, social media is not a major medium for fundraising.  If you look at response rates and dollars generated by social media, it’s only a drop in the bucket compared to email fundraising – which itself is only a fraction of the donations received via direct mail.

I would argue, however, that it misses the larger point of how social media is best used by nonprofits. 

First and foremost, social sites like Facebook and Twitter are best used by most organizations as a branding and engagement tool.  For most organizations, there is no quicker, cheaper way to communicate with donors than posting on your favorite social media site.  This truth is only becoming more prevalent as the stereotypical donor group (read: older donors) move online.

Social media sites are also one of the best ways to motivate the elusive 40 and under donors.  Dunham+Company’s recent study of online donations makes the point quite succinctly:

Social media motivating more donors under age 40

Social media shows no real improvement in motivating an online gift among donors 40 years old or older (10 percent in this survey versus 8 percent in 2010).  However, social media giving continues to grow among donors under age 40, as a full 30 percent now say they have given online because of social media compared to 24 percent in 2010.

My co-worker at New River Communications Christa Chappel just shared the perfect example of social media as a direct response channel:

…Florida Yorkie Rescue continues to engage and involve people (donors or prospects) on Facebook and the owner Kit has said that if it weren’t for her doing that on Facebook she wouldn’t raise as much money.  She doesn’t have funds nor time probably to participate in direct mail or do a major fundraising event but she posts about a situation (dog needing surgery), the goal amount to solve the problem, and all of a sudden within 48-72 hours she hits her goal.  I am a donor and have given to almost every one of her cases…

Bottom line, it’s a multi-, multi-, multi-channel world out there, and the prospect of quitting social media – even if we wanted to – isn’t really an option.  The only question now is: what do we do with it? The answer isn’t the same for every nonprofit, but I believe nearly all can find ways to enrich their relationship with donors who use some form of social media – and isn’t that just about everyone these days?

Now, off to tweet this to the masses…