Another in a series of articles related to association management selected from our reading list by:
Robert O. Patterson, JD
CEO/ Principal
The Center for Association Resources, Inc.
From The NonProfit Times:
Your organization might not share a lot of similarities with the magazine industry upon first glance, but common ground is likely there. A reliance on direct mail and email to solicit an audience, dependence on renewals and shared special interest or common concerns often serves as a base for both.
The difference is that magazines, and other for-profits, are boasting sizable leads compared to nonprofits in such metrics. Magazines beat nonprofits in average direct-mail response rate (4% to 1.5%), according to Anne and Josef Kottler of Sage Communications in Framingham, Mass., and hold a 70% to 40% advantage in average retention rate. The Kottlers, citing an Association of Fundraising Professionals survey, stated that less than 3% of organizations claim a retention rate of 70% or better. Read More
