Post Office to Issue Stamp Honoring Philanthropy
A commemorative stamp to honor philanthropy will be issued in mid-October, the U.S. Postal Service has announced. The stamp, which carries the line “Giving and Sharing: An American Tradition” across the top, shows a picture of a bee about to pollinate a flower -- which the Postal Service hopes will…
By Marilyn Dickey
Senior Editor, Copy
Postal Charges on Premiums Explained
The U.S. Postal Service has adopted new rules designed to make it easier for charities to determine whether certain mailings qualify for non-profit postal rates. Solicitations that include a gift offer in exchange for a donation or membership dues -- sometimes referred to as a “back-end premium” --…
By Marilyn Dickey
Senior Editor, Copy
Experts Suggest Ways to Match Premiums Effectively With Recipients
Some charities find one small gift -- like a greeting card or bookmark -- to include with their direct mail and hang on to it year after year. Others try to top the success they had with one “premium” by trying different tokens in their mailings. In either case, according to experts, the key to…
By Marilyn Dickey
Senior Editor, Copy
Charities try to be creative about using premiums to attract donations, though some fund raisers still criticize the practice Dime-store candy is bringing in thousands of dollars for a small New York City AIDS group. To get the attention of its top donors, the Community Research Initiative on AIDS…
By Marilyn Dickey
Senior Editor, Copy
Commuter-Route Billboard Gets Year-End Giving Message Across for Maryland United Way
The United Way of Charles County in Waldorf, Md., has always had fund-raising problems because so many residents leave each day for jobs in Washington, D.C., some 20 miles away. Often the residents give through on-the-job campaigns run by the United Way in the District of Columbia and do not…
Letter Brings in Additional Planned Gifts
Hampden-Sydney College has increased the number of planned gifts it receives at year’s end by sending an individually tailored letter to donors who have already made such contributions. For the past two years, the college has sent the letter to nearly 200 donors who have set up gift annuities,…
Charities angle for donations from new and long-time donors alike; stock-market worries some fund raisers The kindness of strangers is a big help to charities at the end of the year -- the time when most organizations receive the bulk of their contributions. Holiday inspirations -- plus a desire to…
Re-Designed Package and Handmade Gift Lead to Big Jump in Holiday Donations
Hale House, a New York charity that helps ailing babies, increased donations to a year-end appeal by 71 per cent in 1996 -- largely by upgrading the quality of the gift that it includes in solicitations to top donors. The charity sent out hand-crafted dolls to 1,000 people who had donated at least…
Robust economy proves to be a boon for most, but rise in demand squeezes human-services groups The Salvation Army last year raised more than $1-billion -- far outpacing any other charity in America, according to the Philanthropy 400, The Chronicle’s annual ranking of organizations that receive the…
By Marilyn Dickey, Holly Hall, Dan Morris and Susan Gray