TLC Pulse / 02.07.12

• Fingers crossed – Direct Marketing News reports that the USPS board of governors will vote on Wednesday whether the USPS can once again offer a summertime promotion for direct mailers that use QR codes in their mailings. Last year’s promotion offered a 3% discount on qualifying Standard and First-Class mail letters, flats and cards.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently released its list of top 50 donors in 2011 and LA Times Culture Monster found that 12 of the 50 donors gave $213.4 million to arts and cultural organizations.
• Although it’s geared toward for-profits, we loved this case study by KissMetrics about how Netflix determines the Lifetime Value of their customers in order to maximize revenue. Our favorite key takeaway is one we always preach ourselves – remember that it can be worthwhile to lose a bit of money in the short run, if you make it up and then some long-term.

TLC Spotlight: Ray Avalos, Production Manager

This month’s TLC Spotlight is on Ray Avalos, Production Manager for TLC’s LA office.

Ray came on board in July 2010, and was one of the first members of the LA office team. As the production manager for all of TLC’s west coast clients, Ray’s days are always busy working with our vendors, bidding out mail campaigns and paying meticulous attention to every detail. His fourteen years of experience in direct mail explain why he is so great at his job, but it’s Ray’s huge personality and sense of humor that his co-workers love most.

Let’s get the scoop on Ray, TLC style…

• Five words that best describe you: Attentive, socialable, relaxed, charismatic, reliable.
• What clubs or sports teams did you participate in in high school? I played sweeper on the soccer team and in baseball I pitched and also played center field and first base.
• What’s your favorite sports team? THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS!!!
• List five websites you visit most: CNN, ESPN, Yanks-Abroad, The Golf Channel, a local news station, KTLA.
• What brought you to the LA area? I was born and raised in Santa Clarita, where I live now with my own family. I love living so close to my family – and being just a few miles from Six Flags Magic Mountain is kind of fun, too.
• What organizations do you support? I enjoy participating in Santa Clarita’s Relay for Life, which supports the American Cancer Society.
• Describe your perfect Saturday. On the golf course bright and early followed by an afternoon of quality time with my little family, including my one year old son, Cayden.
• What book is currently on your nightstand? Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game by Dr. Gio Valiante.
• What is your favorite TV show? Two and Half Men.
• Share one to-do that ranks high on your “bucket list”. I’d love to go to a World Cup game in another country. I actually cheered for the U.S. during the 1994 World Cup at the Rose Bowl, but I know it would be an entirely different experience in another country, where soccer is more popular.    
• What’s your favorite local lunch spot? King Taco is an office favorite. It’s an LA chain and a group of us go there for lunch on Fridays quite often.
• Why do you work at TLC? TLC is a great company to work for because I believe in the philosophy surrounding the work we do for clients. I also appreciate the company value on balancing home life and work.

TLC Pulse / 01.23.12

• Direct Marketing News reports that the USPS filed a formal request with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) last week asking it to expedite its approval process of plans to reduce the number of postal facilities by more than half and revise mail delivery service standards.
• In other USPS news, The Washington Post reminds readers that the one cent postage increase took effect on Sunday; meanwhile, talks between post office and union officials came to a halt on Friday.
• Online Media Daily confirms that the cost of advertising on Facebook keeps climbing with average CPM rates increasing 8% and CPC rates increasing 1% in the fourth quarter of 2011. Nonprofit ads were among the top five sectors in successful Facebook ads, with food and drink performing the best and finance the worst.
• Blackbaud announced last week that it plans to acquire Convio for $275 million. The deal will close by the end of the first quarter – no word on how the purchase and merger will affect clients on either side. 

TLC Pulse / 01.17.12

• On Mashable’s list of online data predications for 2012, point number one about predictive data caught our attention. While it’s now commonplace to use real-time technology to follow what’s trending with your campaign, for example, technology is now moving toward more accurate predictive use (for example, check out Decide.com).
• The New York Time Bits blog shared a study on mobile giving last week that shows while half of survey participants used their phones to make a contribution for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, only two in five donors said they texted a donation to support relief after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami last year. Furthermore, 60% of donors interviewed said they had paid little or no attention to Haiti relief efforts after giving, which supports the argument that text donations are made on impulse.
• On the flip side, however, Direct Marketing News reports that Winterbury Group, a marketing consulting company, predicts that mobile marketing will increase by 50% in 2012!
• Direct Marketing News also reports that political marketers will utilize interactive direct mail tools, like QR codes, increasingly in the 2012 season.
• Is your museum using Instagram, the photo sharing App for iPhone? Brooklyn Museum just started and after posting only 111 photos, they have 6595 followers. Learn how to implement the App in your engagement plan with these easy steps outlined by Museum Next. 

Announcing TLC’s January Year of Service Project

Organizing TLC’s Year of Service has been a labor of love, and there is still much to be done. But after a month-long nomination process and hours of research, we’re ecstatic to announce the very first organization we’re partnering with for TLC’s Year of Service (drumroll, please): Heal the Bay!

Heal the Bay is a LA-based nonprofit committed to making Southern California’s coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy and clean. In addition to organizing regular beach clean-ups, the organization uses a science-based approach to guide their education, community action and advocacy efforts. On January 24, staff from both our DC and LA offices, along with some of our LA based clients and vendors, will lead a one-day beach clean-up in Santa Monica with Heal the Bay.

Want to join TLC staff and a number of clients and friends who’ve already committed to the project? Contact Ashley Gunning at agunning@thelukenscompany.com or 703-845-8484 x231.

Stay tuned for a recap on this project later this month and also for the announcement of February’s charity in Austin, TX!

TLC Pulse / 01.09.12

• Direct Marketing IQ shared 12 tests for lifting direct mail responses fast. One that might sound surprising? Remove your brochure (or other insert). It’s true; sometimes you can overwhelm your constituents with too much information and you’ll get better results by scaling back.
• Chronicle of Philanthropy wrote a growing trend in engaging donors and telling your organization’s story – infographics! Has your organization tried sharing data in this format?
• Nonprofit Quarterly commented last week on perhaps the most talked about end-of-year campaign in 2011 – Wikipedia’s distinctive banner ads helped the nonprofit raise $20 million from one millions donors. The banner ads were simple with just a personal appeal and photo of the appeal author. 

TLC Spotlight: Leigh Ann Rogerson, Creative Copywriter

This month’s TLC Spotlight is on Leigh Ann Rogerson, Creative Copywriter.

Leigh Ann joined The Lukens Company as a Creative Copywriter in 2010. She writes for TLC’s nonprofit and arts clients, including Central Park Conservancy, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry and LA Philharmonic. Leigh Ann previously worked as a writer for the donor communications group at the American Red Cross National Headquarters and before that she was a copywriter for another agency that previously shared office space with TLC, which is how she first became acquainted with the company!

On to the Spotlight questions…

• Five words that best describe you: OK I asked around for answers on this one! I got “trustworthy,” “even-tempered,” and “introspective.” I guess I would also add loyal and compassionate.
• What clubs or sports teams did you participate in in high school? I was in the ski and yearbook clubs, and I wrote for our school newspaper. I was also a competitive majorette (baton twirler).
• What’s your favorite sports team? The Pittsburgh Steelers.
• List five websites you visit most: Washingtonian, Amazon, Pinterest, Facebook and the Animal Rescue Site (click to give FREE food and care at http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/)
• What brought you to the DC area? I had been obsessed with moving to the DC area since I first saw St. Elmo’s Fire, which was set in Georgetown! I started sending resumes down here my senior year of college, and fortunately landed a job offer soon after graduation. The fact that I had some college friends moving here and relatives already living in the area made the locale all the more appealing.
• What organizations do you support? The Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, and the American Red Cross.
• Describe your perfect Saturday. Coffee from Caribou and a late breakfast at the Silver Diner, a long afternoon hike with my dog and my boyfriend, and an evening spent with good friends, food and wine. Or, in an alternative scenario, an evening out at the Shakespeare Theater or the Kennedy Center. 
• What book is currently on your nightstand? Finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - just in time to see the movie. 
• What is your favorite TV show? Modern Family, Mad Men and American Horror Story.
• Share one to-do that ranks high on your “bucket list”.  Ziplining! Ideally through a tropical rain forest in Costa Rica.  There may or may not be a waterfall involved.  
• What’s your favorite local lunch spot? Carlyle. The Crispy Two Noodle Shrimp Salad completes me.   
• Why do you work at TLC? Working at TLC allows me to indulge my passion for creativity, philanthropy and the arts in an environment that is welcoming, encouraging, and motivating. I was particularly drawn to the company’s strong emphasis on capturing the unique voice of each client, and communicating their vision in a distinct and compelling way. I also love TLC’s philosophy on “giving back” to the community.  

TLC Pulse / 01.03.12

• In USPS news, The Washington Post reported that the Postal Regulation Commission found that the USPS process of determining which post offices to close was flawed. Urging of lawmakers to reconsider the USPS’ drastic plans have been somewhat successful – 100 post offices have already been removed from the list of closures and the date for closures was recently delayed.
• While direct mail marketers are certainly nervous about the USPS struggles, according to Direct Marketing News, many say they will wait before making any changes to marketing strategy.
• Future Fundraising Now wrote an interesting post last week on end-of-year email subject lines. Our favorite (or, perhaps more appropriate, least favorite) example of what not to do is “Christmas Appeal – Consider a gift today!” Why? You’re giving away the purpose of the email in the subject line!
• Congratulations to Natural History Museum of LA for winning the Crown City Innovation award at this year’s Rose Parade for their float “Dinosaurs in L.A.’s Backyard”. The award is given annually to the float with the best use of imagination and innovation to advance the art of float design. Click here to see photos of the float in progress!

The Lukens Company Gives Back This Holiday Season

It’s the season of giving and in keeping with our company philosophy of supporting the local community, TLC employees collected and donated items for two local DC charities this December.  In all, over 200 items were collected for the DC Foster Care System and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

The DC Foster Care System’s Pajamas for Kids drive is an initiative created by a local foster mother, Kathleen Jackson, in order to fill a need that was not currently being met by regular donations to the DC Foster system. Staff collected pajamas for kids of all ages in addition to much needed winter accessories and other items. A special effort was made to remember teenaged kids since this age group is the most often forgotten when it comes to donations.

To learn more about the DC Foster Care System’s Pajamas for Kids, read this article about the initiative and how you can help.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington has been committed to the humane treatment of animals and to the promotion of animal welfare. The League provides temporary care and refuge for homeless and suffering animals, places animals in loving, responsible homes, provides animal control services to Arlington County and educates the public on a wide variety of Community services. Throughout the year, the organization relies on the public to provide necessities for the dogs, cats and other small animals in their shelter.

To learn more about in-kind donation needs at The Animal Welfare League of Arlington, visit their website.

Stay tuned for an update early next month on our Year of Service, including the announcement of our first volunteer project. And from all of us at TLC, best wishes for the New Year!

TLC Pulse / 12.20.11

• Let’s begin this week’s TLC Pulse with some cheery news – the USPS agreed to delay the closing or consolidation of any Post Office or mail processing facility until May 15, 2012. This decision was made in response to requests by multiple U.S. Senators.
• In a follow-up to last week’s article on direct mail trends in 2011, DirectMarketing IQ shared the top 5 trends in fundraising direct mail for 2011. Most were in line with the trends seen in overall direct mail, but one notable difference was a 14% increase in premiums for fundraising direct mail (compared to a 7% increase in overall mainstream mail)!
• The Agitator shared some compelling thoughts last week on how silos inhibit integrated multi-channel success. The solution, The Agitator argues, is creating a new position – Chief Donor Officer. The key to this role is that the Chief Donor Office would not only be primarily responsible for multi-channel integration, but he or she would also have line authority across departments.