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.

How USPS Changes Will Affect Your Program

Headlines on the USPS’s debt and impending changes in service are downright gloomy. We know that many clients are trying to sort out fact from fiction while also determining how their organization’s programs will be affected by the changes, so we hope the memo below will help inform you.

Rate Increases for 2012

It’s no surprise that postal rates will increase in 2012. First-class mail rates will increase by one cent to 45 cents beginning January 22 and postcards will jump from 29 cents to 32 cents. The good news is that nonprofit rates will largely decrease by about 1.3% for mailers who utilize advanced presorting options. Another silver lining? First-class presort is now available for mail weighing up to 1.9 ounces (as opposed to only one ounce). This allows for additional inserts to your package at no additional cost!

Changes in Delivery

The big news last week was that next-day delivery for first-class mail will be eliminated beginning in January. Due to the closure of more than 250 processing centers, the USPS says that mail delivery will increase by two or three days. Although changes in nonprofit mail delivery time were not mentioned specifically, one would assume that the usual delivery time will likely slow down as a result, potentially inching closer to the three week delivery guarantee.

Thankfully, the USPS has yet to announce a move to a five-day delivery schedule, although this could be a potential next step for the USPS, which needs to cut $20 billion from the budget before 2015 in order to remain profitable. The day most likely to be cut would be Saturday.

The Bottom Line

• Your plan of action should not be to mail less, but rather to mail smarter!
• Rate increases mean that more than ever your mailing lists must be updated and clean. We have a number of data hygiene programs that can be run in addition to our normal data processing.
• Due to new delays in delivery time, you should plan further ahead for mailings – your account manager will help meet your target in-home date.
• Utilize the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) to carefully track your mail through the USPS. This will allow you to time email or phone follow-ups appropriately.
• And of course a true integrated multi-channel approach is critical to the success of your direct mail program. We’ve had a lot of success in reaching new audiences online and have found that our clients who advertise online garner a better response in direct mail when coordinated.

For further questions or concerns about the potential impact USPS changes will have on your program, please contact your account manager or Angela Struebing, VP Clients Services at angela@thelukenscompany.com.

TLC Pulse / 12.13.11

• The USPS announced last week that it plans to eliminate next-day delivery for first-class mail beginning January; first-class mail can soon be expected to deliver in two to three days.
• Naturally news from the USPS immediately brings to mind the impact delayed delivery times will have on appeals, but The Nonprofit Times wisely points out that this will also have an effect on incoming gifts. The delay in large volume returns could become an issue for larger nonprofits who depend on a projected cash flow.
• DirectMarketing IQ shared the top seven trends in direct mail this year. Among the top trends are a 7% increase in premium offers since 2010, a major increase in VDP (variable printing data) and personalization (13% more than 2010) and a huge jump in the use of QR codes (likely in response to the USPS’s summertime discount on QR code mailings).