I LOVE Gift Catalogues. I think they are a fantastic way of honoring your loved ones while improving the lives of people around the world. The truth is, most people on your gift list probably don't need, or even want, anything for Christmas. According to a poll conducted for World Vision by Ipsos Read in 2007, 8 out of 10 Canadians said they didn't need anything, and eighty-four per cent agreed that they would prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else, rather than a traditional gift like a pair of socks or a sweater.
For this reason, our mailboxes are being flooded with stacks of catalogues for all kinds of different organizations. You can buy a pig, goat, cow and even an alpaca for your friends; you can pay back that brother that always picked on you with a latrine; or you can honour the teacher in your life by providing school uniforms or school supplies for a child in a developing country. If there is someone in your life who loves the outdoors you can adopt a piece of land or an endangered species. Or you can help out at home, by providing gifts for the homeless or toys for children spending Christmas at the hospital. There are so many special gifts you can give that will really make a difference this Christmas - and I think its brilliant!
As a fundraisers though, we need to ask 'what next'? We know that gift catalogues can acquire new donors with a very high efficiency rate. Realistically though, this group are better classified as catalog buyers than donors. As someone who has purchased from a variety of gift catalogues I am regularly thrown into the direct mail stream but catalogue buyers cannot be cultivated in the same way as your traditional dm donors.
How have you manged to turn catalogue donors into committed donors? Have you found away to get a second gift? Or better yet, have you been successful in converting these donors into monthly givers?
Oh - and one more thing. If your still looking for a gift for the person who has everything - here are the links to three of my favourite gift catalogues...
World Vision Canada
Operation Eyesight
WWF
No comments:
Post a Comment