I recent read an article that related how one organization does not ask their supporters to upgrade their memberships. Yes you read it correctly, they don’t ask their members to move up the scale of more benefits and access.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame (NBHF) recognizes that once you’re a member—at any level, they key is to increase your engagement to the organization, not sell you more membership benefits. Members are asked to make gifts in addition to their membership dues.
Key to this process is a well thought out communication program that provides content, not solicitation—not even the ubiquitous giving envelope. Asks are managed through a thoughtful direct mail program, separate and distinct from content communications.
The NBHF has got it right. They don’t sell. They offer engagement, and they ask. The proof is in the pudding, they say. That’s why the hall of fame enjoys healthy—and expanding giving totals, year after year.
Larry C Johnson
TheEightPrinciples.com
