This is the first in a five-post series on a direct mail make-over currently being tested by the University of California at Berkeley (Cal), my alma mater. Read Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 The fundraisers at Cal had a problem: they needed to raise more money from alumni to…
One of the easiest ways that nonprofit communicators can go green in their operations is to use recycled paper all the time — in your office equipment and office supplies like folders and when you buy print. Long gone are the excuses about paper quality and, for the most part, price (or at least they…
Michele Martin at the Bamboo Project asked about our favorite learning resources and what gets us excited about learning new things. I get tons of great information from reading other people’s blogs, but I saw that Rosetta Thurman wrote a great post about that already, so I’ll go with another favorite learning tool of mine:…
I’ve played around with lots of different photo galleries, both free and for a fee, for both clients and for my personal blog, where I keep my far-flung family happy with lots of kid photos. I’ve decided that I like Shozam the best (formerly Web Gallery Wizard) and here’s why. It gives me complete control…
When does a nonprofit need a model release? This is a frequent question from nonprofit communicators. Before I answer, let me share this true story (I swear, it really is true). A nonprofit hosts a fundraiser that includes a dance band. The newsletter editor wants to include a photo of the band in the newsletter.…
I’m always harping on clients to add photographs to their publications and I always hear, “But we don’t have any good photos!” So buy them online! You can get high-quality, royalty-free stock photography for a few dollars per image (less if you want only web resolution). Lots of images available online were shot with advertising…
I have to admit, I am thoroughly sick of all the nonprofit branding talk, so when I saw “Branding Is for Cattle: What Really Matters to CEOs” in the MarketingProfs e-newsletter, I clicked on it immediately. The point of the article is that marketers who get all wound up in branding often forget why they…
I started noticing more tightly cropped headshots in both print and online publications about a year ago and now they are everywhere. These photos are so tightly cropped that part of the head is gone — usually some portion of the hair, but sometimes an ear or the mouth. In modeling/acting circles, it is called…
I always advise nonprofits to include photos in their print newsletters. But what about images in e-newsletters? The answer is not as clear-cut and here’s why: a large portion of your online readers probably won’t see the images automatically. Worse yet, if you don’t watch your design carefully, these readers may see only a big…
Two magazines from two nonprofits I belong to came in the mail last week. One fits the image the organization is trying to portray, and the other doesn’t. The Sierra Club’s magazine is printed on recycled paper. This is actually a fairly big deal in the publishing world. Lots of magazines write about environmental issues…
When I teach newsletter classes, I always like to show examples of good newsletters as well as examples of ones that have big problems. The most glaring errors, because they are so easy to see, are those involving photos. Here are a few newsletter photo horrors you’ll want to avoid. Photos at the wrong resolution.…
I have great relationships with several printers whom I rely on to make my clients’ written materials look great. Here’s how you can develop a great relationship with a printer too. 1) Expect outstanding customer service. You deserve to be treated well. The printing industry is very competitive, so if your printer’s customer service people…
