We are thrilled to announce that Avalon has won a Pollie Award from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC)! We won the Pollie for our online work with U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in the category: Internet–Campaign Division–Best Use Of Humor: Democrat.

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced recently that he will not be running for re-election in 2014.  Now 89 years old, Senator Lautenberg is a true example of the American Dream – a World War II veteran who attended college on the G.I. Bill, he founded and nurtured a successful business, then chose public service as a way to give back to the state and country that gave him so many opportunities.

Last month, I put in my two cents about the political email overload in the recent campaign cycle. And I heard back from many of you that you couldn’t agree more.

Thinking back on the last weeks of the election cycle, was your email inbox as clogged as mine?

 

It doesn’t seem that long ago when there was lively debate about moving from two to three emails per week – presuming, of course, that there was a good reason to communicate. Well, towards the end of the 2012 cycle, that mild cadence was supplanted by two to three emails per day, in spite of having no good reason to communicate that often. Whether Obama for America, political committees, or individual campaigns of assorted sizes – the frequency set records. 

With over 20 million viewers each, the recent Republican and Democratic National Conventions captured the attention of a good portion of America.

 

While there was much talk about an empty chair, a Clinton barn-burner, and gratuitous audition speeches for 2016, both conventions featured a relentless focus on (and sometimes lip service paid to) job growth, the middle class, and health care. The conventions also provided crystal clear differentiation for voters this November.

Membership is powerful.  Nonprofit organizations and political parties are well aware that the very act of belonging translates to repeat financial support and mobilization of advocacy efforts.  

Of all the proven and patented tactics used to acquire and retain new members – premiums, exclusive access and offers, or the personal storytelling required to instill emotion and passion for supporting a great mission – one approach that is often underleveraged and in some cases downright ignored … recognition.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s recent advice for his friend, New York neighbor, and would-be presidential hopeful Donald Trump was resounding – drop the birther talk!  The Mayor urged Trump and the Republican Party to instead focus on the substantive issues that Americans care about, such as the economy, jobs, and immigration.  Mayor Bloomberg, an Independent and founding member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns – is certainly one to reach out to both sides of the aisle on common sense issues, such as stopping the flow of illegal guns into America’s cities.

Even Karl Rove refers to Trump as the “joke candidate” for his birther fixation.

After spending three days at the NTEN Technology Conference, I came away with the undeniable sense that integrated, multi-channel fundraising is truly in focus for nonprofits and political campaigns.  Though still far from reaching its fullest potential, a slew of results were vibrantly discussed throughout the conference.   

In 2008, the Obama campaign used a team of six analysts to empirically test and fine tune every nuance of its fundraising and organizing program by pouring over results garnered from one billion email sends.  By contrast, not every result shared at the conference came certified with degrees of statistical significance or control group results, nonetheless, one thing was abundantly clear: an integrated, multi-channel approach works.

Political campaigns and nonprofit organizations have increasingly embraced the power and potential of multi-channel direct marketing fundraising. Much resulting discussion has been devoted to leveraging the unique strengths of various media, ensuring consistent messaging across online and offline channels, and empowering donors to participate and contribute on their own terms.

Less discussed, however, is how organizations financially account for the complexities of multi-channel dynamics—and, specifically, the importance of “matching back” online revenues to direct mail sources in order to ensure marketing ROI is accounted for properly.

Ready or not, the 2012 election cycle is upon us.  And it’s not just presidential jabs from Sarah Palin … in the House and Senate game plans are well underway.  Though it may still seem early to some, there is no better time than now for political campaigns to start building, or rebuilding, their email lists for when things really get hot in 2012.