Naming Appeals and Packages for Newsletters

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My organization is starting quarterly newsletters and we need to assign appeals and apackages to them. We are going to have different ways of contacting our donors as well. I am looking for any suggestions on the best way to name the appeals and packages, i.e. letters, emails, phone calls.


Thank you,

Diana

Comments

  • Hi Diana,

    I would say come up with a naming convention that makes the most sense for your organization - and for those that might join the organization after you - and document the heck out of it.


    For packages that would be used if you are doing variations on the mailing - different versions to different segments of your list for example


    My old organization also used packages to keep track of items in an alternative giving catalog we did during the holidays


    What I've done in the past was:


    FY17DMJUNE for the appeal code and spelling out the item in more detail in the Description:  FY17 June Direct Mail


    FY17NLJUNE

    FY17 June Newsletter


    Good luck!

    Joanne

  • I do much the same as what Joanne said.  Our newsletter that just dropped last week is Appeal ID: 1702 FallNwsltr Appeal Description: Fall CY16/FY17 Newsletter.  The ID is what I care about.  17 is Fiscal Year 17 and 02 is the 2nd appeal of the year.  I keep copies of invoices for associated expenses, artwork, pdf of the letter template or scans if the letters had handwritten notes on them...those pdf files all start with Ap1702.  When we include a remittance envelope in a newsletter, it gets that code, 1702, printed on it.  Makes data entry easy, using the numberpad.  If it's an appeal with a reply form, we print them as a mail merge and pre-fill whatever information we have (i.e. name, address, etc.).  On these, we include 4567891-1702-1 which is the Constituent ID, the Appeal ID, and the Package ID (or the first part of it).  Again makes data entry easier.
  • Jen Claudy:

    I do much the same as what Joanne said.  Our newsletter that just dropped last week is Appeal ID: 1702 FallNwsltr Appeal Description: Fall CY16/FY17 Newsletter.  The ID is what I care about.  17 is Fiscal Year 17 and 02 is the 2nd appeal of the year.  I keep copies of invoices for associated expenses, artwork, pdf of the letter template or scans if the letters had handwritten notes on them...those pdf files all start with Ap1702.  When we include a remittance envelope in a newsletter, it gets that code, 1702, printed on it.  Makes data entry easy, using the numberpad.  If it's an appeal with a reply form, we print them as a mail merge and pre-fill whatever information we have (i.e. name, address, etc.).  On these, we include 4567891-1702-1 which is the Constituent ID, the Appeal ID, and the Package ID (or the first part of it).  Again makes data entry easier.

    So, regardless of what the appeal is you just continue to number then 1701, 1702, 1703 etc?   The ID you care about is 1702 and all the other information is just descriptive.  Is that right?

  • Melinda Dietrich:

    Jen Claudy:

    I do much the same as what Joanne said.  Our newsletter that just dropped last week is Appeal ID: 1702 FallNwsltr Appeal Description: Fall CY16/FY17 Newsletter.  The ID is what I care about.  17 is Fiscal Year 17 and 02 is the 2nd appeal of the year.  I keep copies of invoices for associated expenses, artwork, pdf of the letter template or scans if the letters had handwritten notes on them...those pdf files all start with Ap1702.  When we include a remittance envelope in a newsletter, it gets that code, 1702, printed on it.  Makes data entry easy, using the numberpad.  If it's an appeal with a reply form, we print them as a mail merge and pre-fill whatever information we have (i.e. name, address, etc.).  On these, we include 4567891-1702-1 which is the Constituent ID, the Appeal ID, and the Package ID (or the first part of it).  Again makes data entry easier.

    So, regardless of what the appeal is you just continue to number then 1701, 1702, 1703 etc?   The ID you care about is 1702 and all the other information is just descriptive.  Is that right?

     

    Pretty much.  My coworkers only look at the Description Field, which is sometimes really long, as I end up putting in multiple names for the same appeal.  Our upcoming appeal letter has been called (in meetings and on paperwork) the Year-End Appeal, the End-of-Year Appeal, and the December Ask.  It's quite confusing, but I can't get everyone to agree on one term...  =)


    I use the numbers in order of creation.  So 1700 is our Board Campaign, which is usually a collection of different asks, but we want the Appeal Tag on the Gifts.  1701 is actually our FY16 Annual Report, that will mail in November of FY17.  1702, 1703, 1704, and 1705 are our quarterly newsletters for the year.  Those were all created in June, and then when we put together a letter that went out in July, that was 1706, the employee campaign is 1707, etc.  Not the order they were sent, but the order I find out about them.  Kind of like when you turn on automatic ID fields in RE and you can prefix them with the year.  I add a short bit of text after the number for my own information, but don't usually include that in filenames and such.  (Like 1702 FallNwsltr)


    It won't work for everyone, but it works for me, and it worked for the team I was on 11 years ago at another org when we created this system.

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