I’m new to my role at Schultz & Williams and couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the team. And while I’m “new” to the company, I’m not new to direct response. For 20+ years, I’ve been honored to help more than 100 organizations raise over a billion dollars in public and private support and to connect more than a million members, donors and subscribers to companies and causes.
One of the reasons I joined Schultz & Williams is that we have a similar philosophy about building “engaged communities.” I’ll sum it up in one sentence:
We help organizations | create relationships | that matter.
It’s a bold promise, but it’s what the direct team at Schultz & Williams is about. Here’s what that means to us:
We help organizations: Our clients have purpose. They are organizations and individuals with a strong mission and possess an inner desire for change and growth. We help the helpers connect with their donors and members in a meaningful way. From strategy and planning to online and offline program execution to strategic staffing solutions, we have a consistent history of helping organizations of every size to grow. Whether it’s improving your annual fund program, launching your mid-level donor program or building your planned giving pipeline, our team approaches each engagement with creativity, passion, experience and smart thinking.
create relationships: Relationships are hard. And having them stand the test of time is even harder. In direct response that means we build a multi-channel framework—based on data and insight—to plan, design, direct, engage and measure great marketing and fundraising that produces results. As consultants and fundraisers, our goal is to build a curriculum, a journey, for each type of relationship and map the experience in a way that makes sense for you and your organization. Then we use the tools and channels of direct response to build a strong member or donor community that benefits your entire organization.
that matter: We work for and with you to understand your needs and your constituents’ needs. We help tell your story in the best way possible. We help connect people with ideas. And we help produce measurable results to support your organization’s goals. Sometimes that’s building your donor/member file. At other times, it’s maximizing revenue. Often, it’s both. Knowing how you measure success is the key to building a healthy program. We call this “data with purpose,” and we use it every day to determine whom to talk to, what to say, how best to say it across what channels. It also allows us to determine what’s working, where to invest and which donors or members are likely to grow with you and your organization.
Over the coming months, I’ll continue to write about what drives us as consultants, marketers and fundraisers; what matters in direct response; and how we build and grow relationships. I look forward to working with all our clients and the talented team at Schultz & Williams.
