Simple. Relevant. Emotional.

At the core of our most exhaustively researched insights and most inspirational strategies is a hard-won understanding of what drives donors to give—and what makes them embrace your cause as their very own—again and again for years on end.

It’s the power to simply speak to their hearts, one-on-one.

There’s more to it than you might think. We start with a real working knowledge of the best practices that have proven to deliver the best results for us and for leading fundraisers everywhere. But that sure doesn’t mean we do anything just because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

We dig into your cause. We absorb your donors’ mindset. We dissect your biggest problems. Then we challenge every assumption because if we don’t reach the right people with the right offer and the right message that will move them to action, no amount of wishing will get the job done.

Once we’ve really seen your issues from every angle, we apply just the right touch of creative perspective to open your donors’ eyes to the important, transformational work that you do.

At the end of the day, it means we’ve reduced your risk, increased your effectiveness, improved your bottom line, and grown your donor base for the future.

Russ Reid was first.

In 1975 we pioneered the use of paid television specials, and developed best practices for the medium. Today, no agency creates more direct response fundraising television than Russ Reid.

We know strong television offers and how to present them. Compelling stories and how to tell them. Credible celebrities and how to feature them. Responsive markets and how to reach them.

Emerging media used to mean Web sites.

That was about a decade ago. Nowadays you’re looking at mobile messaging, social networks, the convergence of TV and computers and a lot more.

Just as Russ Reid pioneered the use of direct mail and television for fundraising, we now provide unparalleled expertise to fulfill our clients’ donor promise online.

We’re constantly looking at new ways of using search engine strategies, targeted emails, banners and interstitials, and yes, web sites, to reach donors where they are. And we never forget that underneath all the whiz-bang technology, emotion and personal connection still matter most.

Is direct mail dying?

Not on your life. It currently generates 75 percent of our clients’ annual revenue—with mail volume growing at 10 percent per year. For targeting, segmentation, offer development and creative strategies, we’re second to none.

Of course, direct mail also means catalogs. Russ Reid is behind some of the most successful nonprofit catalogs in the world. Ask us about our exclusive, multi-charity catalog and how you can be a part of the next wave of donor engagement.

Direct mail is also the main driver of our integrated fundraising campaigns, which include other Russ Reid services like television, radio, Internet and more.

It sparks your imagination like no other medium.

That’s why they call radio the “theater of the mind.” Listeners can visualize amazing scenes without you spending precious dollars to film or photograph them.

More than 94 percent of Americans listen to the radio every day.

With such a broad reach, radio is a powerful fundraising channel. Russ Reid harnesses that power.

Our dedicated radio team expertly creates, produces and strategically places emotionally compelling spots and programs. It’s just one more way we acquire high-value donors and elevate awareness of a nonprofit’s presence in a community.

The best ideas are still out there.

And every one of them starts as “alternative response media.”

Russ Reid pioneered the use of many now-established alternative response media such as statement stuffers, free-standing inserts and ride-alongs as cost-effective components of integrated, multi-channel fundraising campaigns.

They continue as part of our arsenal for campaigns where our clients need high market penetration at low cost.

What will be next?

Knowledge is power.

No, we didn’t say it first, but we live by that credo all the same. We work hard to know everything possible about your programs, your goals, your challenges, your audience and the competitive environment. For starters. We obsessively study those metrics, separate the salient points from the clutter, and discover the best plan of action.

Then we test, analyze, and course-correct to make sure we are delivering the very best results. So when you roll out your campaign, you’ve already got a proven winner.

And as your fundraising progresses, we continue to focus on six main areas that give us insight into the overall health of your program:

•  Who exactly is in your donor file

•  How segmentation can reach them

•  What trends drive donor performance

•  How to improve conversion rates

•  How to reduce attrition

•  How to maximize long-term donor value

By taking a close look at long-term donor value, we are able to determine whether fundraising dollars are being optimized, how much a donor is worth over a five-year period, and which acquisition seasons, offers and media channels yield the most valuable long-term donor.

They are the fastest-growing population segment in America.

Understanding what makes a Hispanic family want to give could be the key to meeting your goals.

Russ Reid has developed a variety of ongoing direct response fundraising campaigns for the U.S. Hispanic market, and continues to develop new mail, television, radio and Internet strategies for this important group.

For several of our Hispanic clients, we started literally from scratch, with no house file and built a significant donor base generating millions of dollars in gift revenue annually.