You arrive at your favorite restaurant for a special birthday or anniversary dinner. The restaurant’s reputation is built on an hours-long tasting menu experience, exquisitely prepared, timed perfectly, with painstakingly chosen wine pairings.    

From the setting to the service, from the amuse bouche to the tiny sweets that close the meal, it’s the kind of memorable dining experience that’s so special, that when the check arrives, there’s nothing else but to slip the credit card between sheaths of leather, with barely a glance at the total.      

Tonight, however, the chef has decided to re-focus her team’s time to 50% on composing the elements for the dinner, and 50% on crafting the look of the check. She and the team work tirelessly each week to try new approaches to the wording & design of the check. While their expertise lies in getting the combinations of flavors correct in a given dish, they struggle with the check presentation, and frankly they never know if all of their work was worth it because they never receive feedback on how exquisite (or not) the check looked. 

It’s not that bookings are down, but she’s received feedback that with fewer dishes now on the tasting menu due to a time crunch, diners are now wondering whether they can have the same intimately-curated experience again. Few seemed to notice the check design and just paid as usual.   

That is my rather tortured simile for how some organizations treat direct mail. At CDP we have developed scaled ‘invoicing’ solutions for stations that rely on excellent public service to catalyze giving.  

The station (‘the kitchen’) puts out amazing programming & services to the community (‘the dinner’) and the community (‘the diners’) are fulfilled by the offerings. The station adds to the experience by engaging the community through social media, email, on-air and on the web site, deepening the emotional connection to the station’s mission even further. Then the direct mail appeal arrives (‘the check’) and the community responds.   

CDP sends out more than 10 million appeals each year and tests every single word and phrase, moving the best performers to the front of the pack. In our own way, we’re the test kitchen for direct response, and it’s less about craft than it is data-driven learning. 

When CDP works on ‘invoicing’ campaigns, we suggest that stations shift their creative focus toward deepening local, higher-touch relationships such as midlevel and major giving cultivation, digital engagement and audience development.   

It’s the equivalent of the chef sending her team back to the kitchen to focus 100% on the very thing the restaurant is known for.  Creativity & passion blossom in the kitchen, her staff’s time is utilized wisely, and she lets the cash register company take care of the invoicing.   

CDP Direct is what I’m referencing here. If you would like to learn more, contact me.