Do you work on commission?

We never work on commission. It is a violation of the general principles of the fundraising profession as outlined in the code of ethics in the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In addition, we believe that earning a percentage fee from donor income is not appealing to donors. A percentage fee may inspire some companies to pressure donors into giving more than they feel comfortable with. This could damage the donor/nonprofit relationship and decrease the long-term value to the nonprofit.

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How do you structure your fees?

Because we offer a number of different services to our clients, we have a variety of ways to structure our services. Many organizations work with us on an ongoing basis whereby, together with the nonprofit, we plan and implement a one or multi-year program for a fixed monthly fee called a retainer. This allows our clients to budget more effectively.

We are also hired on a consulting basis or for specific projects, such as a development audit. Other organizations hire us to develop a single direct mail package for them, or to help build or expand their monthly giving program. Our fees for these services are based on the scope of the project and the needs of the organization.

Our goal is to provide the best service we can, recognizing that a relationship has to work for both the nonprofit and Harvey McKinnon Associates in order to be successful. We'll work with you to ensure that we are both happy.

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Do you only work with nonprofits?

Yes. All of our clients are nonprofit organizations. Each of our staff members has experience working in the charities sector. We understand the issues and sensitivities around the nonprofit culture, and we love contributing our expertise for important causes. And, of course, we find it extremely gratifying to see our clients achieve their goals.

While we have worked with just about every kind of organization, our core clients are healthcare and environmental nonprofits.

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Does Harvey McKinnon Associates provide services other than direct mail?

While our core business is direct mail, we have a wealth of knowledge to share with you. Our audits can help develop strategies to build stronger relationships with your donors. Our monthly giving experience is unparalleled. We are one of the few North American companies to offer direct response television services. Harvey trains on many subjects from Today’s Rich to Adapting to Change in the Fundraising Environment.

Please see our services for details.

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Do you provide full services for direct mail?

Yes, we do everything you need from developing the strategy and design to production management and list ordering. Some of our clients choose to do their own production management, and have us contribute our expertise on strategy and copy. We work with you to determine what is most effective for your organization.

Please see our Direct Mail service for more information.

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How will you serve our organization if you are situated in a different part of the world?

A member (or members) of our staff will consult with you regularly by email, phone, and fax. And, once per year, more if necessary, a senior member of our team will meet with you in person to discuss your strategic and communication plans.

The aim of these meetings and discussions will be to place direct response fundraising in the context of your long-range development program and to ensure that you derive maximum benefit from our work.

We serve many clients across Canada and in the U.S. from our Vancouver and Toronto offices. These clients all agree that it’s been a successful relationship. We even have long-distance clients we have never met! Email, phone calls, and faxes allow us to communicate with our clients effectively. Our clients tell us the system works very well for them.

We also manage production for many long distance clients, working with printers and mailing houses that are thousands of kilometres away.

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How will you plan and schedule my direct mail program?

For clients on the retainer system, we believe the ideal is to plan the annual direct mail program a year ahead. But we also recognize that opportunities and challenges occur during the year. We believe in adapting a mailing program if it is to the benefit of our client. We are very good at sticking to mailing dates, in order to maximize your income.

Sometimes when a mailing works incredibly well it can have a positive impact on future mailings. This can then change the content of letters planned earlier in the year. We believe that flexibility makes a lot of sense because it means we make decisions that improve results for our clients.

We produce working timelines for all mailings. These have detailed specifications for every task, and also note the person responsible and the due date. (Depending on the task, you would deal with either the client account manager or the production manager.)

We find that schedules vary according to our client’s needs, but this should give you an idea of how we work. We are happy to adapt a schedule for you.

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Who will work on my account?

Ours is very much a team approach. Typically either Harvey McKinnon or Managing Director Lynne Boardman oversees strategic development and results analysis, and our staff writer writes your fundraising appeals. For day-to-day account management, you will work with an account executive and, depending on the size of your account, a production manager.

We have regular in-house meetings, involving the entire Harvey McKinnon Associates team. With this combination of people, you will get the experienced attention for your program that you and your donors deserve.

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What measures do you take to protect the security of a client’s database?

We never see your actual database because you ship it directly to the various mailing houses we use. Each mailing house we work with is equipped with systems that guarantee security of data. We have never had any security violations. We would select one of the mailing houses we work with, or the mailing house you currently use. If you wish, we would be happy to provide you with the security policy for our preferred mailing house.

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