To send a Christmas card or not to send a Christmas card, that is the question. Every year since 1991 I have wrestled with this question, not personally but professionally. My family sends Christmas cards to relatives, friends, and a few acquaintances. That’s not a problem: it’s a great way to share news, pass on best wishes, and generally keep in touch.

So what is the problem professionally? Aren’t these same benefits available to a non-profit organization when it sends Christmas cards, or more broadly, any type of Christmas card to its members? It depends.

If nonprofits send personalized cards, I think they generate a positive return on investment. In other words, if nonprofits, no matter how many cards they choose to mail, insert some individualized news, notes, names, then I think the card is worth it. Without this customization I’m not so sure.

cards sent in bulk
When I served 17 years as president of the university, my name and title appeared on the VIP lists of countless organizations. In the vernacular, I was “somebody.” Since I was apparently considered worthy, or at least my position was considered important, my office received dozens of cards: Christmas, but eventually Thanksgiving cards, and sometimes birthday cards as well.

What I found fascinating was that virtually all of these cards were computer generated. My name did not appear anywhere but on the envelope label. No message relevant to my relationship with the organization could be found inside. No news that connected in any way with who I was or even what the university was versus the nonprofit that sent the card. No actual signature from the nonprofit president, even many times when I personally met the fellow nonprofit executive. Any.

This even happened with birthday cards. I received cards from non-profit organizations during the week of my birthday, but the card did not contain any written message or name. Amazing. Try this with your spouse: Give them a birthday or anniversary card without a message or their name. Not good.

Even more interesting to me, since I left the presidency of the university I no longer receive cards from most of those non-profit organizations. This is true for organizations with which I personally had a close relationship, and it is true for organizations where I still know the leaders.

The message I take from this is that I didn’t matter much now and only mattered “back then” because I was in a position that nonprofits found influential and possibly helpful to them. But even back then, to repeat myself, I apparently didn’t care much because I received a card simply generated by a tickler file.

Some nonprofits and their executives, I know, pride themselves on how long or big their Christmas card list has gotten. I have heard presidents proclaim a number as if it were a sign of great achievement. You know, my Rolodex is bigger than your Rolodex. Or in more contemporary terms, my mailing list is bigger than your mailing list.

But does this matter? Means something? Do all these impersonal cards really reinforce the nonprofit’s mission and vision? Are voters overjoyed when they receive such a card? Is the practice of sending non-personalized cards to tens, hundreds, or even thousands an effective advancement tool? I do not think.

personalized cards
When it came time to decide whether to spend my hard-earned college funds, I asked myself, “Is it worth it?” I still consider the same question every year now in a different nonprofit leadership role. Why do I have to spend or how much of the nonprofit funds do I have to spend to send a card? It depends.

I am not recommending that non-profit organizations not send Christmas cards. I’m also not against a long list, per se. What I am suggesting is that sending cards impersonally will not have as positive an impact as sending personalized cards. So if I’m responsible for deciding to spend a nonprofit organization’s funds, resources that could go to operations or programs that fulfill the mission, then I want to adopt a method that has the greatest impact and is ultimately the most possible cash. To me, that’s personalized cards.

Every Thanksgiving I spend several hours in front of football games signing Christmas cards. I choose a pen usually with blue ink, but really anything but black ink. This ensures that my name and message stand out against the typical black font of the card’s printed message.

It takes longer, but I like to write the person’s name, either Fred or Fred and Mary or Mr. and Mrs. Smith, depending on how well I know them. Follow that with a sentence about the nonprofit’s work, for example: “It’s been a challenging but fruitful year” or “Thank you for helping us touch lives” or “As the year ends, we’re excited to launch the new Program… .” Then follow up with some kind of Christmas or holiday greeting: “Blessings to you and yours this season” or “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” or “Best wishes for this wonderful time of year.” Finally, I sign my first name.

I guarantee that this method will get the attention of the voter who receives the card. Why? Because I respond to personalized cards and know others do, and because people who have received these cards have later expressed appreciation for them. And, a personalized card will stand out on the dining room table or office desk, because it’s the only one that bears a personal handwritten greeting.

Now you say, “I don’t have time to do this.” To which I say, “You don’t have time not to do this.” Or if you’re really pressed, cut down on your Christmas card list. Please do not send more than you have the time and willingness to customize. As many as they are, the people who receive them will feel special and valued, which after all is what a nonprofit organization expects its members to feel.

Electronic cards
The phenomenon of electronic cards is still relatively new. Some non-profit organizations are using this method to send Christmas greetings to their constituents; It’s cheap and instant. But the same rule applies. Personalized eCards generate a higher ROI than non-personalized eCards.

And while I’m not against technology, I’d still say that a handwritten note sent via snail mail gets a bigger positive response than something emailed and easily deleted. This may be an old-school attitude or assessment, but the now-worn adage, “High Tech, High Touch,” still applies. People enjoy and remember being “touched.”

Custom cards in bulk or by email
After all this, you can say, “If I narrow my list down to a handful that I customize, our nonprofit will miss out on a key opportunity to share news and engage our constituents.” OK maybe.

If a non-profit organization concludes that it must send selected tens, hundreds, or thousands of holiday cards, I still strongly recommend that these cards be personalized in some identifiable way. Do not pick them up at the print shop and leave them in the mailbox. Don’t just buy an eCard and submit it to a vast database. Customize.

Customizing is different from personalizing. Personalizing means that the recipient’s name is on the card and that the nonprofit executive has signed the card with a personal message, even if it’s an eCard. Personalize means the nonprofit has added content that somehow identifies the card as the nonprofit’s card, not a stock purchase or even a special design that doesn’t include nonprofit news or names. profit.

The personalized card should include current information, an expression of thanks, and someone’s name and title, even if not personally signed. Do not send cards from “The Staff” or, worse yet, any source other than the return address on the envelope, or an institutional name such as “The University” or “XYZ Ministries.” Put a person’s name, perhaps the Chairman of the Board, the President or the Promotion Vice President, on the card. Almost any name is better than no name.

conclusion
Nonprofit organizations spend thousands of dollars each year sending out Christmas cards to charter. But this practice, especially long lists, may be more of a cultural tradition than good forward methodology.

The question to send a Christmas card or not to send a Christmas card should be answered on the basis of perceived effectiveness in improving the mission. Since the best breakthrough is all about relationships, it seems logical to conclude that the best holiday cards reinforce personal connections to the nonprofit. We build relationships at least by personalizing an email, but better yet, by personalizing it.

Sign nonprofit holiday cards with news, notes, and names.