Hey, Charities: Direct Mail Stinks
Listen up, non-profit organizations, I'll lay it out for you. Sending me address labels in the mail is a one-way ticket off my Christmas card list. They're not recyclable and I don't like putting them in the trash.* Your direct mail is a direct cause of my decision not to give you any more money. I've already written to the Direct Marketing Association and told them to opt me out of mailings from non- and for-profit companies alike. (And, hey, charities, thanks for renting my address and many others to the DMA when I specifically asked you not to. Did they send you thirty pieces of silver?)
A 2004 article in the New York Times notes the declining response charities are getting from direct mail, especially mail containing address labels:
Five to seven years ago, the [Paralyzed Veterans of America] group received donations from 15 to 20 percent of people who got its mailings for the first time. "Those numbers are now probably 50 percent of that," Mr. Dowis said. Older donors respond strongly to label mailings, he said, while younger people — whom charities want for future growth — "tend to be very cynical, and we tend to be much more discerning."
Check the date again: this quote is three and a half years old. So address labels in direct mail are probably even less effective in soliciting donations now, yet they keep on a-comin'. Every week. I'll say it again: the more mail I get, the less likely I am to give back. And I'm not alone:
"We're hearing that more and more," said Sandra Miniutti, a spokeswoman for Charity Navigator, an organization that monitors nonprofit groups. "It's a commonly held belief that the more times you ask, the more times you'll get, but people are withdrawing their support."
It's safe to say that I'm a member of that more-cynical younger demographic with whom charities hope to foster long-term giving. Here's a tip for the orgs: People my age also tend to pay bills online. We have even less need for envelopes, stamps, and, you guessed it -- return address labels.
Here are some things you can do to cut down on the amount of material that arrives in your mailbox:
1. Write to the Direct Marketing Association to opt-out of all unsolicited offers.
2. If you like a charity but don't need all that mail, contact the organization and tell them that. Many charities offer you the option of receiving information just a few times a year, or by email only.
3. Charities target first-time givers, because those are the people most likely to give again. If you are considering donating for the first time, try doing it over the phone with a credit card. That way you can connect with a human on the other end and make sure they know you want to opt out of mailings.
4. Focus your giving on organizations that are visible in your community: local food banks, animal shelters, your church, Boys and Girls clubs, the YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, and so on.
5. Check up on your chosen charitable recipients at Charity Navigator. They have nifty stats like how much money an organization raises versus what they spend, how they spend it, and how much their CEO makes. Cool.
6. Speak up. I've contacted the charities I gave to last year, and told them that the mailings affected my decision not to give to them again. I may be just one of many, but I have a voice, and if I don't use it, I guarantee they won't hear me.
Speaking of money, I've really been enjoying Trent Hamm's blog The Simple Dollar. (He updates every day! Wow!) The Starving Artist cliche may be a myth, but that doesn't mean I can't learn to be smart with my money.
*Nature Conservancy, I'm looking at you.
Practical Economic Advice for Creative Types
Writer John Scalzi recently posted a list of Unasked-For (but really, who is he trying to kid, we're constantly asking for this stuff) Advice on how to survive in the writing business. Most of his recommendations could easily fit under the umbrella of advice for artists, freelancers, and heck, people. I can't stress enough how good this post is (click here to read). Two items really resonated with me.
1. The Big Cities are not the alpha and omega of the economic world. Why? Because we have the internet. And phones, and faxes, and FedEx. Save yourself a poo-load of living expenses by moving to oh, say, Oklahoma.
2. Make a saving throw against The Shiny. In other words, don't be stupid with your money.
I have big student loans to pay off. I'm totally okay with that, it was worth it. The loans give me a low credit rating. An interesting side benefit to this condition is that I almost never get credit card offers in the mail. There is a certain peace in knowing that no one will lend me money. I have no choice but to live within my means (or pretty close to it).
So You're Thinking of Going to Graduate School
...to get your MFA. Great! Do it. The time and expense are worth it. You'll never get that level of instruction and uninterrupted study time outside of school. It's a fabulous way to spend two to three years of your life. Because nobody asked for it, here's my list of MFA-application tips, skewed toward my experience studying painting and illustration.
Ask yourself why you're going back to school. Is it because your parents think you should? Is it because your friends have graduate degrees and you don't? I decided I needed graduate school after a certain disastrous series of paintings. I looked at my pile of failure and realized I needed to learn how to paint. Knowing that going in was a huge help. It reminded me to seek out the instruction I needed to become a better artist.
How are you choosing your school? Unless you're interested in prestigious teaching positions or curatorships, a school's reputation means bupkis. For the love of Pete, do not choose a school because Matthew Barney went there.
Browse the websites of the schools you're considering. (Or visit them in person if possible.) Does the student and faculty work resonate with you? Is it of good quality? Would you feel good about having those artists as your peers? Look the school up on MySpace! What do students have to say about the programs and faculty? If you have questions before applying, can you get in touch with any faculty? Do they return your emails or calls?
Look at what classes the school offers. (Most schools offer some semblance of a course catalog online.) Is there a curriculum that meets your needs? If you want to study something specific, say, Fiber Arts, will you be able to get that instruction? Keep in mind that "Fine Arts" programs sometimes end up as dumping grounds for students that don't fit in to more specialized programs. It's a good sign when an art school offers more than just "Art." Keep in mind that as a student, you are like a customer. You are in charge of your education, so make sure you get what you need. For me, that meant a lot of independent study and course substitution. So you're an administrative headache. So what?
Now for the application process. Hint: If the school is still requiring slide carousels rather than digital portfolios, say no thanks. It's a good indication they won't be meeting what are now basic technological needs such as wifi, ethernet in dorms, digital projectors for presentations, digital cameras for you to borrow, and so on.
There is no way you can anticipate what the application review committee will or won't like. Don't overthink it. Simply put your best foot, and your best work, forward. If you need to have your portfolio photographed, it's worth having it done professionally. A high-resolution digital portfolio is something you'll be able to use for years.
When you get to school, get to know your professors. They're there to help you. Sure, they're busy. You have a right to some of their time, so insist on it. What if they're not talkative enough at critiques? Ask them for more specific feedback about your work. If you don't get along with a certain teacher, maybe you shouldn't take any more of their classes. (Or maybe you should.) Figure out which faculty members return phone calls, answer emails, show up to meetings. If you're having trouble getting something done administration-wise, the best thing to do is just show up in person. Show up to a class you want into. Show up to office hours for the prof you'd like to meet. The same advice goes for your peers. No student is an island -- your fellow students are there to help you learn as well.
Okay, critiques suck, but you have to go to them. It's your job to help them not suck. Ask specific questions, offer constructive criticism. Don't fall back on "That's nice, keep going," or, "That just doesn't work -- for me." If there's something nobody's saying, make it your job to say that. Do it without being an asshole.
If you know me personally, you know that I have big issues with art school and how it's operated in America today. Here's my argument in a nutshell: It is way way too easy to bullshit your way through art school. Try it -- grab a canvas, dump bodily fluids all over it, lay it on the floor and do an interpretive dance to the recorded sounds of your Uncle Moe snoring. They will. Eat. It. Up. Any monkey can pour a bucket of paint onto a canvas and say, yay, I'm done! It's a lot more challenging to actually make something. Rise to that challenge.
Prepare yourself for being surrounded by Wankers. (If you are already a Wanker, congratulations. You'll fit right in.) Rise above it.
Avoiding the Wanker Effect is very simple. Do the work. Do work that your hero would be proud of. (When I was in college, I realized that if I wasn't making paintings that were as good as a single panel of Arkham Asylum, I was kidding myself.) Good quality work speaks louder than any late-night coffeeshop conversation, any ironic haircut, any cute scarf, any act of Wankerism. If you don't achieve that quality right away, derr, keep trying. That's what school is for. Our reach is farther than our grasp.
Your education is what you make of it. No matter where you go to school, if you put in the hours and the passion, you'll come away a better artist and a better person.
Thanks for listening.
I'd like to hear from you. If you've been through grad school, what tips can you share for people about to take the plunge? If you're thinking of applying, do you have more questions? Let's have 'em.