Room for Growth

When New York's New Museum opened the doors to its new facility in December 2007, replacing its small museum with limited membership, the doors of opportunity opened wide for a direct mail program to bring more people through those doors. "Prior to the opening, mailings were few and tailored to smaller lists and individuals," explains Joyce Sitterly, associate director of development, membership at the New Museum. "We have developed a strategy to maximize renewal of current members while acquiring new members through acquisition mailings, lobby sales, special promotions and other efforts."New Museum's recent acquisitions campaign reflects the organization's new strategy and its commitment to acquiring new members. Its 6" x 9" mailing focuses on the museum's fall exhibit, "Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton," and the artist's work is prominently featured throughout the effort. "Elizabeth Peyton is an important artist, so it was an opportunity to reach a broader audience," says Sitterly (Archive code #576-717290-0811).Inside, a two-page letter describes the exhibit, the museum, its mission and the benefits of membership. It invites prospects to attend a private viewing of the exhibit if they join by a certain date, as well as a more exclusive opening reception with the artist and curator of the show if they donate at the deluxe level by the specified date. Prospective members can reply using the enclosed membership application that lists all membership levels.But the package's most noteworthy aspect is its full-color, trifold brochure that portrays the artist's work, a description of her style and a clear explanation of benefits. "Membership packages are formulaic in the sense [that] most packages include a piece to communicate the message and another to reply," explains Sitterly. "But we are always exploring ways to be different and capture our audience's attention, so it's about taking these obvious pieces and adding an element of surprise. I think the brochure in the ‘Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton' package does this."The use of Peyton's artwork throughout the package is key to its overall appeal. "Because we are an art museum, the work that we present is what interests our audience. Giving the reader a sneak peek of the show can only pique interest," notes Sitterly. "The envelope and the letter [are] much more graphic and hopefully draw the reader into the exhibition and make them want to be part of the New Museum."According to Sitterly, it was designer Carolyn Wachnicki's ability to feature the artist and her work while still communicating the issue of membership that made the package so remarkable. "She found balance between tastefully showcasing the artist and clearly demonstrating member benefits text-we wanted both to be the focus," says Sitterly. "I think it's rare that a membership package is of such quality and high design. Because these mailings are high volume, they are usually designed to maximize savings, but we were able to do this cost effectively."The New Museum now mails between 100,000 and 150,000 pieces two to three times annually to New Yorkers with an identified interest in art, specifically contemporary art. But due to the unique circumstances with the recent launch of the new building and the growing direct mail program, Sitterly says it's not feasible to compare mailings just yet. "We have limited data to compare it to," notes Sitterly. "The mailing sent during the launch of the building was unique due to the situation-launches get a lot of attention and attract a much wider audience. In a year we can more easily compare our mailings."Sitterly points out that the New Museum is always exploring new ways to maximize returns as it looks ahead to future exhibits and mailings. "The response was lower than we had hoped due to the economic situation," concludes Sitterly. "However, the average gift was considerably more than our goal." IDEA IN ACTION: Draw with DeadlinesIdentify a special event, and create a deadline that will act as an incentive in driving prospects to respond more readily. "Exhibitions are always of interest to a bigger audience, and the events tied to them are an attractive incentive to many people," says Joyce Sitterly, associate director of development, member-ship, at New York's New Museum. According to Sitterly, including a "Join By" deadline as an incentive to attend a special event seemed to drive the majority of respondents to reply in advance of the deadline. "The majority of replies arrived before this date, so [it was] quite effective," notes Sitterly.

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Room for Growth

Marissa Fabris

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Marissa Fabris