Decades-long string of final notices undermines nonprofit brand

I get variations of this piece of mail from the ACLU several times a year.

I've been getting these since I sent a donation during the Bush I administration, who tried to smear his election opponent by calling him a "card-carrying member" of the ACLU -- which, as far as I was concerned, was a dynamite recommendation of the organization.

That was about 20 years ago. The ACLU has told me literally hundreds of times that this is my last chance to renew my membership. My kids have spent their entire lives seeing these urgent final messages in the mailbox.

Do you think anyone in my household remotely believes that my last chance to join the ACLU is now, or ever? And how might our collective cynicism affect our faith in the organization's truthfulness in general?

If you get right down to it, the ACLU has spent a fair amount of money to undermine its brand among members of the Brooks household.

I'm in the biz, so I understand what's really happening, as do others in my family. (The Talk in our home is mainly about the ways of direct-response fundraising.)

But what about normal people? How many see the ACLU as a laughable wolf-crier? Or unrepentant liar?

I don't know what the answer is. If the ACLU were to ask me what they should do, I would not tell them to abandon the control, which I assume this piece is. I'd tell them to test against it. Which I'm pretty sure they're already doing.

But are they in accidentally trashing their brand and reputation? And maybe helping take down direct-mail fundraising in general with it?

Technorati Tags: direct mail, branding, ACLU