Dangal star Fatima Sana Shaikh opened up about her initial days of struggle in Bollywood. Incidentally, the actress was told that she doesn't have a 'heroine's look' like Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif.
She instantly became one of the most adorable child artists in Bollywood when Kamal Haasan and Tabu's Chachi 420 (1997) hit theatres. Her performance was loved by one and all while her cuteness was adored by everyone. But the same girl, Fatima Sana Shaikh, when she had to make her Bollywood debut, the transition from a child actor to becoming a Bollywood diva was quite an uphill task for her.
When Fatima grew up and wanted to pursue a career as an actress on the silver screen, she didn't get the same privileges as may be a Rishi Kapoor or an Aamir Khan got back in the day. In fact, she went from door-to-door for auditions and struggle like any other newcomer has too. While that is the way of getting into any new profession, but acting wasn't the only talent expected out of Fatima, she also had to look gorgeous doing it. However, the actress reveals that she was told that she didn't have looks of a heroine, like a Katrina Kaif or a Deepika Padukone.
"I have been a child actor. I quit but making a comeback after that was difficult. I was not getting any work. People used to tell me I don't look like Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif. They said, since I didn't have the looks of a heroine, I should do whatever I'm offered. There have been many incidents where I was told that I was not good enough," Fatima Sana Shaikh told PTI.
However, it was her will and determination to act in front of the camera is what eventually got her where she is today. The actress also revealed that post the massive success of Dangal and her last film with Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif titled Thugs of Hindostan, she has finally got the opportunity to choose her projects instead of taking whatever comes her way.
"Before Dangal, I never had the chance to choose my projects. I even did Dangal because that was my only option at that time. Every actor goes through this. That's how things function. But I am happy that post the film and especially after Thugs of Hindostan, I have the space to choose," she added.
Fortunately for Fatima, things are only looking on the brighter side for the Dangal star, who is presently shooting with Rajkummar Rao for Anurag Basu's next film. In fact, she had earlier shared a still from the sets of the film featuring the herself and her co-star.


Faculty interested in learning more about open educational resources (OER), are invited to attend an Overview of OER. Led by DLIT's Bill Knapp & Megan Stewart, and librarian Sophia Brewer, you will be introduced to helpful resources including OpenStax, Minnesota OER Commons, Khan Academy, and more.
The sessions will be held in 123 LRC LIB – enter that room through the Library Lobby. Register for either the Feb. 6 or Feb. 7 session on the Center for Teaching Excellence website.
See the OER Subject Guide for more information.
Come get a brief overview of OER from a librarian's perspective.
What is Creative Commons and what does copyright have to do with it.
What are the best sources for OER?
Also, learn how librarians can help.
Librarian Sophia Brewer will share what she has learned about Open Educational Resources (OER) and how they are being used on college campuses.
Wednesday, March 1 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
"The Met" Art Goes Open Access!
Today, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art made history my implementing an Open Access policy. The Met has made "images of artworks it believes to be in the public domain widely and freely available for unrestricted use, and at no cost, in accordance with the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation and the Terms and Conditions of their website. Also available is data from the entire online collection―both works it believes to be in the public domain and those under copyright or other restrictions." Met content will also soon be available within ArtStor, one of GRCC's licensed databases, where it will provide students and faculty even more robust search results.
For additional image resources, see the [Image] tab on the Multimedia & Image Subject Guide. For more on Creative Commons, view this archived webinar, The Beauty of Some Rights Reserved – An Introduction to Creative Commons Licensing, from the Michigan Community Colleges Association.


Membership is free and open to individuals, groups, institutions and organisations that are interested in promoting water efficiency in buildings.
Public/basic membership provides only information and updates about water efficiency in buildings. (Public/basic members can contact us if they wish to upgrade to full memership).
Full or 'Pro' members get the full benefit of the network including the ability to instigate and lead on events, contribute to the network programme, champion subjects, represent the network, be sponsored to attend events by and on behalf of the network, free or subsidised access to events etc.
Current full network members are listed below.
Register here to join the network. Contact us, to become a strategic partner.
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For recent publications, articles and websites relevant to water efficiency and sustainability please see our Resources section.


text:
Q: Is there any WYSIWYG editor for these websites? I'm not very comfortable with Markdown. Is there any way we can access a WYSIWYG editor for answers, with buttons for inserting the same content as Markdown can?
On the Post Your Answer section, I see something that looks like a textarea and a toolbar.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


15.00 : Broadcast to Schools. S.B. from Glasgow.
15.45 : George Steadman's Orchestra, from the Electric Theatre.
18.30 : Mr. George E. Oreenhowe : Horticulture.
19.45 : The Station Octet: Scottish Selection, ' The Thistle (arr. Myddleton).
20.00 : Song and Story of the Gael. Alastair McLean (Reciter) ; Mary Lamont (Soprano).


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text:
Musafir Song from Shab ft Raveena Tandon
aryan, June 1, 2017 June 1, 2017 , Promos, 0
Musafir Song from Shab ft Raveena Tandon and directed by Onir.
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Title Song ft Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor
sputnik, October 14, 2015 October 14, 2015 , Promos, 1
Check out Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Title Song from ft Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor and directed by Sooraj Barjatya.
Thackeray Official Teaser starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui
sputnik, December 22, 2017 December 25, 2017 , Promos, 0
Check out Thackeray Official Teaser starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and directed by Abhijit Panse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpUwdr4IRvs
Lion Official Trailer starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman
sputnik, August 26, 2016 August 26, 2016 , Promos, 1
Check out Lion Official Trailer starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman and directed by Garth Davis. Synopsis
Mean Tweets featuring Hugh Grant, Kate Hudson, Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, Russell Crowe and more
sputnik, September 22, 2016 September 22, 2016 , Promos, 0
Mean Tweets featuring Hugh Grant, Kate Hudson, Greg Kinnear, Melissa McCarthy, Chris Evans, Jane Lynch, Norman Reedus, Margot Robbie,...
Nanga Punga Dost Song from PK ft Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma
aryan, December 4, 2014 December 4, 2014 , Promos, 4
Check Out Nanga Punga Dost Song From PK Starring Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt, Sushant Singh Rajput and...
First Look of Manto starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui
aryan, May 23, 2017 October 23, 2017 , Promos, 2
Check out First Look of Manto starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and directed by Nandita Das.
Dhoom Dham Song from 3 Bachelors
sputnik, June 26, 2012 June 26, 2012 , Promos, 0
Looks like its a delayed movie and was shot after Style.
Alvida Song – D-Day
aryan, June 27, 2013 August 24, 2013 , Promos, 1
Ab Raat Song from Dobaara ft Huma Qureshi, Saqib SaleemNaach Meri Jaan Song from Tubelight ft Salman Khan, Sohail Khan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Find the maximum number of nodes on the same level in a binary tree (Prolog) Lets define a binary tree structure as a set of nodes and the tree itself is:

*

*Is empty or,

*Consists of root node and left and right binary sub-tree
nodes

So relaying on the mentioned definition we can represent binary trees in Prolog with the set of terms which satisfy the following binaryTree predicate.
binaryTree(nil):- !.
binaryTree(bTree(L, _, R)):- binaryTree(L), binaryTree(R).

For example, the following b tree

corresponds structure:
bTree(bTree(nil, b, nil), a, bTree(bTree(nil, d, nil), c, nil))

My questions is about how to find the length of the given binary tree, i.e. the maximum number of nodes on the same level.

A: You could do something like this (have not done much test to verify correctness, that is up to you):
binaryTree(nil):- !.
binaryTree(bTree(L, _, R)):- binaryTree(L), binaryTree(R).

max_length(T, Max):-
    traverse(T, 0, Ts),
    get_levels(Ts, Levels),
    sort(0, @=<, Levels, Levels1),
    get_max_length(Levels1, _, 0, 0, Max).

traverse(bTree(L,V,R), Level, bTree(L1, V, R1, Level)):-
    Level1 is Level + 1,
    traverse(L, Level1, L1),
    traverse(R, Level1, R1).

traverse(nil, _, nil).

get_levels(nil, []).

get_levels(bTree(L,_,R, Lev), [Lev|Levs2]):-
    get_levels(L, Levs0),
    get_levels(R, Levs1),
    append(Levs0,Levs1,Levs2).

get_max_length([], _, Acc,Max0, Max1):-
    (Acc > Max0 ->
     Max1 is Acc;
     Max1 is Max0
    ).

get_max_length([Curr|T], Curr, Acc, Max0, Max1):-
    Acc1 is Acc + 1,
    get_max_length(T, Curr, Acc1, Max0, Max1).

get_max_length([X|T], Curr, Acc, Max0, Max1):-
    \+ X = Curr,
    (Acc > Max0 ->
     get_max_length(T, X, 1, Acc, Max1);
     get_max_length(T, X, 1, Max0, Max1)
    ).

2 test cases, first the tree in your picture and then this tree:
                                                   +-----+
                                                  -+-----+---
                                              ---/           \-----
                                   +------+--/                     \+------+
                                 --+------+                         ++-----+---
                               -/         |                          |         \---
                       +-----+/           +------+          +-------/              \+------+
                       /-----\            /------\          /-------\               +/-----+-
                     -/       \         -/        \       -/         \-            -/        \---
                   -/         |       -/          |     -/             \         -/              \--
            +-----/     +------\    +/----+   +----\  +/----+    +------\       /------+      +-----\-
            +-----+     +------+    +-----+   +----+  +-----+    +------+       +------+      +-----+

Add the following to the code and run with test.
test:-
    T0 = bTree(bTree(nil, b, nil), a, bTree(bTree(nil, d, nil), c, nil)),
    max_length(T0, 2),
    T1 = bTree(
               bTree(
                     bTree(
                           bTree(
                                 nil,
                                 3,
                                 nil
                                ),
                           2,
                           bTree(
                                 nil,
                                 4,
                                 nil
                                )
                          ),
                     1,
                     bTree(
                           bTree(
                                 nil,
                                 6,
                                 nil
                                ),
                           5,
                           bTree(
                                 nil,
                                 7,
                                 nil
                                )
                          )
                    ),
               0,
               bTree(
                     bTree(
                           bTree(
                                 nil,
                                 10,
                                 nil
                                ),
                           9,
                           bTree(
                                 nil,
                                 11,
                                 nil
                                )
                          ),
                     8,
                     bTree(
                           bTree(
                                 nil,
                                 13,
                                 nil
                                ),
                           12,
                           bTree(
                                 nil,
                                 14,
                                 nil
                                )
                          )
                    )),
    max_length(T1, 8).


As the partial shutdown of the federal government inches nearer to breaking the record for the longest shutdown in history, the Trump Administration has announced stopgaps to temporarily continue some services that affect millions of Americans – including tax refunds and food stamps.
However, President Trump has threatened that he could keep the government closed for "months or even years" if he doesn't get funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Experts say that many more Americans will begin to feel affects if the shutdown lasts for even a few more weeks.
People from every corner of American society – from big businesses to families receiving government assistance – could be impacted, experts warn. SNAP, also known as food stamps, is only funded through February. Many mortgage and business loan applications could begin to stall. And particularly complex tax refunds – such as refunds for the Earned Income Tax Credit – may take longer to process.
Here's what to expect if the shutdown continues to drag on.
After a flurry of reports that the shutdown could stop tax refunds from going out, the Trump Administration moved to assure the taxpayers that they will receive their refunds as normal.
Russell Vought, the new acting director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB), told reporters on Monday that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will begin to process tax returns starting on Jan. 28.
"The refunds will go out as normal. There is an indefinite appropriation to pay tax refunds," Vought said.
The IRS said in a statement yesterday that the OMB has reviewed the law and found that the IRS can make refund payments despite the lapse in federal funding.
Nicole Kaeding, director of federal projects at the Tax Foundation, says that the IRS will need to ask a large number of employees to come back to work – without pay – in order to process refund requests. Only about 10,000 of the IRS's nearly 80,000 employees are classified as exempt from a furlough under the IRS's most recent lapse plan, and it's not known how many will be asked to return to work.
Kaeding adds that any delay would particularly impact lower income families, who typically rely more on the tax refunds and often file for refunds earlier than other taxpayers.
John Buhl, a Tax Foundation spokesperson, says that there is concern that the IRS will take longer to complete more complex tasks, such as business tax returns, audits and returns with the Earned Income Tax Credit – and that there won't be the same level of customer service to answer taxpayers' questions and help solve problems.
Food safety could be threatened if the shutdown continues, potentially boosting the likelihood of contracting illnesses such as E. coli, salmonella and norovirus.
The Food and Drug Administration is not conducting routine domestic food inspections during the shutdown, though Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb is working to restore inspections of high-risk facilities that produce foods such as eggs, infant formula, soft cheeses and fresh fruits and vegetables. These high-risk inspections make up roughly a third of those conducted by the FDA in an average week, Gottlieb said.
The FDA continues to conduct overseas inspections and those relating to drugs during the shutdown, while (unpaid) U.S. Department of Agriculture employees are inspecting domestic meat and poultry producers.
Bill Marler, a Seattle-based food-borne illness lawyer, says it's logical to assume that food-borne disease rates could climb in light of the pause in inspections. "Maybe not yet, but if this limps along the way it looks like it's going to, there's no question that our food supply is going to be at risk," Marler says.
But even if food-borne illness rates — which already affect an estimated 48 million Americans each year — do increase during the shutdown, Marler says public health officials might not know it. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborate to monitor disease outbreaks — so "without FDA's involvement you may not know that there are outbreaks," Marler says.
If the shutdown continues, it will start to take longer for small businesses to get approved for loans.
Thomas Smith, legal counsel for commercial lender RCN Capital, says businesses are starting to complain that the IRS is taking longer to process routine requests, which are necessary to take out loans. Smith says that while the slowdown has mostly caused "confusion" among businesses so far, he is concerned that the IRS's backlog of requests will grow as the weeks go on. If that happens, Smith says, businesses may start to miss loan deadlines.
"If this were to continue another two or three weeks, then I think the affect would be significant. Right now it's a temporary situation," Smith says.
Businesses that can't take out loans may begin to need to put off purchases of new inventory, as well as buying and selling property – which could have "ripple effects on the economy," Smith says.
Lower income and first-time homebuyers and renters are also likely to feel the impact of the shutdown.
Some 4.6 million receive rental assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD's housing assistance money expired on Jan. 1. HUD sent a letter to landlords asking them not to evict HUD tenants during the shutdown – but such tenants will be in danger of eviction if the government remains closed.
Families with credit scores below 720 may also have difficulty obtaining mortgages. HUD has warned that the "processing of closing of FHA-insured loans may be delayed." As many as 39,000 loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration or the USDA's Rural Development Loan program have already been affected by delays as of Monday, according to real estate database company Zillow.
In a factsheet about budget lapses, HUD noted that will be able to conduct a "very narrow range of activities" while the government is shutdown – and that if the shutdown continues, the housing market may be affected.
"With each day the shutdown continues, we can expect an increase in the impacts on potential homeowners, home sellers and the entire housing market. A protracted shutdown could see a decline in home sales, reversing the trend toward a strengthening market that we've been experiencing," HUD wrote.
The SNAP program, which provides food assistance for about 42 million Americans, will be funded through February – but there is no clear plan to fund the program if the shutdown continues into March. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced on Tuesday that a short-term funding bill will be used to keep the program funded for another month.
"At President Trump's direction, we have been working with the Administration on this solution. It works and is legally sound. And we want to assure states, and SNAP recipients, that the benefits for February will be provided," Perdue said.
Ann Flagg, a director for the family assistance nonprofit American Public Human Services Association, says that while SNAP is a federally funded program, it is operated by the states. That means that if the federal government remains closed, states will need to figure out how to make up for the shortfall themselves.
Flagg says that a budget shortfall would have a serious impact on the health and wellbeing of the families who receive food assistance. About 68% of SNAP participants are families with children, and 33% are in families with elderly or disabled members, according to analysis by the Center for Budget Priorities.
A halt to the program would also have an "enormous economic impact" on farmers and small business owners who provide food through the program, Flagg says.
Write to Tara Law at tara.law@time.com and Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com.


text:
I am 100 percent method, 80 percent skill, 150 percent madness: Ravichandran Ashwin
by Veeran Author
Published - Aug 24, 2016 10:32 am | Updated - Aug 24, 2016 10:34 am
Ravi Ashwin (Photo Source: Twitter)
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is currently enjoying a wonderful time in his career, has attributed his success to the madness he has for the game. The off-spinning all-rounder recently beat Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag's joint record of five man-of the series awards. The more interesting fact about it is that he achieved this record in just 36 tests.
"I am 100 percent method, 80 percent skill, and 150 percent madness. There are a few things I can attribute my success to and one of the facts is that I think cricket all the time. People also think I am a bit of a cricket tragic. There is hardly anyone in the team who follows as much cricket as I do," said Ashwin speaking to BCCI.tv
His all-round performances might make fans think that he currently at the peak of his career but the hungry off-spinner says that people are yet to see his best. In the Test series against West Indies, Ashwin contributed a staggering 235 runs with the bat including two centuries while snapping 17 wickets with his off-breaks.
"One such thing is the belief on the side of the mental aspect. I have never settled down with what I have had. Every particular session, the trainer, and physio say my workload is very very high. For me, one fine day I should be literally unplayable."
"If I bowl six balls in an over, the batsman should get beaten on all six deliveries. I think that will be the pinnacle point in my career. I don't know if I will be able to achieve it, but I have definitely embarked on the journey trying to at least achieve it. I am on the path to getting there and achieving all the things I am at the moment", Ashwin continued.
IndiaNewsRavichandran Ashwin
Rising Pune Supergiants rope in Mayank Agarwal for IPL 2017
by Sayantan
Stats: MS Dhoni has a field day breaking records
by Sampath
Fake Fb wall: Gautam Gambhir isn't interested in biopic for cricketers
by Sameer
Toss-up between Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav for a ticket to South Africa


I think there are two major classifications of spikes – let's call them simply "good" and "bad" so you know how you're supposed to feel about them. A "bad" spike is one that feels forced – it's a bunch of dudes on Reddit all getting together to buy Catacomb Dragon because it's on the Reserved List. The justification for it is always ex post facto as if they thought about how to make the case for it after they bought it. You'll notice them calling it an "EDH staple" and if you mention EDHREC, there's always an excuse; EDHREC doesn't get competitive EDH data, no one uses the site anymore (what does that even mean?), it's good in their deck so that means it's a staple. If the person making the case for the card seems allergic to data and has two anecdotes for every data point you come up with, stay away. "Forced" or "bad" spikes have a familiar graph shape.
A precipitous climb followed by a meteoric descent. Usually the price ends up somewhere between where it started and where it peaked, but lately these dumb spikes haven't panned out very well and the card goes back down to where it started – usually because the people behind the buyouts are used to being able to buy out TCG Player and letting everyone else think they're geniuses for buying out Cardshark.
So what characterizes a "good" spike? I think that a good one has two major components.
I think the two characteristics of any good spike are sustainability and predictability. A good spike looks less like a spike and more like a plateau because the new price is agreed upon as the right price. This comes from organic demand. The card actually is an EDH staple, spiking as the result of a new deck being viable and not the result of dickery and wishful thinking.
Notice how even though the price went down a bit, it went back up over time and the overall trend is in an upward direction? Do you think Reparations will trend in a similar manner? Hard to say – Reserved List cards have nothing pushing their price down per se besides a race to the bottom as dealers who sell by being the lowest available price leapfrog each other trying to be the first to sell their copies of a useless card off. You didn't have to dump your copies of The Chain Veil as soon as they spiked – you had time to try and get the best price and the card is now worth more than its initial spike price. In fact, current buylist is nearly at that amount. The sustainability of The Chain Veil is what makes it a "good" spike – Superfriends, Atraxa, the combo with Teferi and speculation that Commander 2018 will be Planeswalker-helmed decks because of one mention of the word "Planeswalker" in the Commander 2018 press release have all driven this card to where it is. Imagine that, a card that's not even on the Reserved List going up in price! I didn't even know we did those anymore.
Commander 2018 is giving us another chance to shake our heads at Team Kittycat. Not all of their buys are as bad as Waiting in the Weeds but they are as obvious. I don't think Serra's Sanctum is going to go back down from over $100, for example but that's because it's a Reserved List card, had some Legacy and EDH demand before (I called it at $30 when the Daxos deck was printed and that didn't do much for its price although a few people made some money). Idyllic Tutor, though, seems like a bit of a Kittycat to me. It's in quite a few decks on EDHREC, mostly Voltron decks, but its recent interest seems as much predicated on its text box containing the word "Enchantment" than on an understanding of the format. Remember, Waiting in the Weeds was a stupid buy because it was bought out before we even knew what the decks would be like and it turns out none of the 3 commanders really benefit all that much from having a bunch of cat tokens. I'm not saying an Enchantress deck won't benefit from a tutor, it will, I'm saying anything else we buy at this juncture is purely speculative, may look stupid later and isn't quite the slam dunk we think it is. I mean, unless you think one of the 3 commanders in C18 is going to be "sacrifice your enchantments" themed, Femeref Enchantress is probably a bad pickup or a kittycat if you will. An "obvious" spec that doesn't actually work with the deck is a kittycat and I think we're about to see some more kittycats go up.
What Do We Like Instead?
I'm glad I pretended you asked. I think there are some cards that haven't gone up yet that could based on Commander 2018. We know it's Bant Enchantress, so my approach for researching this was look at pages of cards rather than pages of commanders. I don't know how much you use EDHREC, so I'm going to hold your hand a bit here if that's OK. Since I already have Idyllic Tutor pulled up from checking how many decks it's in, this is as good a place as any to start.
Here's the page I'm on.
Its starts by giving us a list of Commanders and you can tell quite a bit about what kind of card Idyllic Tutor can be in EDH. Oloro decks use it, Uril decks use it and Zedruu decks use it. What are the odds Oloro decks are searching for Bear Umbra, Zedruu decks are searching for Phyrexian Arena or Uril decks are searching for Transcendence? The card is used for three different kinds of cards in those decks. Since we don't know what any of the commanders do, it's hard to know how we'll use Idyllic Tutor but we can get a sense of what kinds of enchantments might be good with other Enchantments. This is where we weigh reprint risk versus power and make our decisions based on that.
Scroll down more, past the top Commanders, New Cards and Reprinted Cards. "Signature Cards" is what we want. Not all of them pair with Idyllic Tutor well (Path to Exile? What?) but they are correlated in that a deck with Idyllic Tutor is very, very likely to run them also (like Path to Exile). Idyllic Tutor has the highest synergy with Idyllic Tutor, appearing in 100% of decks that contain Idyllic Tutor (lol, I'm sure the way to fix this is so hard it's not worth it and will break every time they invent a new kind of commander like the "pair with" ones from Battlebond which broke the site's code for a long time) but we see Enlightened Tutor which probably won't get reprinted and goes in the same decks. I bet Replenish isn't reprinted and since it's on the Reserved List it already went up – same as Academy Rector. Team obvious has already been through the list, starting as soon as they got the word about the archetypes. Sterling Grove, though, isn't on the RL.
Grove originally went up from a buck or two when it was announced that Theros would be enchantment-based. Grove didn't really pan out as that good a pairing with… anything from Theros per se. It was vaguely good but Theros mostly made a lot of cards vaguely better rather than making one or two super good.
Grove is very useful in my current Bant Enchantress deck but I am trying to use data to make my evaluations rather than use anecdotes about my specific build. If this isn't reprinted, it has a bunch of decks where it will be good. Whether you're Voltron, Pillow fort or some weird hybrid (my deck uses Control Magic effects and the Enchantress triggers are to keep your hand full of answers), you'll benefit from Grove and it hasn't really moved much on the news but rather how good it is.
Scroll down to the "Enchantments" section to see the Enchantments that are used most often in decks with Idyllic Tutor.
This is another card that just shines in the deck. It's a win condition, it nullifies some of their targeted removal (they have to deal with Greater Auramancy or Privileged Position before they can kill this and you just bring it back). I don't know what else to say. If this isn't in the deck, I bet it goes up.
They don't tend to put this sort of card in the precons which could mean it's mostly insulated from reprint risk on the basis of me not seeing them reprint cards like Sculpting Steel in the artifact deck, for example. Mirage Mirror seems more likely to be reprinted, for example. This is a narrow card and if it's not in Commander 2018, it basically never gets reprinted. If you do buy these and it's in the precon, just double down and buy as many copies as you can at the new price until your average cost is down to a non-embarrassing amount and then every copy will go back up. This has great growth numbers and it's not like a Bant Enchantress deck running around will hurt that. I still think you are safe and I think even though an $8+ buy-in is high, I think the ceiling is pretty high, too. I still get these in bulk, also, so that's a thing – people don't know this is a card so its growth has been sneaky and secret and if that doesn't reflect sustainability, I don't know what does.
There are a few more pieces of higher-hanging fruit that Team Kittycat missed but I think my time next week will be better spent looking at one of the other 3 archetypes. Spoilers start Monday and that will give us a better idea of what we're looking at. Until next time!


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Historical fiction is not usually my jam. But C. S. Lewis always is. So I was a little unsure about how I would feel about this book, which uses the facts that we know about Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis to weave a fictional story about Joy's life before she encountered Lewis (Jack) in his writing, began corresponding with him, met him in Oxford, etc. But I absolutely loved it. I kept forgetting I was reading a fictional telling and not an actual autobiography from Joy Davidman herself! It was one of my favorite books that I read in 2018. I will definitely be reading it again. And reading it now also renews my desire to read Joy's own writings, especially Smoke on the Mountain.
There is an interview with Patti Callahan on the Christianity Today website, published on October 23 of this year: Joy Davidman: The Woman Who Wanted Something More; Interview by Rachel McMillan.
"In a most improbable friendship, she found love. In a world where women were silenced, she found her voice.
At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer's life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all."


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Geografia

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Recapture the childlike magic of the season with your own kids.
Winter has a way of capturing some of our best childhood memories: sledding, ice skating, snowball fights, building snowmen, even sipping hot chocolate in front of a crackling fire.
In Wild, Wonderful West Virginia you'll find plenty of options for winter fun, from outdoor recreation to cultural activities– all the more reason to start planning now for your winter wonderland family getaway.
January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, so what better excuse to teach the kids a new skill?
Timberline Four Seasons, Snowshoe and Winterplace resorts have programs to teach children as young as 4 the techniques and skills to get on their feet and zipping down the hill. Oglebay Resort also offers a children's instruction program with a discount off lift tickets.
The Mountain State boasts some of the biggest and best tubing and sledding runs in the mid-Atlantic. Canaan Valley Resort's 1,200-foot-long tubing run is sure to be hours of snowy entertainment, while Winterplace's tubing area– with 16 lanes and 2 super carpet lifts–is the largest in West Virginia. Blackwater Falls State Park's new-and-improved sled run is more than a quarter-mile long, making it the longest on the East Coast. Feeling creative? Put your aerodynamic design skills to use to build your own sled for their annual Cardboard & Duct Tape Sled Race.
Enjoy a nature walk in West Virginia State Parks and Forests. Many of them are leading guided First Day Hikes on New Year's Day. The kids will have fun hunting for animal tracks and identifying the different types of trees.
Lace up the skates and take a spin on the ice at The Greenbrier, Wheeling Park Memorial Skating Rink, Morgantown Ice Arena or the Memorial Ice Arena in South Charleston. Or round up the family to cheer on the Wheeling Nailers! The East Coast Hockey League team is an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Warm up from your winter sports with a visit to a family-friendly museum or theater. At Heritage Farm Museum & Village in Huntington and the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia in Beckley, you can travel back in time to 18th and early 19th century towns and coal camps recreated in all their original glory.
The State Museum at the State Capitol Complex in Charleston has an interactive path through 26 Discovery Rooms detailing West Virginia's history from prehistoric times to modern day. Also in Charleston, the Clay Center's science galleries will inspire and entertain all ages for hours. In Wheeling The Children's Museum of the Ohio Valley encourages learning through hands-on play.
Budding astronomers can learn about the stars at National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, and animal lovers will delight in watching black bear, otter, bobcat and other native species at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center in French Creek.
Start a list and see how many fun activities you can check off this winter!
What are some of your favorite winter activities with the kids?


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Ticketing and Giving Trends Are Positives for Performing Arts
October 30, 2019 /in Apps, Audience Building, B2C Marketing, Data Analytics, direct marketing campaign, Donor Lists, Event Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing Forecast, membership marketing, Online Giving, Performing Arts Marketing, Targeting /by David Kanter
Heading into 2020, AccuList's performing arts marketing clients can take advantage of positive trends in both fundraising and ticketing sales according to recent studies.
Performing Arts Giving Holds Steady
While the Giving USA 2019 report released in June showed declines for many charitable giving sectors from 2016 to 2018, arts fundraising stood out by remaining relatively flat. Adjusted for inflation, giving to arts, culture, and humanities increased 11.1% between 2016 and 2017, declined 2.1% between 2017 and 2018 (though a 0.3% increase in current dollars) and ended up with a cumulative increase of 8.7% between 2016 and 2018, thanks to 2017 donations that reached the highest inflation-adjusted amount for the sector on record. Underneath the numbers are three important lessons for our performing arts clients, as fundraising counsel Alexander Haas points out in a recent post. First, a focus on high net-worth individuals via upper-level membership programs, project-related major gifts, and targeted marketing campaigns is likely to pay off, as proven by 2018's 2.6% increase in gifts of $1,000 or more, and the fact that, of the 90% of high-net worth households giving, a quarter focused on arts donations. Second, targeted campaigns and quality donor lists are essential as fewer individuals give and a greater percentage of philanthropic revenue comes through larger gifts. Finally, online giving can be a boon to performing arts; for example, the Blackbaud Institute's 2018 Charitable Giving Report showed that online gifts represented 9.5% of overall giving to arts organizations in 2018, and the 5.8% growth in online giving to the arts outpaced other nonprofit sectors by four times. Making online giving a convenient option for donors and members is one way to offset the decline in smaller gifts.
Marketing Innovations Help Ticketing Upward Trend
An October Reportlinker market research report forecasts a 5% compound annual growth in ticket sales from sporting events, movies, concerts, and performing arts events in the 2020-2024 period. While sporting events and concerts popularity is a key driver of growth, the research also credits a number of innovative marketing strategies for pushing ticket revenue, such as flash sales, early-bird offers, access codes, public discounts and adoption of mobile applications to make tickets more readily available to consumers. The integration of analytics with online ticket platforms–to automate services, to enhance more efficient back-end operations, and to better track and monitor consumer preferences–is also seen by researchers as a positive for ticket sales growth. Meanwhile, the secondary ticket market, especially in sports, is projected to have an even higher 9% compound annual growth rate in the same period despite a rise in fraudulent activities and artist opposition. A positive on this front is the adoption of blockchain to keep track of buyers and sellers in the secondary ticket market, helping to prevent fraud by scalpers, bots and touts.
For more detail on performing arts giving trends see the Alexander Haas post.
https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png 0 0 David Kanter https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png David Kanter2019-10-30 17:21:362019-10-30 17:34:36Ticketing and Giving Trends Are Positives for Performing Arts
Brain Science, Industry Data Bolster Direct Mail Fundraising
September 17, 2019 /in Creative, Data Hygiene, Direct Mail, Donor Lists, Fundraising, Landing Page, Marketing Research, Neuroscience, Nonprofit Marketing, Omnichannel, Online Giving, Print Technology, QR, Response Rates, Retention, Segmentation /by David Kanter
As digital, mobile and social media expand their donor influence, some nonprofit marketers prepping for the all-important fourth-quarter may wonder about direct mail's role as a fundraising workhorse. To underscore why it's essential to keep direct mail in harness, AccuList can not only cite years of success as a direct mail list broker and data services provider to fundraising clients, but also the latest brain science and marketing industry data.
Science Shows Donor Brains Respond to Direct Mail
Marketing channels and technology may be changing rapidly, but the human brain hasn't changed in size and basic construction for about 500,000+ years, and mail marketers have a brain advantage, notes a recent NonProfit PRO article by Christopher Foster, vice president of business development at Modern Postcard. Neuroscience has shown that direct mail taps two basic parts of the brain: the cerebral cortex and the amygdala-hippocampus pairing. The cerebral cortex
is where we process information, think about messaging and language, and weigh the pros and cons of decisions. Unlike the truncated messaging of digital, e-mail and social, direct mail can engage this part of the brain by describing benefits and citing the objective reasons that a nonprofit is the best choice for donor dollars. Plus, research consistently shows that people trust print/direct mail information more than digital channel info. Of course, recall and emotional engagement are key drivers, and the amygdala and hippocampus, combining long-term memory with emotional response, favor direct mail over digital, too. In fact, research shows that direct mail is 35% stronger than social media and 49% stronger than e-mail when it comes to long-term memory encoding, and 33% stronger than e-mail and social media in the engagement that drives memory encoding. Overall, direct mail's motivation response is 20% higher than digital media, per Canada Post research.
Mail Spurs Donor Response and Retention in Omnichannel Efforts
While the volume of direct mail has decreased by about 2% each year since 2015, this has actually helped boost direct mail effectiveness by helping it stand out in the messaging blitz of the digital era. In fact, the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) 2018 direct mail response rates were 9% for a house list and 5% for a prospect list, way higher than any other channels (such as e-mail, social media and paid search at 1%). As a result, mail's median ROI is also higher than most digital channels. Direct mail, of course, works even better integrated into an omnichannel campaign, where it actually spurs digital results; for example, studies show donors are three times more likely to give online in response to a direct mail appeal than to an e-appeal. Plus, direct mail drives donor retention; for example, 70% of donors have restarted a relationship because of direct mail, per DMA data. And direct mail is efficient at retention; the Association of Fundraising Professionals reports direct mail costs $0.25 for every $1 from recurring donors.
The Right Fundraising Tactics Capitalize on Mail's Strengths
However, direct mail's fundraising success is certainly not a given. A recent NonProfit PRO article by Jen Linck, chief marketing officer for Corporate Giving Connection, cites some important strategies, beginning with list segmentation and targeting to avoid wasting time and resources sending costly direct mail to bad leads. We would note here that, for effective segmentation, data quality is key, which requires prospect lists from reputable sources and good hygiene of house lists (note that 20% of addresses in donor databases are out-of-date, per research). Then get creative to capture attention and drive envelope opens via tactics such as dimensional mail and a large or unconventional sized envelope, urges Linck. And make sure the direct mail pieces add value to the audience's lives by including a special offer or a promotional gift of branded materials for everyday use, such as a notepad. But remember that content needs to tap both logical persuasion and emotional connections in donor's brains! Because 63% of donors want to know how their donation will be used, use specific donation amounts to tell donors how they help and quantify how previous amounts donated have been used, but also inject emotional examples into the dollar results. Finally, remember that direct mail works best when it is integrated into an omnichannel campaign, so be sure to incorporate digital technology by including QR codes, short links or text keywords for use across all channels. Plus, links should direct donors to a branded, campaign-specific landing page, since 38% more donations happen when landing pages are branded and campaign-specific, and 66% of those same donors are more likely to come back and donate again. For more tips on integrating direct mail with digital fundraising, see this MobileCause infographic.
https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png 0 0 David Kanter https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png David Kanter2019-09-17 17:37:302019-09-17 17:37:32Brain Science, Industry Data Bolster Direct Mail Fundraising
Most Nonprofits Upbeat on 2019 Fundraising Growth
August 7, 2019 /in B2C Marketing, Direct Mail, Donor Lists, E-mail Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing Trend, Multi-Channel Marketing, Nonprofit Marketing, Online Giving /by David Kanter
The most recent survey of nonprofits and donors by the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC), a coalition of professional fundraising associations, finds that 60% of respondents expect to raise more money this year than they did in 2018! That's encouraging news for AccuList's many fundraising clients as they head into their key year-end giving campaigns.
Tax Law Impact Not As Averse As Expected
Many fundraisers feared the new tax law would undercut giving, but the survey found that only a 17% minority reported a negative impact from the tax changes, and only 16% of donors said they would change the amount or method of their gift this year because of changes to the tax law. It is true that certain continuing tax trends prove challenging for fundraisers, such as bundling or bunching, in which donors provide multiyear support but give a large donation for an itemized filing in just one tax year and then skip contributions in the following year or years. Since most nonprofits rely heavily on year-end gifts from loyal donors, the bunching is problematic. Still, only 30% of nonprofit respondents reported that some donors were bundling.
Feared Donation Drop Doesn't Materialize
Based on various reports of reduced giving, many nonprofits were concerned about fundraising growth, yet the NRC online survey of individual donors in March of this year found 56% said they gave the same amount in 2018 as in 2017, 33% gave more, and only 11% gave less. As a result, 63% of fundraisers said their charities did raise more money in 2018 than the previous year. Overall, 73% said they met their 2018 fundraising goals. It's no wonder most fundraisers (60%) are confident they will raise even more in 2019. Not all charities participated equally in 2018 growth, of course. Charities with budgets of $3 million to $49 million reported the most fundraising increases in 2018 over 2017 levels. And environmental and animal charities in particular were most likely to meet 2018 fundraising goals.
Multi-Channel, Multi-Contact Strategy Remains Key
Melissa Brown, author of the report and manager of the NRC, stresses that the upbeat forecast for fundraising needs to be undergirded by targeted, relevant, engaging direct mail and e-mail contacts. While most channels remained essentially flat in 2018 in terms of dollars raised compared with prior years, direct mail fundraising growth dipped slightly, with 41% of charity respondents saying they saw growth in fundraising through direct mail compared with 50% in 2017. Overall, the survey supports both the need for a multi-channel fundraising strategy and frequent contacts with donors. On average, after the first gift, organizations send about 3 more appeals by mail, an average of 4 appeals by e-mail, and invitations to events, including stewardship/recognition activities. However, both direct mail and digital communications are most effective when they go beyond dollar demands to provide meaningful connections with the mission and explanation of the impact of a gift, per the survey "One of the biggest reasons people stop giving is they feel like they're becoming ATMs instead of being partners," Brown warns. See the full survey
https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png 0 0 David Kanter https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png David Kanter2019-08-07 00:08:482019-08-07 00:42:03Most Nonprofits Upbeat on 2019 Fundraising Growth
Tech & Data Trends Spur 2019 Fundraising Opportunities
May 14, 2019 /in AI, Data Analytics, Data Enhancement, Database Development, Digital Marketing, Direct Mail, Donor Lists, E-mail Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing Automation, Marketing Trend, Mobile Giving, Nonprofit Marketing, Online Giving, Segmentation, Social Media Marketing, Targeting /by David Kanter
Despite 2019's many challenges for nonprofit marketers, including competing for attention with political fundraising noise, trends in data analytics and technology offer good news for AccuList's fundraising clients.
Fundraising Can Leverage Digital Innovations
Consider trends highlighted in this spring's Nonprofit Technology Conference in Oregon. For example, nonprofit tech pros reported success using Digital Wallets, such as Apple Pay, Paypal and Google Pay, to make donating easier for donors and to increase conversions. AI and chatbots are another boon cited by tech experts, not just because they free up staff from time-consuming interfaces but because they can be used to segment audiences and tailor communications to boost donor acquisition, value and retention. Meanwhile mobile text messaging and mobile giving not only continue to grow in use, but nonprofits are learning to leverage SMS to trigger response, scale donor relationships and engage and motivate communities more fully. Online giving continues its growth path, but there are now more online giving services and their offerings are expanding. For example, Give Lively has free online fundraising tools for text-to-give, peer-to-peer, events, and integration with social media platforms such as Facebook. Finally, virtual-assistant voice services have entered the fundraising arena; for example, Amazon's Alexa now can help donors verbally contribute up to $10,000.
It All Comes Back to Targeted Data
But for tech innovations to be effective, quality data and data analytics are essential. For example, fundraising efforts can use data to identify and segment those groups of current or inactive donors more likely to increase their donation dollars or flag donors to tap as future legacy donors. And data analytics can combine with real-time marketing automation, triggered e-mail series and variable data printing of personalized direct mail for improved donor acquisition. While the task of data collection and analysis can seem overwhelming, nonprofits don't need to vacuum up every bit of big data for better results. The key is to collect and track the information in the donor database, or to select the key response factors to target in prospect lists, which are most likely to lead to success. Beyond the basics of name, address/contact, gender, age and date and amount of last donation, data targeting can be enhanced with parameters indicating donor capacity (the ability to give) and donor affinity (the willingness to give). Indicators of donor capacity include personal income/wealth measures, real estate ownership, business title, stock ownership, etc., while donor affinity parameters include the RFM (recency, frequency, monetary) of the donor or prospect giving history, past relationship/interest in a specific cause or affiliated appeal, and political affiliation and giving. Check out this article on donor data from Candid's Philantopic blog for data management tips.
Beware Assumptions About Donor Data
A good database policy also includes regular hygiene and updating as well as an ongoing check for knowledge/data gaps. Classy, the online fundraising software provider, suggests challenging assumptions of donor knowledge by making sure analytics can deliver on these questions:
When are donors most likely to donate?
What is the average donation amount?
Are there different types of donors?
What is the reason for donation?
How does the donor liked to be thanked?
What is the donor's communication channel preference?
What value does the donor get from donating?
See the rest of Classy's suggestions on using data for fundraising.
https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png 0 0 David Kanter https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png David Kanter2019-05-14 00:38:272019-05-15 18:01:31Tech & Data Trends Spur 2019 Fundraising Opportunities
Is Your Fundraising Plan Ready for 2019 Challenges?
January 9, 2019 /in B2C Marketing, Creative, Data Management, Data Privacy, Digital Marketing, Direct Mail, E-mail Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing Forecast, Marketing Technology, Nonprofit Marketing, Online Giving, personalization, Segmentation, Social Media Marketing, Social Sharing, Targeting, Uncategorized, Video Marketing /by David Kanter
As nonprofit marketers make final tweaks to fundraising plans for 2019, AccuList USA can support its nonprofit clients with a brief survey of some of this year's top trends as identified by fundraising pros.
Story-telling, Personalization, Video
NonProfit PRO magazine cites three general 2019 trends that will affect both traditional direct mail and digital fundraising via e-mail, mobile, social media and website. Nonprofits should include a commitment to story-telling in this year's fundraising communications, the magazine urges. Stories create an emotional connection to the mission and are remembered better than facts, studies show. However, gathering the best stories relies on more than marketers; it requires a story-telling culture that pulls from across the organization, NonProfit PRO stresses. That culture requires leadership buy-in; a mechanism to regularly encourage and gather stories; a story-banking method, from database to manilla folder; and a way to regularly and consistently communicate stories via newsletter, website, social media page, etc. "Personalization" is another marketing mantra for 2019, with success requiring clean up-to-date data and list segmentation to craft targeted messages for direct mail and e-mail. Anyone doubting that response is significantly improved by personalization, even in the crowded digital space, should consider this Hubspot finding: 39% of marketers who segment e-mail lists have a higher open rate, and 28% experience lower unsubscribe rates. Finally, put that targeted story-telling into a video format to maximize results. In 2019, video is projected to represent 80% of Internet traffic. Nonprofits that embrace video will be able to take advantage of the proven facts that people remember videos better than written content and share them more often for viral reach. Luckily, the cost of video production is going down and online tools are readily available, the magazine assures.
Digital Technology Supports Strategy Changes
Meanwhile, the Nonprofit Tech for Good blog identifies some key digital trends to include in 2019 fundraising plans: 1) increased use of marketing automation software to create personalized appeals and individualized pathways and engagement with the general mission and specific programs; 2) more focus on a recurring-gift donor base and commitment to engagement strategies and technologies that nurture donors; 3) more relevant, personalized, contextual messaging based on data technologies; and 4) more disruption by commercial social media players like Facebook via removal of fundraising fees, matching funds and direct access to donor data and AI.
Opportunities & Risks, From Instagram to Data Privacy
The TrueSense Marketing blog came up with a whopping "21 Fundraising Trends and Best Practices You Need to Know in 2019″ from a survey of fundraising pros. We'll only cite a few here, starting with a prediction that the visually oriented Instagram, which hit 1 billion monthly active users in 2018, including the 50-64 and 65+ age cohorts, will become a more popular platform for nonprofits in 2019. Another prediction is that, with data breaches continuing to grab headlines and a patchwork of data privacy regulations at the state level (such as California Consumer Privacy Act passed last summer), nonprofits will face added costs and changes in data collection and storage policies this year. Finally, one 2019 response to the demand for contextual communications cited above is more experimentation with native social media advertising, meaning ads in a post format in the social feed of followers. Native social media ads are more engaging than traditional advertising, cost less and can produce better results, per fundraising users. For more, see https://www.truesense.com/blog/fundraising-trends-best-practices-2019
https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png 0 0 David Kanter https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png David Kanter2019-01-09 00:26:582019-05-06 19:29:05Is Your Fundraising Plan Ready for 2019 Challenges?
Honoring Channel Preference Delivers Fundraising Wins
October 16, 2018 /in Acquisition, B2C Marketing, channel preferences, Cost Savings, Deliverability, Direct Mail, Donor Lists, E-mail Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing Research, Nonprofit Marketing, Online Giving, Retention, Telemarketing /by Katherine Sharma
Donor control of communications channels is important for efficient fundraising contends DonorVoice's The Agitator in a recent blog post worth passing along to AccuList USA's fundraiser and fundraising consultant clients.
Cutting Costs and Boosting Deliverability
Fundraisers fret over opt-out rates in their efforts to grow donor files. Yet failing to learn and honor channel preference not only leads to higher opt-out rates but to wasteful marketing as well. People who opt out of telemarketing or e-mail channels are unlikely to give through that channel, so the resulting file reduction is actually a savings, cutting spending that annoys rather than produces. Plus sending e-mails to people who routinely don't open them lowers overall e-mail deliverability, reducing e-mails that might get through to those who do want them, for another real but hidden cost.
Increasing Opt-ins and Donor Value
Giving channel control to donors can produce more quality file growth. DonorVoice has done two different tests of what causes people to opt in, and both show that donor communications control is the single biggest factor in whether someone will want to learn more from a nonprofit. Plus, another recent study by DonorVoice and the DMA Nonprofit Federation found that allowing donors control of their communications makes them more likely to donate, and that donors who provide and receive a communications preference tend to be more valuable donors. For example, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare coded people who requested less mail and sent them half as many appeals as those who stated no preference. Those donors who requested and received half as many contacts actually gave more than the group that didn't express a preference, per the DonorVoice article. Catholic Relief Services also found that donors who requested a specific mail preference gave 6 to 8 times more per year, notes the same blog post. By asking for communications preference and honoring it, fundraisers identify more quality donors and make them more likely to stay.
Direct Mail Channel Still Leads With Donors
Despite the growth of online giving, channel preferences continue to favor direct mail, which is one reason it is still alive and kicking as a fundraising tool. In fact, 73% of consumers say they prefer mail for brand communications, and that includes nonprofits, and 62% like checking the mail, per Epsilon research. Plus, mail gives nonprofits an edge in getting their message across since "brain science" research shows that printed appeals leave a deeper impression and stimulate more emotional processing. Plus, direct mail donors have higher retention rates; 31% of first-time offline donors are retained compared with 25% of new online donors, according to Blackbaud. For more on the case for fundraising direct mail, see this DonorVoice blog post.
https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png 0 0 Katherine Sharma https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png Katherine Sharma2018-10-16 17:56:552018-10-16 17:56:55Honoring Channel Preference Delivers Fundraising Wins
Smart Social Media Helps Boost Zoo & Museum Fundraising
August 7, 2018 /in B2C Marketing, Digital Marketing, Engagement, Fundraising, Mobile Marketing, Museum & Zoo Marketing, Online Giving, Social Media Marketing, Social Sharing, Video Marketing, Viral Marketing /by Katherine Sharma
Social media is among the direct marketing tools that AccuList USA supports for its zoo and museum clients' fundraising efforts. A recent blog post by digital marketing agency Search Influence offered some helpful tips.
Commit to Streamlined Digital Giving
For social media promotions, mobile outreach or online donation drives to work effectively, marketers must make digital giving as easy as possible with user-friendly platforms, forms and payment options. Search Influence cites three examples of success. The Boston Museum of Science raised over $1,200 from Facebook users alone, many of whom might not have contributed via traditional channels, by using the free-to-download FundRazr app. The app offers custom giving options, such as donations via credit card, debit card or PayPal, and the ability to choose to contribute anonymously or self-identify via Facebook profile. Meanwhile, Cameron Park Zoo launched a mobile giving campaign that encouraged zoo supporters and visitors to donate $5 or $10 through a simple text message to show support from home or say thanks after a great day at the zoo. Rosamond Gifford Zoo boosted its continuous Adopt an Animal program with a special two-day digital promotion to honor National Adoption Day. To reach a wider audience, the promotion offered a lower minimum donation requirement and a smaller, custom donation package. The brief effort not only earned an extra $350, it tapped those who normally might not donate.
Seek Ways to Leverage Visual Engagement
Social media works best as a visual engagement medium, which offers lots of opportunities for zoos (cute animals) and museums (special exhibits and events). Search Influence cites multiple examples of success live-streaming exhibits, such as a night-stream showing patrons what creatures are up to when the zoo or aquarium is closed, or a 24/7 feed of active and entertaining animals, such as monkeys. If a zoo animal is expecting, marketers can get the public involved by broadcasting the pregnancy, birth and early baby growth. Photographers can be great viral promoters for a zoo or museum. Ideas include social media-hosted fan photo contests or onsite-hosted photographer-only after-hours events. And there is always an opportunity to re-purpose great existing photos on social media with a share-worthy caption!
Read the full article for more tips.
https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png 0 0 Katherine Sharma https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png Katherine Sharma2018-08-07 19:26:122018-08-08 18:48:26Smart Social Media Helps Boost Zoo & Museum Fundraising
Direct Mail Still Powers Fundraising, Especially Planned Giving
March 29, 2018 /in Direct Mail, Direct Mail Lists, Donor Lists, Fundraising, Multi-Channel Marketing, Nonprofit Marketing, Online Giving, Uncategorized /by Katherine Sharma
At AccuList USA, nonprofit interest in our direct mailing lists and services for fundraising remains strong despite the growing share of donor dollars collected via online giving. Some of the reasons that fundraising pros remain committed to mail power are cited in a recent article for The NonProfit Times by Mark Hrywna.
Direct Mail Is Vital in a Multi-Channel Mix
It's true that nonprofit organizations are beginning to see a growing share of donations attributed to online giving, but as Steve MacLaughlin, vice president of data and analytics at fundraising tech firm Blackbaud, stresses in the article, online giving is still less than 10% of all charitable giving. Fundraisers need to avoid confusing the channel of engagement with the channel of transaction, he advises. Direct mail response certainly is no longer limited to mailed donations as many direct mail recipients go online to give; similarly, a mobile-device outreach or e-mail appeal can generate offline gifts. Even in an increasingly digital world, a good multi-channel mix will include direct mail.
Direct Mail Keeps Proving Its Power
Hrywna cites Make-a-Wish Foundation as an example of continued direct mail investment. When Chief Financial Officer Paul Mehlhorn started with Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2009, he recalls that he was told direct mail was a dinosaur that would be gone in five or six years. Yet last year the national office exceeded 2009 direct mail revenue by several million dollars, going from $13.9 million to $15.3 million. "It looks to me like a program that can stay very strong for the next 10 to 15 years," Mehlhorn asserts to Hrywna. In fact, Mehlhorn says he may expand on that direct mail success: "We continue to increase our investment in online giving. However, we are reconsidering our approach to direct mail and may increase our investment for direct mail in future years. As you get past the low-hanging fruit, [online] becomes almost as costly as direct mail. Unless you enlarge your donor pool, you're going to be spending about the same."
Direct Mail Has a Key Role in Planned Giving
Plus, while the revenue ratio of direct mail to online giving has gone from 3:1 to even at Make-a-Wish, there are some areas where direct mail retains an edge, such as planned giving. Make-A-Wish Foundation has seen revenue from planned gifts just about triple during the past four years, growing from about $2 million to $6 million, and Mehlhorn credits part of that success to actively promoting planned giving in direct mail as well as online campaigns. "A lot of the folks now making end-of-life plans are still in that generation that likes getting mail," he points out.
For more, see The NonProfit Times article.
https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png 0 0 Katherine Sharma https://www.acculist.com/wp-content/uploads/acculist-logo-300-144.png Katherine Sharma2018-03-29 05:52:422018-03-29 06:04:17Direct Mail Still Powers Fundraising, Especially Planned Giving
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※ Please put the chain on the bottle from above.
The Pegasus flies freely in the sky upon its giant wings. This is the motif for Libertà, meaning Liberty in Italian. In ancient Roman mythology, it is a symbol of intelligence, fame, and immortality. In Japanese, the words for "cloud" and "good luck" sound similar, so the cloudy background symbolizes good fortune.


From September through November I traveled through parts of southern Greece and Italy from Paestum to Venice. This little book is a compilation of sketches and paintings I created on the trip. 300 pages of drawings condensed down to 72 pages—the best of the best.
The pathway I have taken to this point in life has included living in Washington state, studying art at Principia College, The Center for Creative Studies and Webster University, time working in Detroit as an illustrator, raising three children, retaining all my fingers while doing woodworking, discovering that I love people and travel — with numerous trips to Greece and Turkey plus India—and teaching college high on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River at Principia College. A great path to walk with no regrets. No idea what is next.


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I adore that fabric combination! Yellow gingham is one of my all-time favorites.
You've totally inspired me with these clutches. I think I mentioned it before, but I cut out 10 or more from scraps as I was going through my fabric stash. Now I just need to set some time aside to sew them up. Thanks for the inspiration!
Adorable. I'm a big gingham fan. I love how you shelter so inexpensively. It's one principle I'd love to get through to people. It's not the money -- it's the thought.
And thank you for sheltering me. I was delighted to receive the picture of Makayla. She's growing up, Esther. Better stop the Miracle Grow. And oh, I've dreamed up a million ways to use my songbook punches!


text:
The West Point Brass (USA)
The West Point Brass (formerly the Storm King Brass) is comprised of musicians in the West Point Band. Founded in 2003, the ensemble presents a diverse repertoire, from Renaissance to modern works, to its audiences. In support of military functions, the quintet has entertained the United States Corps of Cadets and performed for many visiting dignitaries and heads of state at West Point. Additionally, the ensemble actively performs throughout the New York metropolitan area. The ensemble has also been featured throughout the country, including performances in Florida, Oregon, Connecticut, South Dakota, Utah, and Iowa.
LISTEN TO THE WEST POINT BRASS
Two-Step for Mr. B
MTV for Jerry
The United States Army Brass Quintet


Jon Rappoport just posted an article that asks an interesting question: In all germ-related illnesses, when you have developed antibodies it means your body has been successful in fighting the disease. You are not going to get sick.
And another question: If we were to have an Aids Vaccine tomorrow, and people were to start making HIV antibodies AFTER receiving a vaccine, would those antibodies still signify that they should be treated with deadly AZT?
AUGUST 28, 2005. In the spring of 1984, Dr. Robert Gallo and representatives of the US government announced that the cause of AIDS had been found. During this televised press conference, a virus was named. It would later be called HIV.
What very few people realized at the time was, Gallo, the purported hero, hadn't published a single paper that made a serious effort at PROVING that HIV was the cause of AIDS.
Until that moment, researchers at least paid lip service to the idea that you had to publish evidence, and that evidence had to be tested and retested by other scientists, before any conclusions about disease causation could be publicly advanced.
After all, this was what separated science from speculation.
But on that day in 1984, everything changed.
Even when many researchers realized that Gallo's claim of discovery was unsupported by the facts, all but a few of them remained silent. They gave up without a struggle.
The day after Gallo made his preemptive 1984 announcement, all government funding for AIDS research took a sharp right turn. Suddenly, there was no money for investigation into the cause of AIDS. Now, the $$ were slated for people who could establish the mechanism by which HIV attacked and destroyed the immune system.
So any potential rebellion in the ranks was squashed by the re-assignment of dollars.
While I was writing my first book, AIDS INC., in 1987, I discovered the above facts. I also learned that researchers don't simply cast a net into the water when they are searching for the cause of a disease. They are, from the outset, narrowing their field of inquiry.
Gallo had been researching the possible role of so-called retroviruses in cancer. Despite Gallo's optimistic assertions, this effort had yielded nothing of significance. But when the word AIDS appeared on the horizon, he decided to gather his forces and find money to keep researching this type of virus as a potential cause of AIDS. That was his territory, so he went with it.
But it was a strange starting point for him. If he thought that retroviruses caused cancer---which is all about out-of-control proliferation of cells---why would he think that retroviruses would be involved in the destruction of immune-system cells---the hallmark of AIDS?
As I wrote my book, I saw more and more holes in the HIV hypothesis. If HIV was not the cause of AIDS, then what was AIDS? The CDC had just issued a new definition of the disease, in which more and more so-called opportunistic illnesses were listed as markers for AIDS. It was asserted that these marker illnesses were ushered in by the initial immune-system collapse caused by HIV.
But if HIV was a fraudulent cause, then what we were left with? A whole host of diseases that were connected by nothing more than a word: AIDS.
And that word was being used to connect people in Haiti, starving people in Africa, heroin addicts in New York, gay men in San Francisco and New York, and hemophiliacs.
We were also assured that HIV would cause widespread deaths beyond those populations. AIDS, for example, would soon kill large numbers of heterosexual men in the US.
Why not? Was this the first germ that had such esoteric preferences for certain "risk groups?"
During the years since 1987, I met many people who had been diagnosed as HIV positive. They remained healthy, and the common denominator was, they hadn't taken the AIDS drugs.
I also met many people who told me stories about their healthy friends and family who had, on the strength of an HIV positive diagnosis, taken AZT, rapidly declined, and died.
AZT, a failed chemotherapy drug, attacks all cells of the body and destroys the ability of cells to reproduce. In other words, it kills.
The HIV blood test itself was riddled with flaws. A falsely positive result could ensue because of 60 or more factors that had nothing to do with HIV.
I deconstructed and reconstructed the AIDS legend. If you boldly and arbitrarily and falsely announced that a certain group---say, people who inhabited a certain park in a major city---had been exposed to a deadly germ; and if you then undertook a major propaganda campaign to convince these people to get tested for the germ; and if the test yielded false-positive results like crazy; and if you made a major push to have people who tested positive take a deadly drug; you would essentially be consigning these people to destruction.
Name a group. Any group. Put them through this step-by-step process, and many of them end up dead.
That was the assembly line. It still is.
In writing AIDS INC., I examined every so-called high-risk group for AIDS, and I found factors---non-viral factors---in each group that could easily account for the immune-system collapse that was being called AIDS. The factors tended to be different for each group. Some factors were recent. Some were age-old.
When I wrote AIDS INC., there were only a handful of recognized scientists who were speaking out against the fraudulent and death-dealing "research" behind AIDS. Among them, Peter Duesberg and Harvey Bialy. I had learned much from Peter and Harvey. Since those days, a number of other scientists have stepped up to the plate. They are largely ignored by the press.
Now we see stories in the press about a vaccine that will possibly work to prevent HIV from causing immune-system failure. Such a vaccine will, they say, produce antibodies against HIV in the body. This is taken to be a sign that the person is immune to HIV.
However, the standard HIV blood tests look for these same antibodies. If they are found, the person is said to be on the road to AIDS.
To say there is a confusion here is a vast understatement.
You see, traditionally, the production of antibodies, by the human body, was taken to be an indication that the body had warded off a disease. The germ entered the body, antibodies were produced against it, and the body knocked out the germ.
But with the advent of the AIDS legend, another rule was thrown out the window. Suddenly, antibodies to HIV were taken to be a gravely negative indicator.
Yet, even as the traditional rule was trashed, researchers were saying that a vaccine that induced those same antibodies was protective, was good, was a breakthrough.
In 1988, I spoke with a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. He told me that, when a vaccine was found, every person who took it would be given a letter. The letter would say that he was immune to HIV, and if he ever tested positive for HIV on a blood test, that result should ignored, because he was immune, not on the road to AIDS.
Antibodies naturally produced by the body against HIV=infected with the killer virus. The same antibodies produced by taking a vaccine=protective immunity.
There are researchers who understand this ridiculous and dangerous contradiction. But most of them will not speak out. As a well-known virologist at UCLA once said to me, "HIV is not an issue I'll comment on. It's political. That's all I'll say. There are other people in the research community you could approach, but they won't talk to you, either."
HOW DO THEY ACTUALLY TEST FOR BIRD FLU?