There are steps afoot to make direct mail more environmentally friendly - good news for nonprofits that are on the horns of a dilemma between environmental responsibility and the ongoing need to raise funds through the mail.

Several large companies such as Microsoft and Washington Mutual have formed the Green Marketing Coalition which, for starters, advocates the following:

• use chlorine-free recycled paper.
• proofread marketing materials using PDF files rather than hard copies.
• use "list hygiene" by pruning your lists of dead addresses and unlikely prospects.

The U.S. Postal Service is also trying to green up direct mail by encouraging organizations to:

• make it easy for mail recipients to opt out of mailings.
• use water-based inks and recycled materials.
• encourage customers to recycle the mailing after reading it.

Some environmental groups are openly skeptical about these endeavors, says an article in the NY Times. The article quotes Todd J. Paglia, executive director of ForestEthics: "It’s hard to argue against any well-intentioned effort to use more recycled paper, but the idea of greening junk mail is still a bit like putting lipstick on a pig...."

Nonetheless, our opinion is that something is better than nothing. Greening is a process of building up ideas, sharing tips, and gradually doing better. It won't be accomplished overnight or by some grand deus ex machina.

For more information on greening your direct mail, see our article on green printing for your promotional materials.

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Writing a grant proposal is daunting for most of us, but where we really go nuts is over the budget.

Budgets have their own vocabulary such as direct costs, indirect costs, and in-kind contributions. "What goes where?" a novice grant writer might ask.

Our guest author, Heidi J. Kramer, brings clarity with her article, A Better Grant: Getting the Budget Right In Your Grant Proposal.

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