Marketing and promotion is essential for cardholders to apply for the card and encourage them to use it. Even though the alumni at Queen's is very loyal, we needed to offer them a superior product and aggressively promote it. To promote its cards, Queen's not only sends out direct mail but also advertises in its alumni magazines and set up booths on campus. At the University of Toronto, students, faculty and staff returning to campus in the fall are greeted with a friendly reminder to apply for a card or to use their existing cards. The university hires students and part-time workers to staff booths that not only provide applications but also raise awareness of the program.
Promotion seems to be another key to running a profitable affinity card program.
We promote the card as the preferred payment of choice and tie it into all of the products offered by Ducks Unlimited. We also make the applications readily available at our offices, and offer the card as one of the participation options when people become members. Affinity card programs not only bring in revenue but also keep the organization or special interest group in the minds of its members. Thanks to the increasing competition for donor dollars, card programs will likely be examined by more nonprofit organizations. Not only is the potential for generating revenue through affinity card programs evident in the tremendous success of the universities, but it is also a necessity in a time when funding and budgets are being cut.