DMANF Honors Larry May with 2007 Hart Nonprofit Achievement Award

January 26, 2007 — The Direct Marketing Association’s Nonprofit Federation (DMANF) has announced that Larry May, CEO of Direct Media Inc., has been selected as the 2007 recipient of its Max L. Hart Nonprofit Achievement Award. The award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual within the nonprofit community, will be presented today, at the Federation’s annual Washington Nonprofit Conference, which concludes this afternoon.

"We are excited to recognize Larry, not only for his professional achievements, which are many, but also for his tireless gifts of time and leadership to the nonprofit community," said Senny Boone, executive director of DMANF and vice president for strategic alliances at DMA.

May began his Direct Marketing career in 1978 as a copywriter at Milton Pierce and Associates. In 1980, he joined Walter Karl, Inc. as a copywriter for the list management division, Qualified Lists. There he learned about nonprofit fundraising from DMA Hall of Fame honoree, Don Kuhn. During Larry’s 13 years at Walter Karl he ultimately became President of the company’s Fundraising division.

In 1991 May joined Direct Media Inc. and began to build May Development Services (MDS). MDS provides direct mail fundraising services to a variety of non-profit organizations, specializing in health, social service and religious appeals. Last year, MDS participated in over 350,000,000 pieces of fundraising mail, making it the largest list brokerage for nonprofit mailers in the industry.

“While Larry has built an impressive professional record, we honor him today because he has always been willing to share his expertise with others to promote to the growth of nonprofit fundraising as a discipline,” said Craig Floyd, chairman and executive director of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, and chair of DMANF’s awards committee.

Larry has held a wide range of leadership roles at DMANF and its predecessor organizations, including serving on DMANF’s advisory council from 2000 to 2006, and on DMA’s committee on ethical business practice from 2001 to the present. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and events, and a sought-after contributor to industry publications including the Non-Profit Times, Fundraising Management and DM News.

The Max L. Hart Nonprofit Achievement Award was initially created in 1990 and renamed last year in honor of Max Hart of Disabled American Veterans, a longtime advocate, supporter and champion of professionalism for the nonprofit fundraising community and DMA Hall of Fame honoree.

Previous recipients include Chris Cleghorn of Easter Seals, Raymond Grace of Creative Direct Response, Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Roger Courts of the Sacred Heart League, Roger Craver of Craver, Matthews & Smith, and William Begley of the Christian Appalachian Project.

About DMANF

Since 1982, the DMA Nonprofit Federation and its predecessor organizations have been aggressive and effective advocates for nonprofits in postal, regulatory, legislative, and accountability issues. It has led the way in professional education, networking, and industry advancement. The Federation is the premier agent for improving public awareness and receptivity to direct/interactive marketing-driven philanthropy, and is the ‘top brand’ among all associations and advocacy groups working on behalf of nonprofits in this area. With more than 400 members, the DMANF is one of the largest member segments of the Direct Marketing Association. For additional information about the Federation, please visit http://www.the-dma.org/nonprofitfederation.

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