GoalGetters: Effective, Easy, Brand-Building Reader Reward Card Services

Outstanding client service, innovative solutions, and deep experience in the newspaper industry make GoalGetters the clear choice for your Reader Reward Card needs.

Since our founding in 1986, GoalGetters Inc has helped hundreds of newspapers improve their subscriber acquisition and retention rates, and achieve other key circulation goals (pay-in-advance, E-Z pay, etc.).

At GoalGetters, our core service is reader-reward card programs for newspapers. Our cards include 36 free offers—worth a total of $400 to $1,500—from your newspaper’s current and prospective advertisers. We handle all planning, set-up, and administration of your rewards program, freeing your newspaper’s staff from the burden of these details.

As a result, GoalGetters has set the industry standard for prompt, attentive client service as well as product quality and innovations. For example, in 2005 we launched our “Match & Win Scratch-off” game, a reward-card enhancement that motivates your readers to view and use the card daily and look through your newspaper for a hidden number matching the PIN number on their reward card. Most newspapers offer a daily cash prize to the winner, some also enter the winner’s name in a drawing for a grand prize such as a car or house

This innovative program helps circulators achieve multiple goals all at once:

• It strengthens your newspaper’s brand image: subscribers will look at their cards daily to see if their PIN is the winner
• It promotes active reading of the ads in your newspaper
• It can help increase subscriber satisfaction: The more often they look at their card, the more likely they are to use and appreciate the free offers.

The GoalGetters Marketing Staff has a total of more than 110 years of experience in the newspaper industry. Their efforts are supported by a staff of nine Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), based in Illinois and Ohio, who help both circulators and subscribers nationwide by phone, fax, and e-mail.

Production of Reward Cards

At GoalGetters, every reward-card order we receive is important. How we handle it is a matter of pride. To ensure the ideal combination of quality, speed, and competitive pricing for your order, we produce all of our reward cards at Ultra Plastic Printing, our own 35,000-square-foot facility staffed by 72 print professionals in Union Town, Ohio.

Our production capabilities at Ultra Plastic Printing include 1-color to 4-color process printing, hot stamp, foil, and smart cards, as well as customer distribution and fulfillment capabilities. While we are relatively small, we continue to give personalized service to each newspaper.

Al Zuffrano, President/Founder , launched GoalGetters in 1986 in Oak Park, Illinois. Earlier in his career, Al produced marketing programs for McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy's, Filenes, Bloomingdale's, Sears, K-mart, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. He also worked for 8 years at American Banknote a National Sales Manager, developing gift certificate programs for major corporations such as AT&T and Nordstrom. Based on this wealth of experience, he recognized the need for an affordable subscriber-loyalty program for newspapers.

Al’s initial product at GoalGetters was the Cash Reward Food & Fun Card. By 1994, with the business growing and his product line expanding, he decided to move the company to its current location in La Grange, Illinois.

Al holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Miami ( Fla.), and is an active member of many professional associations: the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, West Suburban Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and numerous regional and sectional associations of circulation managers. He is married and has two adult children.

Karen Mally, Office Administrator, has been with GoalGetters since 1998. Whether you are a prospect who only recently discovered our company or a longstanding client, chances are Karen has the answers to your questions. From the administrative tasks of setting up a client’s account, to the details of creative development, client service, and more, Karen is the classic “go-to person” we depend on to handle the day-to-day work that keeps GoalGetters and our clients on track.

Mike Mullinger, Associate Representative, is the newest member of the GoalGetters team, having joined us in November 2007. As the former Consumer Sales Manager for all four of Cox Ohio Publishing’s daily newspapers, he has held key sales and circulation positions with Cox Ohio papers such as the Dayton Daily News, the Middletown Journal, and the JournalNews of Hamilton, Ohio. Even before joining GoalGetters he saw firsthand the power of subscriber-reward cards by testing them against gift cards, and says, “In that test the [rewards cards] not only outsold the gift cards by a 2-to-1 margin, but also saved us more than $40,000.”

Gary Ruhberg, Associate Representative, joined GoalGetters in 1999. His 42 years of circulation management experience includes executive roles at Lee Enterprises and at Gannett, where he started as a District Manager and went on to receive the prestigious President’s Ring award. Highlights of his career include converting two newspapers from PM to AM formats, and playing an active role in the launch of USA Today, including testing home delivery and rolling out the newspaper to several major markets.

Sue Bunsen, Customer Service Representative, has been with GoalGetters since 2004 and has more than 15 years of sales and customer-service experience. Her primary role is to obtain the valuable, free offers from advertisers that appear on the back of our cards. “I enjoy showing circulators how these offers can build subscriber volume and loyalty,” Sue explains, adding, “When you believe in a product it’s easy and fun to sell it.”

Kristina Moy, Customer Service Representative , is new to GoalGetters but certainly not a beginner in the sales and customer service field. With more than 7 ½ years of customer service experience, including experience as an auditor of convenience-store sales and inventory, she has a proven track record of excellence. Her role at GoalGetters is a vital part of the rewards card process: She works with advertisers to obtain the premium promotional offers featured on the back of the card. Her friendly, helpful tone in discussions with advertisers helps them feel comfortable with their decisions.