About Rich Mintz

Professional

As Vice President, Strategy at Blue State Digital in New York, I provide executive sponsorship and senior program support to many of BSD’s most significant strategy engagements. I lead many of BSD’s large engagements in the academic, cultural, and healthcare markets, including institutional change management, annual fund, membership development, and stewardship programs.

Over my professional career in direct response fundraising and engagement programs, I’ve provided strategic direction and support to direct mail and Internet programs at a long list of nonprofit, political, and commercial organizations, including the DSCC and three Democratic Presidential campaigns; more than 50 nonprofits and issue advocacy organizations; and public companies including GE, Monsanto, and Schlumberger. I have particular experience helping mid-sized entrepreneurial programs grow quickly while maintaining their focus and operational strength.

I began my work in the field as a direct mail account executive at National Direct Marketing in Los Angeles almost 20 years ago. I was a co-founder of NetResponse, the Washington, DC-based Internet professional services firm that was acquired by iXL, Inc. in 1998; and of BusyTonight, a search engine technology company in New York. From 2001 to 2004, I owned and operated Peachtree Highway Books, a neighborhood bookstore with a national direct response program in Atlanta’s historic Candler Park neighborhood.

I hold an A.B. degree from Harvard College and live in lower Manhattan, in a former commercial building two blocks from the World Trade Center site.

Personal

Aside from my interests in online organizing, Internet fundraising, and social media (which are personal as well as professional — I can’t wait for the day that our friends are all in an always-on chat room in our heads), I’m particularly interested in urbanism. I’m a former (and probably future) member of the Congress for the New Urbanism and am committed to responsible urbanization, to neighborhood development and revitalization, to well-funded public transit, and to a healthy community life. I try to put both my money and my time where my mouth is, by contributing to and working on behalf of organizations (both national and local) that are advancing the cause of urban life in the United States.

As part of my commitment to sustainable urban life, and as a means to better health, I’m a daily bicycle commuter in New York City, riding about 2 1/2 miles each way uptown from the Financial District to the Flatiron. Biking in New York is easier than you might think. The city is mostly flat (bridge approaches the most notable exception); it’s so congested that traffic rarely goes too fast; and the NYC Department of Transportation has invested heavily in bike, transit, and street infrastructure that makes the streets safer for everyone who isn’t in a car.  (It’s worth noting that I’ve always hated exercise and physical activity, and I weigh 20 or 30 pounds more than I should. If I can ride to work and enjoy it, maybe you can, too.)

As of right now I ride two bikes: a Gary Fisher Nirvana hybrid that I bought in 1999, which is for long rides; and a Dahon Speed P8 folding bike, which is my nimble city bike. My new Public D3 is due to arrive via Fedex later this week. I’ve been advised by bike-store clerks and others who are in no way crazy that it’s perfectly normal to own three bikes at once, and I’m choosing to believe that.

I read pretty heavily in American history and sociology (along with the occasional bit of medieval European history) in my free time, and you’ll see me commenting on that here, too, as well as (in no particular priority order) New York City, transportation infrastructure, bicycling, high culture, progressive politics, Mac hardware and software, gay and lesbian family life, exasperatingly rude people, and other topics of general interest. Since last fall, I bike to work at least some of the time.

If you know me in real life, you can send me an email at richmintz@richmintz.com. If you’d like to reach me in a professional context, I’d prefer that you use my work email address, rich@bluestatedigital.com. I’m also on Facebook and LinkedIn.