With competition for donors and charitable dollars at an all-time high, and the economy still keeping many donors on the sidelines, it's more important than ever to focus on getting...
Is your donor acquisition strategy working?
Is your new donor acquisition strategy working? How do you know? What's your measure of success? If you want a strong Fall acquisition season this year, your prime planning time...
Where do newsletters fit in your direct mail program? (Tip #25)
Newsletters are a great addition to your direct mail program. Unlike direct mail solicitation letters, you can use them to tell more in-depth stories, thank your donors in special ways...
6 Steps to Integrated Fundraising for Small Charities
As any Executive Director or Development Director in a small nonprofit knows, it's hard to find budget to do some of the things you know you need to do. Integrated...
Direct Mail vs. Digital: The Battle Continues
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) released findings from a new study today showing that direct mail (and phone outreach) still deliver significantly higher response rates than digital (specifically e-mail) campaigns....
Should you let direct mail donors “rest”? (Tip #24)
Mail at least monthly. A lot of people think monthly solicitation is too frequent. Maybe you don't want to over mail donors and make them mad. I understand that. Here's...
Are your bequests in trouble?
Every nonprofit board and executive should read this morning's Wall Street Journal article, Counting on an Inheritance? Count Again. The article is primarily a discussion about the long-term impact...
Are you integrating mail and e-mail? You should be… (Tip #23)
Every time you put mail into the mailstream, you should send a coordinated e-mail blast. The integrated (timing, theme and message) approach will help you reach more donors and generate more...
What’s your direct mail suppression strategy? (Tip #22)
Be careful not to over-suppress. What do you do when someone calls and asks to be taken off your mailing list? Do you just say OK and pull them from all...
Keys to a strong fundraising offer
A few weeks ago I wrote about what it takes to have a strong fundraising offer. While on vacation this week in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA, I found a great...