This is a rather emotional column for me to write. On October 24th 1994, twenty-five years ago, I sat down in my dining room and began Douglas Shaw & Associates. I remember well both the excitement and the fear! Excitement, stemming from all of the opportunities awaiting me to shape a direct response fundraising agency according to my own, deeply held values and . . . fear of complete, career-ending failure. With my family depending upon me for income and health benefits, my hands shook a little as I wrote my first Douglas Shaw & Associates fundraising letter.

To my credit, I did have 14 years of experience in raising money, but someone else had always been responsible for payroll, accounts receivable, and myriad other management tasks. Even so, at age 42, I took the leap!

Today, I’m 67, working with my son, Graham, who leads the most committed and talented leadership team and employees I’ve ever had the privilege to serve with, I feel blessed beyond all my imaginings. They are SO much better than I was at 42 . . .

In this issue of Donor Focus you’ll hear from one of our Client Services Consultants, Liz Hall, who addresses Unexpected Gifts at Year-End? Vice President of Digital Solutions, Amy Sewell, is back and this time telling us What You Need to Know About Nonprofit Texting. Our Executive Creative Director and veteran fundraiser, Wiley Stinnett, answers the oft-asked question: “Is there any research to validate the need for direct mail in communications with donors?” Lastly, please join us on November 13 at 12:00 noon CST for our FREE webinar: Emerging Trends for Digital Fundraising Growth!

As always, in this issue, we’ll celebrate what is right with the world!

Our team is happy to help advise you on what strategy may work best for your organization, but you’ll never know unless you try.