As a fundraiser, have you ever wondered where income growth expectations come from? Over the past 35 years, I’ve often wondered if that number is driven by the costs to increase services to those being served, or just an arbitrary goal. But, as the person responsible for making it happen, you need a plan!
Direct response strategies are often structured around moments in time: holidays, emergencies, infrastructure needs, or when you pay your bills. As soon as our donors break the seal on that carrier envelope, it’s just a matter of time until the appeal is out of mind. But your newsletter shouldn’t be that way.
Whether you are looking to improve results on your direct response program or turn a downward spiral around, effective and affordable testing is your organization’s best friend. It can improve how you tell your stories and connect with donors—and can grow fundraising results exponentially.
It’s June already! Good grief! The year’s almost half over!!! For fundraisers you know what this means? It’s time to get ready for your all-important Fall Campaign. I’m sure you know that many, if not most nonprofit organizations receive 50-60% of their annual income during Q4.
Building a quality development program can take several years to complete. I’ve found that it doesn’t come overnight and there are few shortcuts, if any. Mostly it’s learning the tricks of the trade, using the right tools, and serving in the apprenticeship of time. It also requires having the ability to see the potential of something that perhaps others can’t see.
Not long ago, a development professional for a ministry commented: “I know how to pull reports from my system, but I don’t know how to read them!” And he isn’t alone…
What you are holding in your hand, or looking at on your screen, is our final issue of Donor Focus for this year. All 40 of us here at Douglas Shaw & Associates hope that you’ve found some useful content to help you along your way.
If your online revenue has been growing, chances are your team has thought about cutting back on direct mail. Your board or CFO might see an opportunity to save money by shifting away from the hard costs of so much mail.
For years, I’ve heard people (even those in the direct response business) say that they open their mail over the trash can so they can rid themselves of the dreaded junk mail. And in the digital world it’s even easier to be ignored.
Recently the Data Marketing Association (DMA) reported that mail outperformed all digital channels by nearly 600 percent. This industry watchdog measures and represents all channels of direct response…
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