FundRaising Success 10th Birthday: fundraising pros discuss fundraising

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

What Would You Like to See Happen With FundRaising Success in the Next 10 Years?

“That you will continue to spot the new trends and coach us all on what we need to know to stay up to date.”
— Gail Perry

“I’d like to see more ‘back and forth’ with readers — a way to actually get readers to respond. I think all of us who write for the magazine would benefit from more ‘in the trenches’ feedback.”
— Pamela Barden

“More occasional pieces that take on controversies within the industry.”
— Geoff Peters

“Continue to be a relevant go-to resource for the nonprofit arena. The scope of coverage and the services that FS provides — from fresh daily content to the virtual conference and now the live Engage conference — continues to grow with the needs of the field.”
— Jeff Jowdy

“I’d like FundRaising Success to keep doing the good work it does … keep connecting with people and giving them the information, tools and resources they need to be incredible fundraisers. And don’t quit the print edition of the magazine.”
— Dane Grams

“More cat videos?”
— Steve MacLaughlin

What is your memory of the “state of fundraising” in 2003/2004?

Ellen Church, president, Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co.
We were worried about retention and the cost of acquiring new donors. We wondered when digital would surpass the mail as the No. 1 channel in our fundraising programs. We were focused on how we could convert more “regular” donors into monthly donors. We wondered how we compared to other groups in our sector in benchmarking reports. We were concerned about how the economy and decisions made in Washington would impact fundraising because it was year-end and we had a lot of hope and income resting on the last quarter of the year. And how can we get more younger donors? Oh, I’m sorry — did you say 2003/2004 or 2013/2014?