Integration Through Understanding

"The best experiences happen when there is an understanding clearly of what an organization needs from each of its stakeholders and what it can provide," Ireland says. "The goal is not to raise the most dollars -- it's to solve the most problems."

But that's just step one, she says. Step two involves paying attention to the chronology of a donor's experience as you develop e-mail or direct-mail campaigns and coming up with an ideal "map" of what you want his experience to look like.