Last Look: An Interview With David Duncan, Director of Membership and Development, Civil War Preservation Trust

FS: What advice would you give to organizations similar to yours, in size and annual operating budget?
DD: First and foremost, smash all the silos. Now. If the planned giving department is fighting the major gift officers over prospects who come in through direct mail or the Web, you will never get anywhere. Next, don’t worry too much about “protecting” your best donors from getting your direct mail — unless they ask you to. I’ve had a million-dollar donor tell me that he looks forward to getting the battlefield maps we send out in our 50-cent mailings. We routinely get $1,000-plus gifts from our direct mail packages, and they are appearing on the Web site more and more often. Think about that — that’s a big-ticket purchase on a Web site! The key is to present relevant, informative, personal, engaging messages, and then your mailings or e-mail messages won’t be seen as an intrusion. Give your donors every opportunity to support your mission, and let them choose how much they want to participate.