The Evolution of Multichannel Fundraising

Phase 1: Channels as islands
Previously, multichannel referred to methods by which a nonprofit reached its supporters: mail, phone, face-to-face and online (the Web). In this context, multichannel fundraising employed individual strategies for using some, or all, of these to engage supporters. Usually these channels were handled with separate strategies and very often regarded as "islands" separate from one another — and in many cases, they were even "owned" by different groups within the organization.