Direct Response

Is your communication plan missing an e-welcome series? Do you have only a welcome email versus a series? Well, you should change your plan now. Here are a few helpful hints about a welcome series.

With all the modern channels to potential donors, learn the myriad of ways you can grow your list and engage new supporters.

By far, the most frequently made mistake I see is when a worthy nonprofit assumes mission trumps all. It's mostly out of oversight, as nonprofit leadership is focused on doing good. However, sometimes it's because the organization really believes that donors are merely "funders"—the ATMs of the nonprofit world.

Attendees will walk away with ideas for creating a leaner fundraising operation, without sacrificing campaign impact.

This old dog knows that there is much we can't control as fundraisers — but having "Plan B" in place can save the day, or at least make it less devastating for our fundraising.

"Marketers" have unique roles within nonprofit organizations, but what about you and your direct marketing team?

Good habits are developed over time. By practice. By repetition. Build the strength of your fundraising program through good fundraising habits.

Seeing what others are doing with their fundraising is one of the best ways to jump-start your own creativity and find new things to try or test. If you haven't done it recently, make some donations to nonprofits that you think you can learn from; reading about fundraising is good, but actually being a recipient of it is great!

Let's face our gaps and challenges head on, and let's do something about them so we can be better fundraisers and marketers — because what we do is really important in this world.

It looks like the future of fundraising is catching up with us. We are afflicted by the ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." And in the year ahead, times are going to get a lot more interesting.