Creative Direct Response

The holiday season provides ample opportunity to proposition potential donors and renew supporters' contributions. According to Michael Nilsen, senior director of public affairs for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), approximately half of all charities get between 30 percent and 60 percent of their contributions during the last quarter of the year. Roughly 20 percent of AFP member organizations noted that in December alone, they received 50 percent of their annual contributions noted Nilsen.

BOWIE, MD, Jan. 11, 2010 —CDR Fundraising Group, an industry leader in integrated fundraising and marketing for nonprofits, is pleased to announce the acquisition of MINDset direct (MINDset.)  By adding MINDset’s specialized services to its capabilities, CDR Fundraising Group has significantly expanded the middle-donor, sustainer and planned-giving marketing programs it can offer its nonprofit clients.

BOWIE, MD, April 14, 2009 — Geoffrey W. Peters, president and CEO, is saddened to announce that Raymond Grace, founder of CDR Fundraising Group, passed away from complications related to cancer early this morning, April 14, 2009.

As many of you know, Creative Direct Response Founder and CEO Ray Grace has been battling esophageal cancer for some time. If you would like to offer your support to Ray, you can leave a comment at a CaringBridge page set up in his name.Webinar Roundup: Grantseeking During a RecessionBy Abny SanticolaIn a Jan. 30…

All hail the next big thing! Everyone is looking for it … or running from it … or a little of both. “What’s next” is a huge topic of conversation anywhere you go in the fundraising sector. And because the lure of that magic fundraising bullet is so seductive, it’s way too easy to get caught up in its siren call — you know … that sublimely hypnotic melody that wraps itself around your overworked brain and soothes away the trauma of your last failed direct-mail package, those hugely expensive test mailings, the CAN-SPAM bugaboos, and links that take forever to load and then

PACKAGE OF THE YEAR Gold: Habitat for Humanity International Special Development Appeal (Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co.) Silver: Rhode Island Community Food Bank Annual Review Brochure (DaVinci Direct) Bronze (Tie): Tuskegee Airmen — Charles McGee Campaign (Fundraising Strategies) CARE November/December World Report (Merkle) ACQUISITION (50,000 OR MORE MAILED) Gold: Utah Food Bank 2007 Thanksgiving Donor Acquisition (L.W. Robbins) Silver: Wildlife Conservation Spring 2007 Acquisition (Schultz & Williams) Bronze: Mail Call Hurts (Gum Version) (Fundraising Strategies) ACQUISITION (FEWER THAN 50,000 MAILED) Gold: Tuskegee Airmen — Charles McGee (Fundraising Strategies) Silver: Bidawee “Welcome” (SCA DIrect) Bronze: Adaptive Clothing Gift Tag Package (Fundraising Strategies) RENEWAL (50,000

Nonprofit professionals say charity watchdog groups like Charity Navigator, which aim to ensure nonprofits are financially responsible, don’t give donors a clear picture of an organization’s effectiveness. Watchdog groups look at an organization’s tax records (the 990 form) and little else in determining its rating, said John Melia, founder and executive director of the Wounded Warrior Project, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based organization that provides programs and services to severely injured service members during the time between active duty and transition to civilian life. Melia and other nonprofit professionals discussed issues surrounding charity watchdog groups and their rating systems at the session “The Costs of

John Melia is a no-nonsense kind of guy. He’s got what seems at first to be the naïve determination of a child building sand castles at water’s edge, not quite cognizant of the fact that the surf could swoop in at any moment and wreak havoc. It’s a refreshing assessment. But it’s also wrong. At 42, the wounded Gulf War vet and founder and executive director of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based Wounded Warrior Project is far from naïve about the way nonprofit organizations have historically worked. He just cuts the crap and focuses on how they should work. And in the case of WWP, how

A direct-mail provider in the Chicagoland area recently posed a question about an experience he had with a client organization. We had several fundraising pros tackle the question and ran a number of responses last week. This week, a few more. My company partners with many nonprofit organizations. Several of them annually ask us for donations back. We make it known that our policy is to review what we have done for organizations in December, and if a company wants us to make a donation they may [ask us], in writing, at that time. About six weeks ago, one of these nonprofits contacted us

With the right implementation, nonprofit organizations have a straightforward tool for measuring success at their fingertips. Creative Direct Response’s Joel Zimmerman tells you all about it in his story, “Mastering the Balanced Scorecard”. Be a Part of FundRaising Success! Join Our Reader Panel The editorial staff of FundRaising Success magazine wants this publication, our e-newsletters and webinars to reflect what you need to know to help you succeed in your fundraising efforts. To make sure we’re on point, we’re forming a special FS Reader Panel. Members will be invited to join in conversations with the staff, meet at conferences, provide feeback and critique,