DMW Worldwide

News of the challenges of fundraising this summer and fall is streaming into DMW Worldwide from stations around the country. The fundraising “perfect storm” we feared did strike some public-television stations. The distraction of the Olympics, the hard-fought political season and a totally unforeseen worldwide economic crisis has affected some stations much more than others. It’s hard to get members to focus when their personal finances are in peril and many aren’t sure their local banks will be around next week. Two questions are being asked by nearly everyone: 1. What’s happening? 2. What should I do? Let’s take them in order. According

Unique selling proposition … benefit-oriented messaging … brand management — sounds like a bunch of advertising execs talking strategy, doesn’t it? Could be. Or it just as easily could be a bunch of development professionals.

A direct-mail provider in the Chicagoland area recently posed this question: 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 (via e-mail) asking if we would consider making a $1,500 donation to a special event they were having. In spite of the fact that our policy of a written

In January, three fundraising professionals came together in a FundRaising Success webinar titled “Everything You Need to Know About Obtaining and Retaining Monthly Donors.” Though our pros were able to answer a number of the questions posed by the more than 100 attendees, they couldn’t get to all of them. So they took the time to answer many of those unanswered questions after the webinar ended. Over the past two weeks, you heard from two of our presenters; this week, it’s Jodi Scheib, vice president, fundraising, DMW Worldwide. Click here to read answers provided two weeks ago by Linda King, sustaining membership coordinator/Leadership Circle

For this week’s Advisor, FS asked a number of agencies and other companies that serve the nonprofit fundraising sector for tips on making the most of the client/vendor relationship. Here are some more of their thoughts. “1. Treat your agency like a partner, not a vendor. 2. Invest in testing. 3. Share and discuss all data as a team to drive strategy. 4. Hire the best you can find and then trust them, based on past performance. 5. Be willing to take calculated risks in order to achieve creative breakthroughs.” — Steve Maggio, president and chief creative officer, DaVinci Direct (www.davinci-direct.com) “Consider [your

Wow! Who ever thought the Gold Awards could be so exciting? The sun was setting on judgement day, and we had a tie for Package of the Year. A first! So, I polled our four judges — Steve Froehlich, director of development analytics at the ASPCA; Tim O’Leary, vice president of McPherson Associates; Paul Bobnak, director of North American Publishing Co.’s Who’s Mailing What! Archive; and FS Senior Editor Abny Santicola. After some soul searching and spirited debate, they weighed in: two for one package and the other two for the other package.

Following is a sampling of lists available to reach potential donors to international relief efforts.

Pop quiz! What’s wrong with this hypothetical appeal from an imaginary nonprofit organization raising money to rescue, spay or neuter animals, and place them in loving homes?

In today’s high-tech fundraising world, why wade into an old-fashioned topic like carrier-envelope design?

Children are starving, but the show must go on. And if you're raising money to support a symphony, how do you convince donors that they should not only give to your cause — perhaps in lieu of helping hungry children — but also feel good about it?