Spring

(Press release, March 23, 2015) — Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey (CCAH), a full-service direct marketing firm serving global nonprofit organizations, is proud to announce that it has been awarded seven coveted Pollie Awards, the industry's highest honor bestowed on political consultants at the national and international level, from the AAPC. CCAH was recognized in four separate categories — sweeping one entire category — for its exemplary work during the 2014 political season. CCAH's Pollie Award wins are as follows:

Spring is report season in the nonprofit sector. A slew of new data is released, and this year the emerging theme is that online fundraising is rapidly rising, especially on mobile devices. Nonprofits that have not yet adopted a mobile-first approach to online communications and fundraising can use the new data to help convince executive staff and boards that a new mobile-compatible website should be high on their priority list. Crowdfunding, peer-to-peer fundraising, monthly giving and email fundraising are also proving to be effective.

We all know that first impressions really do count. In fact, research has confirmed that folks visiting your website form an impression in one-twentieth of a second, influencing their ratings of the site. So it makes you wonder — what are potential members, supporters or donors thinking about your website? Does it inspire trust? Are they motivated to stay a while or come back for more?

With the arrival of spring, maybe now is a good time to think about a little spring cleaning on your website.

Spring is here and so is the event fundraising season! Events that raise money for causes and nonprofits can take many forms from 5k runs and walk-a-thons to endurance bike rides. In recent years, nonprofits have expanded these activities to include mud runs, polar plunges, even head-shaving! But just like any large undertaking, planning a fundraising event has its benefits and challenges. They can bring in a lot of revenue for the organization, but can also put tremendous strain on a nonprofit’s resources.

Will we ever be rid of the idea that nonprofits can somehow achieve a nirvana where very little (or no) money goes to boring things like salaries, technology, infrastructure, fundraising, leadership development, planning, R&D? I wonder if we could gain more traction by talking less about the negatives of an overhead myth and talking more about the positives of nonprofit organization building.

Recent tweets on fundraising (#fundraising).

Recent tweets from folks you should be following.

As author and fundraiser Harold "Si" Seymour wrote, "If you want to raise alfalfa, you can get several crops a year.  But if you want to raise oaks, it will take a little longer."

NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti and his son Marc of the The Buoniconti Fund, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, hosted an inspirational evening with more than 2,000 guests to celebrate Destination Fashion 2012. Tom Brokaw hosted the evening, which was chaired by Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones and international polo sensation Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras and raised $31 million for The Miami Project.

The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) announced the winners of the 2012 DMEF Collegiate ECHO Direct/Interactive Marketing Challenge, whose content was provided by SkyMall. DMEF awarded a total of $8,500 in scholarships to the University of Georgia, which swept this year’s competition, with $3,500 in cash prizes going to the winning student teams.

Conducted since 1986, DMEF’s Collegiate ECHO Challenge provides college students with real-world experience by challenging them to create a marketing campaign for an actual product or service.