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Digital Day 2019: Expecting the Unexpected
Going into DMAW’s Digital Day for the second year in a row, I knew I’d be leaving with a wealth of new knowledge in the digital space, but little did I know that the lessons learned would be both inside and outside of the sessions. Digital Day taught me more than just the latest digital…
Read MoreThe Carrier’s Curse: Questioning, Testing, and Why Everything Plain Is Exciting Again
Raise your hand if you’ve been here: you’re mailing a package with a heartwarming case for support, copy that hits all your marks in two pages or less, all in a gorgeous, full bleed, four-color carrier. The package is great, the message is strong, and your lists are ready to go. You’re so proud of…
Read MoreDM 201: Stop Getting Comfortable and Start Innovating
DM 201 is an intermediate-level course that’s perfect for anyone who already has some direct marketing experience under their belt—whether at an agency, nonprofit, list broker, production company, or analytics firm—and wants to go beyond the basics. Somewhere between being a total newbie and seasoned vet things start to fall into place. We get comfortable…
Read MoreMiddle donors and the White House
Are your middle donors suffering from middle child syndrome? Do they feel excluded, ignored, overshadowed by the over-indulged major donors and the high volume, attention-stealing low dollar donors? Organizations are starting to shine the spotlight on middle donors, and rightly so. The reality is middle donors account for less than 2% of all donors in…
Read MoreNot just for newbies! – What I learned at DM 101
Normally I wouldn’t have signed up for this particular seminar. After all, I’ve been in the industry for more than “just a few” years . . . although I’ll never admit to exactly HOW many years. Let’s just say I started back in the old days – before email, before online marketing, before much of…
Read MoreReaching donors when you don’t have an “Aunt Bertha”
I had the pleasure of attending the DMAW Annual Meeting and hearing from keynote speaker Nancy Harhut about how to hack the brains of donors, members, and other humans. It was fascinating! Nancy shared a story about where her interest in fundraising began – at age eight when, incentivized by a banana-seat bike prize, she…
Read MoreA mail donor and a digital donor walked into a bar…
If your first reaction to the title above is, “I don’t get it, is that a joke?”, then you likely were not among fortunate, dedicated marketers, who braved the region’s first snow dusting of the season to attend this month’s DMAW Lunch and Learn, “Digital First: Why Translating DM Content Just Won’t Cut It!” While…
Read MoreKey Takeaways – National Association of Charitable Gift Planners 2018 Conference
Last month, I attended the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners Conference in Las Vegas. This is the premier national gift planning conference, with three days packed with presentations on all aspects of planned giving. I’ve been happy to see an increasing number of panels and discussions focused on marketing – the main driver for…
Read MoreOnline Fundraising Best Practices for Nonprofits
Best Practices and Bold Innovations: Recapping the Best of Bridge Lunch and Learn If you missed out on the 2018 Bridge Conference like me, I hope you made a point to attend DMAW’s Best of Bridge Lunch and Learn on October 18th! At this Lunch and Learn, one of the most popular sessions from this…
Read MoreHow Will Tariffs Impact Your Direct Marketing Program?
Many in our industry are concerned about the trade war between the US and China… but what does it mean for you and your business? Since January 22, 2018 this war has been escalating regularly with Trump and Xi firing salvos back and forth in hopes of gaining the best economic position for his nation. …
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