Posts Tagged ‘Nonprofit’
What the Data Tells Us: Biggest Takeaways from 2017
Why would a college professor drive 3 hours each way through DC traffic for a DMAW Wake Up & Learn session? HINT: The answer is a 4-letter word… DATA! That’s right—you say analytics, and I say, “YES, please!” Carol Rhine’s insightful Target Analytics presentation was definitely worth the trip from Salisbury, MD. I’m a firm…
Read MoreMy direct mail fantasy, and other myths
I’ve found the perfect direct mail donor. Her name is Gladys, and she gives to everything I send her, 100% of the time. But I’m not sharing her with you guys. She’s mine. When Gladys gets a mailing from me, she does exactly what she’s supposed to do. When she sees my piece of…
Read MoreFrom Sacred Cows to Successful Campaigns — Real Life Victories
What happens after you tip your sacred cows? In our previous blogs (one and two), we discussed how to identify your nonprofit’s specific sacred cows — those programs, events, campaigns, and practices that you perform religiously, often because that’s the way it’s always been done. Or sometimes our sacred cows are programs that represent too…
Read MoreIdentifying the Sacred Cows That Are Holding You Back
Let’s say you’re committed to tipping some sacred cows. You are ready to challenge and evaluate everything: your mission, your approach, your revenue. How do you identify your organization’s specific sacred cows? In our first blog of this series, we discussed the various fundraising practices nonprofits perform religiously — often with the only strategy being…
Read MoreHow Do You Tip a Sacred Cow? Strength and Patience.
Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” We all tend to agree with this — but do we as nonprofits put it into practice? Particularly in our fundraising work? Echoing this same sentiment, management expert Tom Northrup once said, “All organizations are perfectly designed to get…
Read MoreYou Win Some, You Lose More. Don’t’ Let Your Donors Walk Away: Make Retention Your New Acquisition
Did you know that most nonprofits are not currently measuring donor retention on a monthly basis? Do you know why it matters? According to The 2017 Fundraising Effectiveness Project report in 2016, every $100 gained in gifts was offset by $95 in losses through gift attrition. Let that sink in; for every dollar amount you…
Read MoreMonthly or Bust: Creating a Sustainer Culture
On his very first day as membership director, Dane Grams strove to make monthly donors the centerpiece to the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) sustainer strategy. Why? Well, as he convinced the HRC development team—and now the audience at the DMAW Lunch & Learn: Sustainer Recruitment and Engagement event—monthly sustainers give the most money over…
Read MoreBreaking Through the Noise of an Election
You don’t have to be a political junkie to see that we are right in the middle of one of the loudest, most contentious election seasons we’ve seen in a long time. One has to wonder: how does this election impact our nonprofits? Are our donors being inundated with content? How do you break through…
Read MoreWhy I’m Co-Chairing Digital Day Again (and You Should Join Me There)
by Jared Schwartz, Vice President, Strategy & Innovation Beaconfire RED “Why I’m Co-Chairing Digital Day Again (and You Should Join Me There)” is reposted with permission of the author. This will be my 3rd year involved with DMAW’s Digital Day and my 2nd year as the conference’s co-chair. It’s been very rewarding to watch Digital…
Read MorePower up your Peer-to-Peer Web Site
By Dawn Iype Runs, walks, and rides, oh my! All are becoming increasingly popular with charities looking to engage and leverage their existing donor base. Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great way to use your current donors to reach new ones. When your supporters ask their own personal contacts for donations, those prospective donors are much…
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